"Mr. Obama and the Democrats have wasted the once–in–a–lifetime opportunity handed to them in the 2008 election. They did not focus on jobs, jobs, jobs as their primary mission, and they did not call on Americans to join in a bold national effort (which would have required a great deal of shared sacrifice) to solve a wide range of very serious problems."Bob HerbertNew York TimesAt least once in every presidency, it seems that a president is said to have squandered a golden opportunity that had been given to him by the voters or fate or whatever.More...
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
In 1917, Woodrow Wilson was president.He famously kept America out of World War I in his first term, but he failed to keep it out of the war after his second term began.That was the world into which Robert Byrd was born in November 1917 — nearly six months after John F. Kennedy was born. And today, after more than half a century of representing his home state of West Virginia in Washington, he died at the age of 92.I think it is important to remember...
Thursday, June 24, 2010
"And what'll you do now, my blue–eyed son?And what'll you do now, my darling young one?I'm a–goin' back out 'fore the rain starts a–fallin',I'll walk to the depths of the deepest dark forest,Where the people are many and their hands are all empty,Where the pellets of poison are flooding their waters,Where the home in the valley meets the damp dirty prison,And the executioner's face is always well hidden,Where hunger is ugly, where the souls are forgotten,Where black is the color, where none is the number,And I'll tell it and speak it and think...
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
We're well into the nominating season for the 2010 midterm elections.Some people have suggested that 2010 will be an anti–incumbent year, although there hasn't really been much evidence of this in the primaries — as cable TV's Rachel Maddow pointed out recently.But political parties rarely reject incumbents. Instead, if an incumbent is going to be denied another term, it is likely to happen in the general election.My argument — which, I must admit, was somewhat discredited by the results in Arkansas this month, although I'm sticking with it for...
Friday, June 18, 2010
"Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves, that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, 'This was their finest hour.' "Sir Winston ChurchillAs Barack Obama looks for the right leadership style for guiding the nation through the simultaneous crises in the Gulf and the economy, there may be lessons to be learned from reflecting on two speeches that were delivered on this...
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
"You cannot be president of the United States if you don't have faith. Remember Lincoln, going to his knees in times of trial and the Civil War and all that stuff. You can't be. And we are blessed. So don't feel sorry for — don't cry for me, Argentina. Message: I care."George H.W. Bush41st presidentDo you remember when the first President Bush was facing an unexpected challenge within his own party while the Democrats were uniting behind a charismatic Southern governor and a Texas billionaire was urging disgruntled Americans to sign petitions that...
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Tonight, many people are writing about Barack Obama's Oval Office speech.And tomorrow, I am sure, so will I. I've got a pretty good idea what I want to say. I'm just not in the mood to say it tonight.I've been on Facebook this evening. My goddaughter, who lives about 800 miles away from me, is in the hospital. They're trying to relieve some kind of air pocket in her chest. Anyway, she's been posting updates and all sorts of stuff — apparently via...
Monday, June 14, 2010
Barack Obama plans to address the nation tomorrow night about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.The speech is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. (Central), after Obama returns from a two–day visit to Alabama, Mississippi and Florida, the president's fourth trip to the region since the oil rig exploded in April and triggered the events with which Obama and the government's emergency responders have been trying to deal ever since. It is said Obama will speak for about 15 minutes about the disaster.This is a pivotal moment in the Obama presidency.After...
Friday, June 11, 2010
On June 9, 1982, I covered Bill Clinton's press conferencethe day after his runoff victory in the gubernatorial race.That was the name of a somewhat obscure song on Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" album nearly 40 years ago.And, if you don't recognize it, that's understandable. There were several songs on that double album that got a lot more airplay, both at the time and in the years since. In fact, to be honest, I'm not sure I ever heard...
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
"May God stand between you and harm, in all the dark places you may travel."Eighteenth Egyptian dynastyEach president carves out his own niche, based on his personality and his individual style.He is elected to face the next four years as leader of the American people — who expect him to do so in his own way (although there are certain things that are expected of every president).If the voters approve, the president usually is re–elected. If they don't, he might still be re–elected, but he's going to have to work a lot harder.Which will be true...
Monday, June 7, 2010
Liebe and I liked apple pie when we were 5."If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them."Henry David ThoreauToday is the birthday of someone I've probably known longer than anyone else — excluding my immediate family members, of course.We're about the same age. I'm about six months older than she is. Our mothers were close friends since childhood so I guess you...
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