General
It Goes Beyond Jim Black
Newly elected Democrat State Chairman – and Howard Dean supporter – Jerry Meek has sounded off on behalf of besieged House Speaker Jim Black. Meek says: “There have been no allegations of wrongdoing against Jim Black and it’s a shame Joe Sinsheimer [the Democratic consultant who set up www.Blackmustgo.com] put his time and energy into…
Read MoreThe Ayatollahs Who Stole Christmas
Am I the only person who feels conflicted over this fight about how to celebrate Christmas – or, excuse me, the holidays? On the one hand, I’m congenitally offended by the Christian Ayatollahs like Called2Action here in Wake County. They claim to be on a mission from God to instruct the rest of us –…
Read MoreWill PR Solve Bush’s Problems?
Back when I was Governor Hunt’s press secretary in the 70s and 80s, I dreaded Monday morning Cabinet meetings. Every Cabinet secretary would report to the Governor on the wonderful things their departments were doing. There were no problems or foul-ups worth mentioning, of course. Every Monday, the consensus was the same: The people of…
Read MoreMayor Meeker’s Folly – Part II – The Triangle Transit Authority
Sometimes I think the folks over at the Triangle Transit Authority must be living in ‘Cloud Coo-Coo Land.’ This morning there’s a picture in the newspaper of a spiffy ‘mock-up’ they’ve built – sitting in the middle of a Raleigh warehouse – of the engine of the train they want to build to bring ‘lite-rail’…
Read MoreThe Republican Culture of Corruption
Nothing has exposed the rot at the root of the Republican tree in Washington more than the case of Michael Scanlon. Scanlon is the Tom Delay protégé who is now charged with criminal conspiracy related to his ties to GOP superlobbyist Jack Abramoff. According to The New York Times: Mr. Scanlon is in legal trouble…
Read MoreDebate on Iraq
New York Times columnist David Brooks gave President Bush a great piece of advice (News and Observer, 11-22-05) about the debate in Congress on Iraq. My problem on Iraq is I’m beginning to suspect we’ve gotten ourselves into a real mess. And the only thing that makes sense is to get out of it. But…
Read MoreThe Shrinking of the President
Here’s how you can tell just how much George Bush’s political star has fallen. Keep an eye on the political cartoons. Notice how small the drawings of Bush have become. They get tinier and tinier. Now, he barely occupies an itty-bitty corner of the cartoonists’ panel. I first noticed this phenomenon during Jimmy Carter’s administration.…
Read MoreThe Real Mystery of “Plamegate”
There is one thing that has mystified me about this whole matter of the White House allegedly unmasking the covert CIA operative. No, not who done it. Or why. Or which reporter got the leak first. Have you seen a picture of the agent? Her name is Valerie Plame. Now, get this picture in focus:…
Read MoreThere Is an Iraq Exit Deadline
The Iraq War debate made Democrats and Republicans in Congress act more like Sunnis and Shiites last week. The battle is over whether Congress should set a deadline for the withdrawal of American troops. Republicans say this amounts to a “cut and run” strategy. But don’t worry, if you’re against the war. Thanks to all…
Read MoreHarry Potter Promotes Global Understanding?
Exploris is a non-profit museum in downtown Raleigh “dedicated to promoting global understanding” (News & Observer, 11-14-05). How is it doing that? By showing “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.” And who paid for Exploris’ IMAX movie theatre? Well, taxpayers. By giving the museum $11.9 in tax money to build it and an annual…
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