Archive for January 2010
Napoleon’s Mother
Sometimes it seems like one of a President’s less enviable jobs is to be a kind of national whipping boy, an outlet for our pent up frustrations and afflictions. And even if pummeling, say, Barack Obama or George Bush won’t put people back to work it sure is satisfying to have someone to blame. …
Read MoreObama Resets
Team Obama has a 1-1 record. They won the 2008 campaign, and they lost the 2009 campaign. Now they’re resetting for the 2010 tie-breaker. One step is organizational, and another is rhetorical. Organization: They brought back 2008 campaign manager David Plouffe to oversee the 2010 elections. The lesson Team Obama took from Massachusetts…
Read MoreCongressional Malpractice
President Obama made exactly the opposite mistake from Bill and Hillary Clinton on health-care reform. The Clintons drew up a sweeping reform plan in secret, then sent it to Congress, where it died. Obama let congressional Democrats come up with a reform plan. The first time it went to the voters, they voted…
Read MoreLet’s Bribe the Taliban
Here’s a sure sign we’re in deeper trouble in Afghanistan than anybody’s letting on: The Afghan government (no doubt with U.S. taxpayers’ money) is offering the Taliban soldiers cold hard cash to surrender or, better yet, switch sides; of course being blossoming Afghanistan politicians are wrapping all this up in Washington style rhetoric calling their plan…
Read MoreBefore We Vanish…
For those inclined to believe in the infallibility of modern science here’s a cautionary tale. A few years ago our scientists announced the Y chromosome – “the thing that makes a man male” – was a pretty poor creature; the Y chromosome, they said with conviction, was shrinking and in exactly 50,000 years would…
Read MoreFall of the Mighty
I’d give the front page of today’s N&O to any young person who aspires to go into politics. Ruffin Poole, the “little Governor,” gets indicted on 51 counts of corruption. Poole was Mike Easley’s “go-to guy.” Now he’s the guy the feds go to to get Easley. John Edwards confesses, says he’s…
Read MoreSheriffs as Chauffeurs
The other day over in Charlotte Governor Perdue called herself the ‘Jobs, Jobs and More Jobs Governor’ then chirruped she’s the education Governor but it doesn’t look like she’ll be calling herself the ‘Tough Crime Governor’ any time soon. At least not according to the newspaper and – inadvertently – her Secretary-and-Former- Lobbyist of…
Read MoreObama as Hamlet
President Obama just sent 30,000 soldiers to fight in Kabul so he’s got to be a little shocked to find himself branded as ‘soft’ on terrorism but there’s a reason: Obama as Hamlet. Obama-of-the-Divided-Mind. On one hand the President’s launching killer drones like crazy and dropping robot bombs out of the sky over Pakistan…
Read MoreThe Parent Trap
By now, North Carolinians can be forgiven for denying paternity of everybody involved in the John Edwards affair. Edwards surprised no one by finally admitting he’s the father. At least he beat ex-gofer Andrew Young’s book to the punch. Edwards had the good sense to fess up in a written statement – and…
Read MoreThe Reverend Whacks the Chairman
One of the more dangerous varmints walking around on two legs is the good old-fashioned morally outraged Southern Demagogue and right now Reverend William Barber (head of the NAACP) fills the bill and he’s as mad as hell; the Reverend’s razor-tongued and ’fraid of nothing and he’s chomped down on school board Chairman Ron Margiotta…
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