Politics

Barack Obama is, for the moment, winning the silly appeasement debate raging in American politics, but the fact that the fight is occurring at all highlights a set of vulnerabilities that Obama must address quickly if he is to win in November. Because he is still distracted by a prolonged primary battle with Hillary Clinton,…

Give Hillary Clinton the benefit of the doubt. She was not, as she explained, suggesting that she was staying in the race because something horrible might happen to Barack Obama, the man who is denying her bid for the White House. She was only citing an example of a presidential-nominating contest that went into June…

Right now, liberals want me to release classified photos, conservatives deny that torture is illegal, and people that I work with may be involved in both. Home grown terrorists tried to blow up two synagogues and three U.S. soldiers were killed alongside 63 Iraqis. My name is Barack Obama, and today is the longest day…

B, you’re kidding me, right? The flag pin? Come on. I’ve noticed you’re wearing it again—a lot. I also noticed you’ve been talking about patriotism—a lot. Too much, in fact Now, I have no beef with the flag or with patriotism, but I do when they are used as political weapons by people who think…

It was the finest moment of the agonizing slog this election season has become. John Edwards was back, bringing a gift of reconciliation by merging three concerns that have divided loyalties this year: race, gender and class. By endorsing Barack Obama on Wednesday, Edwards pointed voters back toward the “moral shame of 37 million people…

Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Could it be that as Hillary Clinton was nodding off, waiting for that fabled 3 a.m. phone call, the ghost of Dylan Thomas took possession of her soul? She rages on and on against the dying light of her…

Dear Gov. Dean, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are not tied. You know this. There is little chance of a gracious settlement offer from the Clinton camp. The slim margin in Indiana gives her just enough rationale to stay in it. Given that she will not voluntarily withdraw, Mr. Dean, I am asking you to…

There is an image from the 1988 presidential campaign that I can no longer get out of my mind. It is a Doonesbury cartoon. In this four-frame strip there is no dialogue and no action. Each frame simply shows the unmoving figure of Michael Dukakis covered in mud. It pains me greatly that this awful…

They both have unique names and amazing life stories. They have legions of adoring fans who find them inspiring. They have sold millions of books and can fill stadiums like rock stars. Few black Americans have occupied the rarified status of Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama, two “racially transcendent” blacks whom white admirers find appealing…

Covers the White House and Washington for The Root. Follow her on Twitter.