Politics

And let it be noted that there is no more delicate matter to take in hand, nor more dangerous to conduct, nor more doubtful in its success, than to set up as a leader in the introduction of changes. For he who innovates will have for his enemies all those who are well off under…

There’s somewhere around $750 billion worth of U.S. currency circulating around the globe. We’re talking actual cold, hard cash—billions of pieces of paper, with their portraits and their signatures and their bouts of bizarro Masonic iconography. During this time when American power and prestige is in flux, at best, and when the United States and…

After 100 days of the Obama presidency, we’ve been reminded of what it’s like to have a grown-up in the White House. There hasn’t been a president of Obama’s maturity since, well, Ronald Reagan. And his regime, like Reagan’s, could be a game changer. Beneath his charm, Obama is all business. It’s impossible to imagine…

Forget Day 100—Day 99 was far more interesting. Shortly after noon on Tuesday, Sen. Arlen Specter announced that he will campaign for reelection in 2010 as a member of the Democratic Party. News of the longtime Pennsylvania Republican’s defection sent shock waves through the Capitol and left Democrats enthused and senior Republican Party officials scrambling…

The torrent of analysis and appraisal, hagiography and scorn leveled at Barack Obama’s first 100 days will be relatively quiet on the issue of race. That’s shocking when you consider how all-consuming the issue was during his campaign for the White House. There is a perfectly obvious explanation: The Obama presidency, which so far has…

It’s one of the depressing ironies of black life that in the Obama era, black mothers and fathers must continue giving their teenage sons “the talk.” I’m not talking about the birds and the bees. I’m talking about the “how to act when the police stop you” talk. Rule 1. Don’t talk back to the…

In November 2008, less than one week after winning the votes of city dwellers by a margin of 28 points, President-elect Barack Obama announced he would reward them by creating the first-ever “White House Office of Urban Policy.” Like other new aspects of Obama’s executive branch, appointing a city czar was intended to fast-track communications…

If I ever have to die for my beliefs, I sincerely hope that my reward in secular humanist heaven is a bottomless platter of crisp, thick-cut Irish bacon—delicious. But for an al Qaeda suspect locked up at Guantánamo, finding out that interrogators snuck a tiny grain of pepperoni into his already-eaten cheese pizza might be cause…

Let me be clear: We all oppose torture. However, to blindly oppose and broadcast lawful interrogation techniques which were used to successfully protect the American people and to extract valuable information to prevent further harm to us is dangerous at best. I’d like to respectfully remind everyone to think back to what life was like…

In scenes reminiscent of the historic, first all-race elections of 1994, South Africans of all ages and races pitched up at polling stations Wednesday, some as early as 3 a.m., for what many are calling a watershed moment in the 15-year history of the young democracy. The turnout is the highest since 1994, with 80…