Politics

Michelle Obama would like to see people pop more bottes and raise more glasses — of water. The first lady announced that the latest campaign in her initiative to combat childhood obesity will focus on getting people to drink more of Earth’s most natural thirst quencher, according to the Associated Press. The message is straightforward and…

(The Root) — On Tuesday night, President Barack Obama laid out the moral argument for an international, multilateral coalition to respond to the alleged Aug. 21 gas attack by the Syrian government on its own citizens. The speech came in the midst of a rapidly moving diplomatic crisis. Just over a week ago, it seemed…

(The Root) — When you’ve got conservative USA Today columnist Glenn Harlan Reynolds choosing to quote progressive Atlantic columnist Ta-Nehisi Coates on his way to making the case that the president’s plan for military intervention in Syria is “dumb,” it’s safe to say that if you’re Barack Obama, what you’ve got on your hands is…

(The Root) — President Obama’s decision to postpone a U.S. military strike against Syria to pursue further diplomacy may restore the political credibility of an administration that, over the past two weeks, has been on a determined and aggressive course toward war. The rush to war has been disappointing and contrary to Obama’s call for…

If the Obama administration applied the same energy toward policies to reduce poverty and create jobs that it has toward making a case for military intervention in Syria, we might see an uptick in the economy, Jamal Simmons argues at U.S. News & World Report. Americans are still in distress and the president should marshal…

The NAACP needs a new president in January, and in Salon, Brittney Cooper says the civil rights group’s next leader should be a woman. The vacancy gives the organization a chance to send a message about the significance of women to its mission. Though African-American culture is still enamored with charismatic race men, the NAACP…

When he addresses the nation on Tuesday evening, President Obama will have to prove to a wary public that when it comes to Syria, he knows what he’s doing. According to MSNBC, in a poll created by NBC News-The Wall Street Journal, many Americans are not convinced the commander-in-chief is competently addressing the crisis in…

Since Benjamin Todd Jealous announced this past week that he will be stepping down as president and CEO of the NAACP at the end of this year, the organization has moved swiftly to find his replacement. Representatives from various NAACP chapters and former leaders of the organization seek to make the transition as seamless as…

(The Root) — President Obama’s decision to pursue military action against Syria (he’s currently trying to rally congressional and public support) in response to the Bashar al-Assad government’s use of chemical weapons is unfolding as a major foreign policy error, one that may severely undermine American credibility abroad and domestic priorities at home. Obama’s march…

(The Root) — While the New York City mayoral campaign may appear issues-based, a closer look reveals blurred lines linked to race. In elections, perception is often everything, and politicians charming the public with their families is nothing new. But a white candidate wooing potential African-American voters with his black family and liberal politics is…