Politics

To hear conservative critics tell it, the United States had everything in Afghanistan under control until President Barack Obama took office and messed with George W. Bush’s ingenious combination of open-ended warfare and diplomacy-by-silent treatment. Unchastened by the hasty run-up to the Iraq War, for a solid month, an assortment of foreign-policy players has tried…

President Barack Obama had more homework than usual this week. In the wee hours of Monday morning, Obama surprised administrators at Washington’s Sidwell Friends Academy, where his two daughters attend school. He and his wife showed up for the quarterly ritual known as the parent-teacher conference. After hearing about Malia and Sasha from their teachers,…

Cornel West, distinguished professor in the Princeton Center for African American Studies, and author of best sellers such as Race Matters (Vintage, 1994) Democracy Matters: Winning the Fight Against Imperialism (Penguin, 2004) and Keeping Faith: Philosophy and Faith in America (Routledge, 1994),has a new memoir, Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud (Smiley Books) in…

First lady Michelle Obama is going to be serving up answers on “The Jay Leno Show.” NBC said Monday that Mrs. Obama is set to respond to 10 “rapid-fire questions” in a comedy bit with Leno. She’ll participate via satellite from Washington. Leno’s Q&A routine with celebrities and newsmakers has featured Justin Timberlake, Sen. John…

As trial nears in the perjury and theft case against Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon, city movers and shakers are quietly talking about succession. Marvin “Doc” Cheatham, president of the Baltimore chapter of the NAACP. Cheatham has worried vocally that if the current mayor is convicted, the governor might appoint a white person (and/or a Republican)…

Big news for the Chi.  Tuesday, MTV will be bringing Sway and the rest of their crew to Chicago to film a two-hour segment to help curb violence in Chicago.  As part of this segment, David Banner, 9th Wonder, Naledge, Twista, Rhymefest and Skooda Chose are teaming up to shoot a video for their collaboration…

I. Another Washington dusk, another motorcade, another intimate evening played out in public view. On Oct. 3, just a day after their failed Olympics bid in Copenhagen, Barack and Michelle Obama slipped into a Georgetown restaurant for one of their now-familiar date nights: this time, to toast their 17th wedding anniversary. As with their previous…

The real question Americans are asking is, “What has President Obama actually accomplished?”… It is unfortunate that the president’s star power has outshined tireless advocates who have made real achievements working towards peace and human rights. One thing is certain — President Obama won’t be receiving any awards from Americans for job creation, fiscal responsibility,…