Politics

I think she has brought a freshness to the White House, but in addition, her professional skills and her people skills are so good. She began with letting it be known that she was interested in people and that she wanted to be a part of her community and a part of the nation. I…

In a very short time, Michelle Obama has made it clear that she is serious about making the White House a “people’s house.” Internationally as well, the images of her visiting schools and talking to young women of diverse backgrounds reemphasized her image as a strong woman, committed to the cause of education and cultural…

I don’t think Obama’s perfect, so I’ll give him an A-minus. But, the first lady, Lord, well she’s A-plus. No question about it. I think she’s just a tremendous combination of style and substance that you rarely see. I just think that she has balanced that out so well. Most first ladies sort of tilt…

The FLOTUS has been fabulous with fashion and forward-looking on family issues. She’s even gotten down and dirty in the White House kitchen garden. How’s she doing? We asked a collection of our favorite leaders, thinkers and talkers to sum up the first lady’s impact so far. Click through and read what they had to say.…

President Obama, at the end of his 100th day in office, admitted to the nation and to the world that he was surprised by all the monumental problems that have converged on his desk all at once. “I am surprised … by the number of critical issues that appear to be coming to a head…

Barack Obama’s ascendancy still brings to mind popular themes from his campaign—“we want change” and “yes we can”—the liberal analogues of “morning in America.” But brushing aside the loftier characterizations of the president’s political rise, 100 days in, his deliberate style, his approach to political adversaries, his omnibus economic recovery policies and his Aloha diplomacy…

Never mind 100 days, the Obama era thus far can be summed up in the 10 days since Congress returned from Easter recess—remarkable, smartly articulated policy goals on one hand and, on the other, a paralyzing reluctance to engage the bare-knuckled brawls that those goals demand.   Obama came roaring into last week eager to talk…

Arlen Specter likes it when he’s described as the best lawyer in the Senate; there are a lot of lawyers in its chambers. Specter, 79, particularly enjoys his reputation as someone who will go wherever the facts lead. This is the man, after all, who served as chief counsel of the Warren Commission, which investigated…

Publicly, GOP leaders and operatives are slamming Republican Sen. Arlen Specter for being an “opportunist.” In a scathing statement released soon after the Tuesday announcement that Specter is becoming a Democrat, GOP chairman Michael Steele charged that Specter “only cares about furthering his personal political interests because he knew that he was going to lose…

Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter will switch his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat and announced today that he will run in 2010 as a Democrat, according to a statement he released this morning. Specter’s decision would give Democrats a 60 seat filibuster proof majority in the Senate assuming Democrat Al Franken is eventually sworn in…