Politics
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Virtual Insanity: Egypt Shuts Down Internet as Protests Intensify
The Telegraph (U.K.) is reporting that Egypt’s government has cut off all Internet access in order to gain control of street protests that threaten to “topple” President Hosni Mubarak. Organizations that track global Internet access detected a collapse in traffic into and out of Egypt at around 10:30 GMT on Thursday night. The shutdown involved…
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Why Michele Bachmann Is the Real Sarah Palin
Playing her designated role as oracle of the nonconservative wing of the Republican Party, Meghan McCain joined the chorus of critics this week dismissing Rep. Michele Bachmann’s (R-Minn.) response to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union. McCain’s take wasn’t as harsh as Esquire’s assessment that Bachmann is a “howling loon,” but it was right…
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Obama Names New Press Secretary
The Washington Post reports that President Obama has chosen Jay Carney as the replacement for Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, who will leave the White House in February. Carney is currently communications director for Vice President Joe Biden. Other candidates considered were Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton and Deputy Communications Director Jennifer Psaki. Read the full…
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Striking a Balance on the National Debt
Just about everyone in Washington these days is busying themselves talking about America’s debt, plugging their ideas as the surefire solution to trim the deficit. In Tuesday’s State of the Union address, President Obama offered belt-tightening proposals based on the recommendations of his bipartisan fiscal commission. Last week, House Republicans introduced a bill to sharply…
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Anonymous Author of Obama Novel Revealed
Time is reporting that Mark Salter, who has served as a senior campaign adviser and speechwriter for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), is the author of the anonymous political novel O. Based on this information alone, we were ready to make a prediction about how flattering the book’s portrayal of the president would be: not very.…
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Round 1: Harry Reid Squares Off With President Obama
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is stepping into the ring with President Obama. He has some harsh words for Obama after the 2011 State of the Union address, in which Obama called for the elimination of earmarks. In his address, the president stated he would veto any legislation that included earmarks. During an appearance on…
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Joan Rivers' Nickname for First Lady: 'Blackie O'
“We used to have Jackie O,” and “now we have Blackie O!” Joan Rivers proclaimed on the Howard Stern radio show today in her commentary about first lady Michelle Obama’s style. Rivers said she was going to tell the joke onstage, but held back because she knew it could offend African Americans. But it didn’t…
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President Obama Set a Tone, Not an Agenda
President Barack Obama was under pressure to satisfy many different constituencies in his second State of the Union address last night. Some liberals wanted the president to support government-matching 401(k) contributions in order to promote saving; others wanted him to address gay-rights legislation; still others urged a ban on large gun clips, or deep cuts…
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Egypt: Thousands Defy Government Ban
MSNBC is reporting that thousands of Egyptians defied a government ban and rallied in central Cairo Wednesday, seeking to end the 30-year rule of President Hosni Mubarak. Police forces on the streets quickly moved in and used tear gas and beatings to disperse demonstrations. Officials said roughly 860 people were detained after Tuesday’s nationwide demonstrations…
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State of the Union: Obama Reverts to Teaching Again
John Boehner did not cry. Though President Barack Obama twice seemed to attempt to provoke a flood of tears from the notoriously weepy new speaker of the House of Representatives, Boehner remained dry-eyed throughout last night’s State of the Union address. He was not alone in being unmoved by the president’s curiously unmoving remarks. Last…