FreedomWriting

  • Subscribe to our RSS feed.
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Facebook
  • Digg

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Imperial Hubris

Posted on 8:22 AM by Unknown

"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 Herbert
New York Times

At 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 than once, for example, I have heard George W. Bush criticized for failing to use September 11 as a way to unite a divided America in a common cause. In fact, he did precisely the opposite. He exploited it for political gain. He used it to drive wedges between people, between races, between faiths.

I will always believe that Bush was a terrible president, but, in all fairness, he did nothing most other presidents did not do. He just had far worse results than most — perhaps because he utilized far worse tactics than most.

What did he do?

Well, he bought into the myth that the president is infallible. And when a president is seduced by that particular myth, inevitably he makes at least one bad choice — and then spends the rest of his presidency, if not his life, justifying and rationalizing.

I don't know when this idea of infallibility took hold. But most presidents seem to have concluded — even if they entered the presidency as "men of the people" — that they know best. The transformation seems almost biblical. Apparently, all one must do to become infallible is to repeat the presidential oath of office.

Maybe there is something magical about that oath. Or maybe the American people are just natural enablers. That might explain a lot.

I suppose the attitude at its most extreme was summed up best by Richard Nixon, who told David Frost, "[W]hen the president does it, that means that it is not illegal."

I have seen no evidence that any other president crossed some criminal threshold in his actions, but history sure is loaded with bad presidential decisions.

And one of the worst may turn out to be Barack Obama's decision to emphasize health care reform over job creation when his presidency began — even though job losses had been increasing for months prior to his inauguration, and they continued, sometimes at alarming monthly levels, through his first year in office. (I criticized Obama in this blog last Labor Day when he declined to make any speeches about the nation's joblessness crisis — a decision that all too clearly demonstrated how much he cared about the unemployed.)

Despite occasional lip service, this president has done little in defense of the unemployed. He only seemed to discover the problem after his party lost its filibuster–proof majority in the Senate with Scott Brown's upset victory in Massachusetts.

That has been a tragic mistake.

The appearance of bipartisanship — so fervently desired that it was claimed to have been achieved if even a single Republican vote was drawn to the Democrats' side in either the House or the Senate — took greater precedence for Obama.

"Employment is the No. 1 issue for most ordinary Americans," writes Bob Herbert of the New York Times. "Their anxiety on this front only grows as they watch teachers, firefighters and police officers lining up to walk the unemployment plank as state and local governments wrestle with horrendous budget deficits.

"And what do these worried Americans see the Obama administration doing? It's doubling down on the war in Afghanistan, trying somehow to build a nation from scratch in the chaos of a combat zone."


From just about this time last year (when Democrat Al Franken was declared the winner in Minnesota) until this past January (when Brown won the seat that had belonged to Ted Kennedy), the Democrats could have done anything they wanted and the Republicans would have been virtually powerless to stop them. Why didn't they?

Why didn't they?

It's no wonder to me that people feel a disconnect between themselves and their government.

Want to know what really astonishes me? The administration's blase attitude toward unemployment in general has been stunning, but its apparent lack of interest in the joblessness epidemic among the nation's older workers truly is appalling.

Perhaps Obama isn't as smart as I gave him credit for. I mean, the numbers have shown that those who routinely vote in midterm elections are not the liberals or the young or the blacks — the groups that showed up in unprecedented numbers to elect Obama in 2008. Midterm voters tend to be older Americans. And CNN reported a few days ago that older Americans, particularly those 55 and older, who find themselves out of work face an especially daunting task in finding new jobs.

Doesn't common sense suggest that a president whose party holds majorities in both houses of Congress would want to do anything he could to appease older voters in a midterm election year? Including promoting legislation that would reward employers for hiring older Americans?

But Obama and the Democrats in Congress look backward instead of forward, assigning blame instead of standing up in defense of the jobless. They aren't accomplishing much for the unemployed, are they? A bill that would have extended jobless benefits through November failed. And, while Obama and the Democrats are justifiably proud of their achievement in passing health care reform, the truth in America today is that many must choose between health insurance and their daily expenses. Guess which one wins?
"The Obama administration feels it should get a great deal of credit for its economic stimulus efforts, its health care initiative, its financial reform legislation, its vastly increased aid to education and so forth. And maybe if we were grading papers, there would be a fair number of decent marks to be handed out."

Bob Herbert

"By nearly 2 to 1," Herbert says, "respondents to the most recent New York Times/CBS News poll believed the United States is on the wrong track. ... Mr. Obama is paying dearly for his tin ear on this topic. Fifty–four percent of respondents believed he does not have a clear plan for creating jobs. Only 45 percent approved of his overall handling of the economy, compared with 48 percent who disapproved."

Some of Obama's diehard apologists may think that is an aberration, but the truth is that other polls (NBC News/Wall Street Journal, Ipsos/McClatchy, Associated Press/GfK, ABC News/Washington Post) have reported similar, if not worse (Rasmussen) findings in recent weeks.

Things may well look different to most people three or four years from now, when the health care reforms are going to start to kick in. But right now, as Herbert points out, "Destitution is beckoning for those whose unemployment benefits are running out."

No matter what the Labor Department's figures tell you in a few days, most of America's unemployed could probably tell you they've had a bellyful of change.

But they're running short of hope.
Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest
Posted in Bob Herbert, jobs, New York Times, Obama, presidency, unemployment, unemployment benefits | No comments
Newer Post Older Post Home

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Popular Posts

  • Good Riddance to the Night Stalker
    "I love to kill people. I love to watch them die. I would shoot them in the head and they would wiggle and squirm all over the place an...
  • Message: I Care
    "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 t...
  • Was Gettysburg As Decisive As Historians Say?
    "If I had had Stonewall Jackson at Gettysburg, I would have won that fight." Robert E. Lee I think I was in ninth grade when I was...
  • Spilling the Beans
    A pretty convincing case can be made that what happened 40 years ago today was what marked the beginning of the end for Richard Nixon. Three...
  • The Randomness of Life
    I took this picture of Mom's grave this morning. See that dark marker in the center? That's where she is buried. A couple of days ag...
  • Prosperity Is Just Around the Corner
    I am a concerned American. I am concerned for many reasons, and I have been concerned for a long time. The debt ceiling crisis that is consu...
  • Goodbye and Good Luck
    Five years ago, I was a John Edwards supporter. I had one of his bumper stickers on my vehicle, and I believed he was the best hope for the ...
  • 'I Gave Them a Sword'
    Thirty–five years ago today, journalist David Frost and former President Richard Nixon sat down for the first of the Frost–Nixon interviews ...
  • In Pursuit of Peace in the Middle East
    "The Framework for Peace in the Middle East and the Framework for the Conclusion of a Peace Treaty Between Egypt and Israel were two ma...
  • Myth America
    I think the origin of the phrase "women's liberation" can be traced back 50 years, maybe more, but it may not have been widel...

Categories

  • 14th Amendment (2)
  • 16th Street Baptist Church (1)
  • 1787 (1)
  • 1789 (1)
  • 1861 (2)
  • 1863 (1)
  • 1867 (1)
  • 1869 (1)
  • 1876 (1)
  • 1881 (1)
  • 1886 (1)
  • 1896 (2)
  • 1912 (3)
  • 1913 (2)
  • 1916 (1)
  • 1923 (1)
  • 1927 (1)
  • 1934 (1)
  • 1936 (1)
  • 1937 (3)
  • 1940 (1)
  • 1942 (1)
  • 1945 (3)
  • 1946 (1)
  • 1948 (2)
  • 1950 (1)
  • 1952 (1)
  • 1953 (1)
  • 1956 (3)
  • 1960 (1)
  • 1960s (3)
  • 1961 (6)
  • 1962 (2)
  • 1963 (6)
  • 1964 (5)
  • 1965 (1)
  • 1966 (2)
  • 1967 (3)
  • 1968 (11)
  • 1968 Democratic convention (2)
  • 1968 Republican convention (1)
  • 1969 (3)
  • 1970 (2)
  • 1971 (2)
  • 1972 (17)
  • 1973 (10)
  • 1974 (4)
  • 1976 (10)
  • 1977 (1)
  • 1978 (2)
  • 1980 (14)
  • 1981 (4)
  • 1982 (4)
  • 1983 (3)
  • 1984 (4)
  • 1986 (3)
  • 1987 (3)
  • 1988 (6)
  • 1988 Democratic convention (2)
  • 1988 Republican convention (1)
  • 1989 earthquake (1)
  • 1990 (1)
  • 1991 (4)
  • 1992 (8)
  • 1993 (3)
  • 1994 (5)
  • 1995 (3)
  • 1996 (7)
  • 1997 (2)
  • 1998 (4)
  • 1999 (1)
  • 2000 (3)
  • 2001 (1)
  • 2002 (1)
  • 2004 (2)
  • 2005 (3)
  • 2007 (1)
  • 2008 (13)
  • 2009 (1)
  • 2010 (10)
  • 2012 (57)
  • 2013 (1)
  • 2014 (1)
  • 20th Amendment (1)
  • 20th century (1)
  • 22nd Amendment (1)
  • 24-hour news (1)
  • 26th amendment (1)
  • 60 Minutes (1)
  • abortion (1)
  • absence (1)
  • Academy Awards (1)
  • acceptance speech (9)
  • accidents (1)
  • acquittal (3)
  • addiction (1)
  • Adlai Stevenson (1)
  • afterlife (1)
  • age (1)
  • age discrimination (2)
  • AIDS (1)
  • air travel (1)
  • airplane (1)
  • Al Neuharth (1)
  • Al Qaeda (1)
  • Alabama (4)
  • Alan Shepard (1)
  • Alaska (3)
  • alcoholism (1)
  • Alexander Butterfield (2)
  • alien (1)
  • alternate reality (1)
  • Amelia Earhart (2)
  • American exceptionalism (1)
  • American Experience (1)
  • American way (1)
  • amusement park (1)
  • Angela Corey (1)
  • Anita Hill (1)
  • Ann Coulter (1)
  • Ann Richards (2)
  • anniversaries (1)
  • anniversary (33)
  • anonymity (1)
  • Anousheh Ansari (1)
  • Anthony Shadid (1)
  • Anthony Weiner (2)
  • Anwar Sadat (1)
  • AP style (1)
  • apartheid (1)
  • Apollo 11 (1)
  • Apollo 13 (1)
  • Apollo 17 (1)
  • approval ratings (10)
  • April (1)
  • Argentina (1)
  • Ari Fleischer (1)
  • Arizona (4)
  • Arkansas (31)
  • Arkansas Arts Center (1)
  • Arkansas Democrat (1)
  • Arkansas Gazette (5)
  • Arkansas Post (1)
  • armed forces (1)
  • armistice (1)
  • Arthur Bremer (1)
  • Artur Davis (1)
  • Aruba (1)
  • assassination (3)
  • assassination attempt (2)
  • Associated Press (2)
  • astronaut (2)
  • Atlanta (1)
  • Atlantic City (1)
  • atomic bomb (1)
  • Auschwitz (2)
  • authorship (1)
  • auto crash (1)
  • aviation (1)
  • ballot (1)
  • Baltimore Sun (1)
  • Barbara Boxer (1)
  • Barry Switzer (1)
  • baseball (1)
  • Baskin-Robbins (1)
  • Batman (2)
  • Battle of France (1)
  • battleground states (1)
  • Bay of Pigs (1)
  • BBC (2)
  • beatification (1)
  • behavior (1)
  • Benedict XVI (4)
  • Benghazi (4)
  • Berlin (2)
  • Berlin Wall (2)
  • Betty Ford (3)
  • Bible (1)
  • bicycle trip (1)
  • Biden (7)
  • Big Tex (1)
  • Bill Clinton (27)
  • Bill Fulbright (1)
  • Bill Halter (1)
  • Bill Maher (1)
  • Bill Murray (1)
  • Bill of Rights (1)
  • Billy the Kid (1)
  • birthday (12)
  • birthdays (1)
  • black voters (1)
  • blame (1)
  • Blanche Lincoln (2)
  • blockade (1)
  • blog (1)
  • blogger (1)
  • blogs (1)
  • bluffing (1)
  • Bob Dole (6)
  • Bob Herbert (8)
  • Bob McDonnell (1)
  • Bob Meriwether (1)
  • Bob Newhart (1)
  • bombing (5)
  • book (1)
  • Boston Globe (1)
  • Boston Marathon (3)
  • Boynton v. Virginia (1)
  • bra burning (1)
  • Brady Johnson (1)
  • Branch Davidians (1)
  • break-in (1)
  • breast cancer (2)
  • broadcasting (3)
  • broccoli (1)
  • brokered convention (1)
  • Brown v. Board of Education (1)
  • budget (1)
  • budget compromise (1)
  • budget cuts (1)
  • budgets (1)
  • Burst of Joy (1)
  • Busch beer (1)
  • Bush (20)
  • busing (1)
  • Busted (1)
  • C word (1)
  • Cabinet (1)
  • cable TV (1)
  • California (6)
  • Camp David (1)
  • campaign (6)
  • campaign announcement (1)
  • cancer (4)
  • capitalism (2)
  • Cardiff Giant (1)
  • Carr Van Anda (1)
  • cartoon (1)
  • Casablanca (1)
  • Casey Anthony (2)
  • Catholic church (3)
  • Catholicism (1)
  • caucuses (2)
  • CBS (2)
  • cell phones (1)
  • Census (1)
  • centennial (4)
  • Central Park (1)
  • centrism (1)
  • Challenger (1)
  • Challenger disaster (2)
  • change (1)
  • Charles Blow (1)
  • Charles Colson (1)
  • Charles de Gaulle (1)
  • Charles Duell (1)
  • Charles Percy (1)
  • Charlie Brown (1)
  • Charlie Cook (2)
  • Cher (1)
  • Chicago (3)
  • Chicago Tribune (1)
  • Chicken Little (1)
  • childhood (1)
  • childhood friend (11)
  • Chile (1)
  • China (3)
  • China Syndrome (1)
  • Chris Christie (1)
  • Chris Matthews (1)
  • Christian Science Monitor (1)
  • Christianity (1)
  • Christine O'Donnell (1)
  • Christmas (4)
  • Christmas Eve (1)
  • cigarette labels (1)
  • cigarettes (2)
  • cigars (1)
  • citizen journalism (1)
  • civil rights (6)
  • Civil War (6)
  • civilian courts (1)
  • Clarence Thomas (1)
  • classic rock (1)
  • classmate (1)
  • Clayton Williams (1)
  • Clement Moore (1)
  • Clint Eastwood (1)
  • Clinton (6)
  • closure (1)
  • CNN (7)
  • CNN.com (1)
  • CNNMoney.com (1)
  • Coca-Cola (1)
  • cold case (1)
  • Cold War (3)
  • Colin Powell (1)
  • Colorado (3)
  • Columbia Journalism Review (1)
  • Columbine (1)
  • column (3)
  • commencement (1)
  • Commentary (1)
  • commercial (1)
  • Commodore 64 (1)
  • common cause (1)
  • community activism (1)
  • community college (1)
  • compromise (1)
  • computer football (2)
  • computers (1)
  • concealed weapons (1)
  • Confederate History Month (1)
  • confirmation hearing (1)
  • Congress (16)
  • congressional power (1)
  • Connecticut (1)
  • conservatives (1)
  • conspiracy theories (2)
  • Constitution (6)
  • Constitution Day (1)
  • consumerism (1)
  • convention (8)
  • Conway (7)
  • Corazon Aquino (1)
  • corruption (1)
  • crash (1)
  • credit rating (1)
  • Creepy Crawlers (1)
  • crime (3)
  • crises (2)
  • cruise missiles (1)
  • crying in the snow (1)
  • Crystal Ball (1)
  • Cuba (2)
  • Cuban missile crisis (1)
  • Custer's Last Stand (1)
  • D.B. Cooper (1)
  • Dad (2)
  • Daily Kos (1)
  • Dale Bumpers (1)
  • Dallas (14)
  • Dallas Morning News (2)
  • Dallas Times Herald (1)
  • Dan Quayle (7)
  • Dan Rather (1)
  • Dana Mize (1)
  • Daniel Inouye (3)
  • Daniel Schorr (2)
  • David Brooks (1)
  • David Frost (1)
  • David Gergen (1)
  • David Johnson (1)
  • David Koresh (1)
  • David Letterman (1)
  • David Pryor (2)
  • David Shribman (1)
  • death (17)
  • deaths (1)
  • debate (5)
  • debt ceiling (8)
  • dedication (1)
  • deficit (1)
  • deficit debate (1)
  • Delaware (1)
  • delegates (1)
  • Democrat (2)
  • Democrats (55)
  • demonstrations (1)
  • dentist (1)
  • depression (1)
  • desegregation (1)
  • Detroit (1)
  • developmental writing (1)
  • Devil's Den (1)
  • Digital Journal (1)
  • diplomacy (1)
  • disappearance (1)
  • Disneyland (1)
  • Dispatch News Service (1)
  • divided government (1)
  • Doctors Trial (1)
  • Dodi Fayed (1)
  • Dog n Suds (1)
  • domino theory (2)
  • Donald A. Redelmeier (1)
  • Donald Luskin (1)
  • Donald Trump (1)
  • Doobie Brothers (1)
  • Doonesbury (1)
  • Dorothea Lange (1)
  • Dorothy Kilgallen (1)
  • double-dip recession (1)
  • Doug Wilder (1)
  • Douglas Schoen (1)
  • Dr. Frank Ryan (1)
  • driving (2)
  • drugs (1)
  • Dukakis (3)
  • e-mail correspondence (1)
  • Eagles (1)
  • Earl Spencer (1)
  • earthquake (2)
  • east coast (1)
  • East Room (1)
  • Easter (1)
  • eastern Europe (1)
  • Ecclesiastes (1)
  • economics (1)
  • economy (27)
  • Ed Muskie (2)
  • Ed Rollins (1)
  • editorial (1)
  • Edward R. Murrow (2)
  • Egypt (5)
  • Eisenhower (10)
  • Eleanor Clift (1)
  • Eleanor Opitz (1)
  • election (4)
  • elections (2)
  • Electoral College (2)
  • elementary school (1)
  • Eli Whitney (1)
  • Elizabeth Colbert Busch (1)
  • Elizabeth Edwards (3)
  • Elizabeth Scalia (1)
  • Elton John (1)
  • Emily Dickinson (1)
  • endorsement (2)
  • enemies list (3)
  • energy (1)
  • England (2)
  • English (2)
  • entrepreneurship (1)
  • Environmental Working Group (1)
  • eras (1)
  • Erin Brockovich (1)
  • ESPN (1)
  • Estes Kefauver (1)
  • Etch A Sketch (1)
  • Eugene Robinson (2)
  • eugenics (1)
  • Europe (1)
  • executions (1)
  • executive order (1)
  • experience (1)
  • explosion (1)
  • Facebook (4)
  • faith (4)
  • faithless electors (1)
  • far right (1)
  • farewell address (1)
  • fatality (1)
  • fatty foods (1)
  • Fawn Hall (1)
  • FBI (2)
  • FDA (1)
  • FDR (10)
  • federal response (1)
  • Feingold (1)
  • FEMA (1)
  • Ferdinand Marcos (1)
  • Ferraro (2)
  • film footage (1)
  • financial reform (1)
  • fire (2)
  • First Amendment (3)
  • first lady (2)
  • flight (1)
  • Flight 93 (1)
  • Florida (6)
  • food (1)
  • Food Network (1)
  • foreign policy (1)
  • Fort Sumter (2)
  • Fourth Amendment (1)
  • Fourth of July (2)
  • Fox News (2)
  • France (1)
  • Francis Church (1)
  • Frank White (1)
  • Frasier (3)
  • Free Man in Paris (1)
  • free press (2)
  • Freedom 7 (1)
  • freedom of speech (2)
  • freedom of the press (4)
  • Freedom Riders (1)
  • French Revolution (1)
  • friend (2)
  • Friendship 7 (1)
  • Froma Harrop (1)
  • frontrunner (1)
  • funeral (2)
  • Gabrielle Giffords (3)
  • Gallup (10)
  • game (1)
  • Gandhi (2)
  • Gannett (1)
  • Garret Hobart (1)
  • gas prices (6)
  • Gazeta de Buenos Ayres (1)
  • Gene McCarthy (2)
  • general election (1)
  • generic Republican (1)
  • Gennifer Flowers (1)
  • George Carlin (2)
  • George Custer (1)
  • George H.W. Bush (15)
  • George Marshall (1)
  • George Orwell (1)
  • George Pickett (1)
  • George Romney (1)
  • George Santayana (1)
  • George Wallace (6)
  • George Washington (1)
  • George Zimmerman (2)
  • Georgia (2)
  • Gerald Ford (17)
  • Gettysburg (2)
  • Gianni Versace (1)
  • Gingrich (1)
  • goat roast (1)
  • gold (1)
  • Golden Gate Bridge (1)
  • Goldwater (1)
  • Good Friday (1)
  • good old days syndrome (1)
  • Gore (4)
  • government (1)
  • governor (3)
  • governor's race (2)
  • governor's races (1)
  • governors (1)
  • graduate school (1)
  • grandmother (2)
  • Grant (1)
  • Grant Ujifusa (1)
  • gravitas (1)
  • Great Britain (1)
  • Great Depression (1)
  • Great Society (1)
  • Gregory XII (1)
  • Groundhog Day (1)
  • Guantanamo (1)
  • Gulf of Mexico (6)
  • Gulf oil spill (9)
  • gun control (2)
  • guns (3)
  • H.H. Holmes (1)
  • H.R. Haldeman (7)
  • hate crimes (1)
  • hate speech (1)
  • Hawaii (1)
  • headline (1)
  • health care (8)
  • Health.com (1)
  • hearings (1)
  • heart attack (1)
  • heart surgery (1)
  • heat (3)
  • heat wave (1)
  • Heath Shuler (1)
  • Heinrich Himmler (1)
  • Helen Gahagan Douglas (1)
  • Helen Thomas (1)
  • Henry David Thoreau (1)
  • Henry Livingston (1)
  • Henry Wallace (1)
  • Herald Sun (1)
  • Herb Kohl (1)
  • Herbert Hoover (1)
  • Herman Cain (2)
  • Herman Talmadge (1)
  • heroism (1)
  • high school (1)
  • hijacking (1)
  • Hillary (2)
  • Hindenburg disaster (1)
  • Hiroshima (2)
  • historic firsts (1)
  • history (178)
  • Hitler Youth (1)
  • hoax (1)
  • holidays (1)
  • Holocaust (2)
  • homecoming (1)
  • homicide (1)
  • honesty in politics (1)
  • hooding (1)
  • Hosni Mubarak (1)
  • hostages (1)
  • Hour of Lead (1)
  • House (13)
  • Houston (2)
  • Howard Kurtz (1)
  • Hubert Humphrey (3)
  • human experimentation (1)
  • humidity (1)
  • humorous headlines (1)
  • Hurricane Irene (1)
  • Hurricane Katrina (3)
  • I Have a Dream (1)
  • Ian Fleming (1)
  • ice (2)
  • ich bin ein Berliner (1)
  • icy road (1)
  • Idaho (2)
  • illegal (1)
  • Illinois (1)
  • immigrant (1)
  • immigration (1)
  • implosion (1)
  • inaugural address (1)
  • inauguration (2)
  • independents (2)
  • Indiana (1)
  • Indians (1)
  • indictments (1)
  • Inherit the Wind (1)
  • International Holocaust Remembrance Day (1)
  • internet (4)
  • interview (2)
  • interviews (2)
  • investigation (1)
  • Iowa (2)
  • Iowa caucus (2)
  • Iran-Contra hearings (1)
  • Iraq (2)
  • Iraq War (1)
  • IRS (1)
  • Israel (2)
  • Italy (1)
  • Jack Germond (2)
  • Jack Ruby (1)
  • Jackie Kennedy (1)
  • James Bond (1)
  • James Cagney (1)
  • James Garfield (1)
  • James Longstreet (1)
  • James McCord (2)
  • James Sherman (1)
  • Japan (3)
  • Jared Loughner (2)
  • Jari Askins (1)
  • Jaws (1)
  • Jay Cost (1)
  • Jeb Magruder (2)
  • Jefferson (1)
  • Jennifer Levin (1)
  • Jerald terHorst (1)
  • Jersey Shore attacks (1)
  • Jerusalem Post (1)
  • Jesus Christ Superstar (1)
  • JFK (15)
  • JFK assassination (6)
  • Jim Guy Tucker (1)
  • Jim Leavelle (1)
  • Jim Mattox (1)
  • Jimmy Carter (24)
  • Jindal (1)
  • job creation (2)
  • job gains (2)
  • joblessness (10)
  • jobs (7)
  • jobs report (2)
  • Joe Manchin (1)
  • Joe McCarthy (1)
  • John Adams (1)
  • John Anderson (1)
  • John Bell Hood (1)
  • John Boehner (4)
  • John Buford (1)
  • John Dean (9)
  • John Demjanjuk (1)
  • John Edwards (3)
  • John Ehrlichman (5)
  • John Glenn (1)
  • John Lennon (2)
  • John McClellan (1)
  • John McIntyre (1)
  • John Mitchell (4)
  • John Paul I (1)
  • John Paul II (4)
  • John Paul Stevens (2)
  • John Pemberton (1)
  • John Roberts (1)
  • John Sirica (2)
  • John Tyler (1)
  • John Ward (2)
  • Johnny Carson (2)
  • joint session of Congress (1)
  • Jon Stewart (1)
  • Joni Mitchell (1)
  • Joplin (1)
  • Joran van der Sloot (1)
  • Joshua Chamberlain (1)
  • journalism (51)
  • Journalist Day (1)
  • Jules Witcover (4)
  • July 20 (1)
  • June 18 (1)
  • jury duty (1)
  • justice (2)
  • Justice Department (2)
  • Justice Jim Johnson (3)
  • KAL Flight 007 (1)
  • Kansas (1)
  • Kansas City (2)
  • Kate Middleton (2)
  • Kent State (1)
  • Kentucky (2)
  • keynote address (1)
  • Kim Phúc (1)
  • kiss (1)
  • Kissinger (1)
  • Korea (1)
  • Kristen Breitweiser (1)
  • Ku Klux Klan (2)
  • labels (1)
  • Labor Day (2)
  • Labor Department (1)
  • landslide (1)
  • language (1)
  • laptops (1)
  • Lara Logan (1)
  • Larry Sabato (3)
  • laughter (1)
  • law (2)
  • Lawrence McDonald (1)
  • LBJ (16)
  • leadership (5)
  • Lee Atwater (1)
  • Lee Harvey Oswald (2)
  • left at the altar (1)
  • legislation (1)
  • Lena Dunham (1)
  • Lend-Lease (1)
  • liberal (1)
  • liberals (1)
  • Libya (4)
  • life expectancy (1)
  • likely voters (2)
  • Lil Musial (1)
  • Lincoln (7)
  • Lincoln Memorial (1)
  • Lindbergh (2)
  • Liselotte Pulver (1)
  • literacy (1)
  • Little Bighorn (1)
  • Little Rock (2)
  • Little Round Top (1)
  • Liz Carpenter (1)
  • Lloyd Bentsen (2)
  • Log Cabin Democrat (1)
  • logic (1)
  • Long Island (1)
  • low expectations (1)
  • Lowell Weicker (1)
  • luck of the Irish (1)
  • Lucy (1)
  • M*A*S*H (1)
  • Madison (1)
  • Maine (1)
  • Manchester Boddy (1)
  • Manchester Union Leader (1)
  • Marathon (3)
  • March on Washington (1)
  • Margaret Sanger (1)
  • Margaret Thatcher (1)
  • marijuana (1)
  • Marissa Alexander (1)
  • Mark Sanford (2)
  • Mark Twain (1)
  • Martin Luther King (3)
  • Mary Fallin (1)
  • MASH (1)
  • Massachusetts (2)
  • master's degree (1)
  • Maureen Dowd (1)
  • McCain (3)
  • McGovern (10)
  • media (4)
  • medical experiments (1)
  • memorial service (2)
  • memories (2)
  • Menachem Begin (1)
  • mentor (1)
  • Miami (1)
  • Michael Barone (5)
  • Michael Gauldin (2)
  • Michele Bachmann (4)
  • Michigan (1)
  • Middle East (1)
  • midterms (29)
  • Migrant Mother (1)
  • Mike Culpepper (2)
  • Mike Wallace (1)
  • milestone (1)
  • military tribunals (1)
  • Minuteman hamburgers (1)
  • miracles (1)
  • Miss America (1)
  • missing person (1)
  • Missouri (1)
  • mistakes (1)
  • mistrial (1)
  • Mitch McConnell (1)
  • Mitt Romney (23)
  • MLK Day (1)
  • Moammar Gadhafi (1)
  • Mom (13)
  • Mondale (7)
  • Monica Lewinsky (2)
  • Monroe (1)
  • Montana (1)
  • Monty Python (1)
  • moon walk (1)
  • mosque (1)
  • mother (1)
  • Mother Teresa (1)
  • Mount St. Helens (1)
  • movie (3)
  • movie theater (2)
  • MSNBC (2)
  • murder (2)
  • music (2)
  • Muslim (1)
  • Muslims (1)
  • Mussolini (1)
  • my goddaughter (2)
  • My Lai (1)
  • My Man (1)
  • mystery (1)
  • myths (1)
  • N word (1)
  • NAACP (1)
  • Nagasaki (1)
  • Nancy Pelosi (2)
  • NASA (4)
  • Natalee Holloway (1)
  • Nate Silver (1)
  • national convention (2)
  • National Day of Prayer (1)
  • National Defense University (1)
  • National Guard (1)
  • National Institute for Civil Discourse (1)
  • National Park Service (1)
  • National Review (1)
  • Nazis (4)
  • NCAA Tournament (1)
  • neighbor (1)
  • Neil Armstrong (1)
  • Nelson Mandela (1)
  • Nelson Rockefeller (1)
  • Nevada (2)
  • New Christy Minstrels (1)
  • New Covenant (1)
  • New Hampshire (4)
  • New Mexico (2)
  • New Orleans (1)
  • New York (2)
  • New York Daily News (1)
  • New York Post (2)
  • New York Sun (1)
  • New York Times (17)
  • New Yorker (1)
  • news (2)
  • newspaper (2)
  • newspaper war (1)
  • newspapers (5)
  • Nick Ut (1)
  • nicotine (1)
  • Night Stalker (1)
  • Nikki (1)
  • Nixon (52)
  • Nobel Prize (1)
  • nominating speech (1)
  • nomination (4)
  • nonviolence (1)
  • Norman (1)
  • North Carolina (2)
  • North Dakota (1)
  • Northeast (1)
  • Northwest Orient Airlines (1)
  • not guilty verdict (1)
  • NPR (3)
  • NTSB (1)
  • nuclear energy (1)
  • nuclear reactors (1)
  • nuclear weapons (1)
  • Obama (168)
  • obesity (1)
  • obituaries (3)
  • obituary (24)
  • Occupy Wall Street (1)
  • Ohio (4)
  • Oklahoma (3)
  • Oklahoma City (4)
  • old friends (1)
  • Oliver North (1)
  • Oliver Stone (1)
  • Olympe de Gouges (1)
  • Olympia Snowe (1)
  • One Two Three (1)
  • orbit (1)
  • Oregon (2)
  • Orteig Prize (1)
  • Osama bin Laden (4)
  • Our Sunday Visitor (1)
  • Oval Office speech (2)
  • P.T. Barnum (1)
  • Pacific Northwest (1)
  • Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (1)
  • Pakistan (1)
  • Palin (9)
  • papacy (2)
  • papal conclave (1)
  • paparazzi (1)
  • parachute (1)
  • pardon (2)
  • Paris (2)
  • parking meters (1)
  • party affiliation (1)
  • party unity (1)
  • Pat Buchanan (2)
  • Pat Caddell (1)
  • Patrick Caddell (1)
  • patriotism (1)
  • Patti Davis (1)
  • Paul Conrad (1)
  • Paul Krugman (1)
  • Paul Revere (1)
  • Paul Ryan (4)
  • Paula Deen (1)
  • pay for content (1)
  • PBS (1)
  • peace (2)
  • Peanuts (1)
  • Pearl Harbor (1)
  • Peggy Noonan (2)
  • Pennsylvania (1)
  • People Power (1)
  • performance (1)
  • Peru (1)
  • Peter Benchley (1)
  • Pew Research Center (1)
  • Philippines (1)
  • photograph (3)
  • photographer (1)
  • Phyllis (10)
  • picket (1)
  • Pittsburgh (1)
  • Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (1)
  • plane crash (1)
  • Planned Parenthood (1)
  • Plessy v. Ferguson (1)
  • poem (1)
  • polarization (1)
  • policy (1)
  • political commercial (1)
  • political correctness (1)
  • political phrases (1)
  • Politico (1)
  • politics (8)
  • Politics Daily (2)
  • polls (10)
  • pope (3)
  • Pope Francis (1)
  • Pope-elect Stephen (1)
  • popularity (1)
  • population (1)
  • poverty (1)
  • predictions (1)
  • prep school (1)
  • Prescott Daily Courier (1)
  • presidency (148)
  • presidential campaign (5)
  • presidential debates (3)
  • presidential decisions (1)
  • presidential election (13)
  • presidential elections (2)
  • presidential nomination (4)
  • presidential rankings (1)
  • presidential succession (1)
  • presidents (1)
  • Presidents Day (1)
  • press (2)
  • press conference (2)
  • press conferences (1)
  • primaries (8)
  • primary (2)
  • prime minister (1)
  • Prince Charles (2)
  • Prince William (2)
  • Princess Diana (3)
  • priorities (1)
  • prison (1)
  • prison camp guard (1)
  • Prison Fellowship (1)
  • proofreading (1)
  • proposed ban (1)
  • protest (2)
  • protest vote (1)
  • psychiatry (1)
  • pubic hair (1)
  • public service announcement (1)
  • Pulitzer Prize (2)
  • questions (1)
  • Quran burning (1)
  • race relations (1)
  • racism (2)
  • Randy (1)
  • Randy Sparks (1)
  • ransom money (1)
  • rape (1)
  • Rasmussen (1)
  • Ray Thornton (1)
  • Raymond Carver (1)
  • read my lips (1)
  • Reagan (38)
  • Reagan revolution (1)
  • Real Clear Science (1)
  • recession (2)
  • recovery (1)
  • Recovery Summer (1)
  • redistricting (1)
  • reflections (1)
  • registered voters (2)
  • religion (5)
  • repeal (1)
  • Republicans (54)
  • resignation (1)
  • retirement (1)
  • reunion (1)
  • Reuters (2)
  • revolution (2)
  • Rich Lowry (1)
  • Richard Ramirez (1)
  • Richardson (1)
  • Rick Perry (2)
  • Riverside Church (1)
  • robbery (1)
  • Robert Altman (1)
  • Robert Byrd (2)
  • Robert Chambers (1)
  • Robert E. Lee (2)
  • Robert Kennedy (2)
  • Robert Shrum (3)
  • Rockefeller Republicans (1)
  • roller coaster (1)
  • rolling blackouts (1)
  • Romney (4)
  • Rose Mary Woods (1)
  • Ross Perot (1)
  • rough sex (1)
  • Roy Reed (1)
  • royal family (1)
  • royal wedding (2)
  • rumor (1)
  • running mate (5)
  • Ruth Marcus (1)
  • sacrifice (1)
  • Saddam Hussein (1)
  • Sal Veder (1)
  • Sally Ride (3)
  • Sam Dash (1)
  • Sam Ervin (4)
  • same-sex marriage (1)
  • Samuel Johnson (1)
  • San Diego (1)
  • San Francisco (2)
  • Sandra Day O'Connor (1)
  • Santa Claus (1)
  • Santorum (1)
  • Sara Teasdale (1)
  • Sargent Shriver (2)
  • Saturday Night Live (2)
  • scandal (2)
  • scandals (1)
  • scapegoat (1)
  • school violence (3)
  • seatbelts (1)
  • second term (2)
  • secretary of state (1)
  • security (1)
  • segregation (1)
  • Senate (20)
  • Senate Watergate Committee (2)
  • sentencing (1)
  • Sentinel (1)
  • September 11 (4)
  • serial killer (2)
  • sesquicentennial (2)
  • Seward's Folly (1)
  • sex abuse scandal (1)
  • sexual assault (1)
  • Shannon Stone (1)
  • sharks (1)
  • shaving (1)
  • Shea Allen (1)
  • Shirley Sherrod (1)
  • shooting (7)
  • shootings (1)
  • Short Cuts (1)
  • sic semper tyrannis (1)
  • siege (1)
  • Siena College survey (1)
  • Sigmund Freud (1)
  • Silly Putty (1)
  • silver lining (1)
  • Six Flags Over Texas (2)
  • small business (1)
  • SmartMoney.com (1)
  • smoke-free (1)
  • smoking (4)
  • smoking gun (2)
  • social Darwinism (1)
  • socialism (1)
  • Society of Professional Journalists (1)
  • soft drinks (1)
  • Sonny Bono (1)
  • South (5)
  • South Africa (1)
  • South Carolina (3)
  • Soviet Union (2)
  • Soviets (2)
  • space (8)
  • space shuttle (2)
  • space travel (2)
  • special election (1)
  • speculation (1)
  • speech (8)
  • speeches (2)
  • Spirit of St. Louis (1)
  • Spiro Agnew (2)
  • sports (2)
  • St. Louis Post-Dispatch (1)
  • St. Patrick's Day (1)
  • staff (1)
  • stamp prices (1)
  • Stan Musial (1)
  • standoff (1)
  • State of the News Media (1)
  • State of the Union (2)
  • Steve Davidson (1)
  • Steve Kornacki (1)
  • Stewart Udall (1)
  • stigma (1)
  • Stockdale (2)
  • stocks (1)
  • Stonewall Jackson (1)
  • straw poll (2)
  • street (1)
  • Strom Thurmond (1)
  • Stuart Rothenberg (3)
  • study (2)
  • suicide (1)
  • summer (1)
  • Summer Olympics (1)
  • Super Bowl (2)
  • Super Pacs (1)
  • Super Tuesday (2)
  • Supreme Court (9)
  • surveillance (1)
  • Susan Estrich (2)
  • Syria (3)
  • T.S. Eliot (1)
  • Tammy (1)
  • tank ride (1)
  • tape gap (1)
  • tapes (1)
  • taping system (1)
  • Tar Baby (1)
  • taxes (2)
  • Tea Partiers (2)
  • teaching (3)
  • technology (1)
  • Ted Stevens (1)
  • Telegraph (1)
  • Tennessee (1)
  • term limits (1)
  • Terri Schiavo (1)
  • terrorism (10)
  • Terry Jones (1)
  • Texas (10)
  • Texas Stadium (1)
  • Texas State Fair (1)
  • text message (1)
  • Thanksgiving (2)
  • The Almanac of American Politics 1994 (1)
  • The American Interest (2)
  • The American Spectator (1)
  • The Blue Marble (1)
  • The Brethren (1)
  • The Daily Show (1)
  • The Guardian (1)
  • The Long Recall (1)
  • The Making of the President 1964 (1)
  • The Making of the President 1968 (2)
  • The New Review (1)
  • The Night Before Christmas (1)
  • The Oklahoman (1)
  • The Rothenberg Political Report (1)
  • The West Wing (1)
  • theft (1)
  • Theodore H. White (12)
  • Theodore Roosevelt (3)
  • There Will Come Soft Rains (1)
  • Thirteen Days (1)
  • Thomas Jefferson (2)
  • Thought Police (1)
  • threats (1)
  • TIME (3)
  • time travel (1)
  • Times Square car bomb (1)
  • Titanic (3)
  • Toad Suck Daze (1)
  • tolerance (1)
  • Tom Dewey (2)
  • Tom Eagleton (3)
  • Tom Petty (1)
  • Tommy Thompson (1)
  • Tonight Show (1)
  • tornado (2)
  • tragedy (1)
  • Trang Bang (1)
  • transatlantic flight (1)
  • transcripts (1)
  • transparency (1)
  • travel (1)
  • Trayvon Martin (1)
  • trial (2)
  • triangulation (1)
  • tributes (1)
  • Truman (6)
  • Truman Capote (1)
  • ts (1)
  • TSA (1)
  • tsunami (1)
  • Tucson (2)
  • TV (5)
  • TV reporter (1)
  • TWA Flight 800 (1)
  • tweeting (1)
  • twins (1)
  • tyrants (1)
  • U.S. (2)
  • U.S. News and World Report (1)
  • U.S. Postal Service (1)
  • unemployment (25)
  • unemployment benefits (4)
  • United Kingdom (1)
  • unity (1)
  • University of Arizona (1)
  • University of Arkansas (1)
  • University of North Texas (1)
  • unsinkable (1)
  • USA Today (3)
  • Valentina Tereshkova (1)
  • values (1)
  • Vermont (2)
  • vice presidency (5)
  • vice president (1)
  • vice presidential debate (3)
  • vice presidential nomination (3)
  • Vicksburg (1)
  • video (1)
  • Vietnam (14)
  • Vilonia (2)
  • Virginia (6)
  • Virginia Tech killings (1)
  • volcano (1)
  • voters (4)
  • voting machines (1)
  • voting rights (1)
  • WAAY (1)
  • Waco (1)
  • Walker Report (1)
  • Wall Street (2)
  • Wall Street Journal (2)
  • Walter Cronkite (1)
  • Walter Russell Mead (1)
  • Wannsee Conference (1)
  • war (5)
  • war on terrorism (3)
  • Warren Commission (1)
  • Warren Harding (2)
  • wars (1)
  • Washington (2)
  • Washington Examiner (1)
  • Washington Post (13)
  • watchdog (1)
  • water (1)
  • Watergate (16)
  • Watergate hearings (8)
  • weather (7)
  • West (1)
  • West Berlin (1)
  • West Virginia (3)
  • Westboro Baptist Church (1)
  • Westworld (1)
  • White House (2)
  • White Star Line (1)
  • Whitney Houston (1)
  • Wilbur Mills (1)
  • William Calley (1)
  • William Henry Harrison (1)
  • William Howard Taft (1)
  • William Manchester (1)
  • William Saxbe (1)
  • William Seward (1)
  • Willie Horton (1)
  • wimp factor (1)
  • Windham Hill (1)
  • Winston Churchill (1)
  • winter (2)
  • Winthrop Rockefeller (2)
  • Wisconsin (4)
  • withdrawal (1)
  • women (3)
  • women's liberation (1)
  • Woodrow Wilson (3)
  • Woodward and Bernstein (4)
  • World Series (1)
  • World Trade Center (1)
  • World War II (4)
  • writing (1)
  • written language (1)
  • Wyoming (1)
  • Yarnell's ice cream (1)
  • year in review (1)
  • youth vote (2)
  • Zapruder film (1)

Blog Archive

  • ►  2013 (65)
    • ►  September (8)
    • ►  August (9)
    • ►  July (15)
    • ►  June (10)
    • ►  May (7)
    • ►  April (5)
    • ►  March (6)
    • ►  February (2)
    • ►  January (3)
  • ►  2012 (100)
    • ►  December (3)
    • ►  November (4)
    • ►  October (8)
    • ►  September (6)
    • ►  August (10)
    • ►  July (11)
    • ►  June (12)
    • ►  May (10)
    • ►  April (11)
    • ►  March (11)
    • ►  February (10)
    • ►  January (4)
  • ►  2011 (172)
    • ►  December (8)
    • ►  November (7)
    • ►  October (8)
    • ►  September (11)
    • ►  August (20)
    • ►  July (20)
    • ►  June (16)
    • ►  May (12)
    • ►  April (19)
    • ►  March (20)
    • ►  February (15)
    • ►  January (16)
  • ▼  2010 (163)
    • ►  December (15)
    • ►  November (13)
    • ►  October (11)
    • ►  September (10)
    • ►  August (21)
    • ►  July (14)
    • ▼  June (14)
      • Imperial Hubris
      • The Dean of the Senate
      • A Black Rain's Gonna Fall
      • An Early Glance at the Senate Races
      • Two Speeches
      • Message: I Care
      • In Defense of ... Broccoli
      • Leadership? Or Showmanship?
      • I've Seen That Movie, Too
      • An Instinctive Response
      • Castles in the Air
      • A Cold Case Revisited
      • Sweet Home Alabama
      • The Day 24-Hour TV News Was Born
    • ►  May (19)
    • ►  April (28)
    • ►  March (18)
Powered by Blogger.

About Me

Unknown
View my complete profile