President Barack Obama

Why the Left Fails

Vanessa Carmichael | Posted 12.17.2009 | Politics


Vanessa Carmichael

The Left loses key battles because most Americans don't understand the very basics of American democracy--especially that we do not have a parliament.

Are You There Barack? It's Me, David

David Wild | Posted 12.17.2009 | Entertainment


David Wild

Unlike some mad men and mad women out there, we're not worried that you hate this country or are some kind of radical. Instead, we're worried the same calm restraint that helped you get elected has turned into a worrying political timidity.

2009's Top News Stories

Pamela Tom | Posted 12.15.2009 | Media


Pamela Tom

If you're anything like me -- living in this mad, mad world of information overload -- it may be difficult to look back at 2009 and remember the big news stories that defined this year.

Obama's Nobel Lecture: Speaking Truth From Power?

Joseph A. Palermo | Posted 12.16.2009 | Politics


Joseph A. Palermo

Obama's Nobel lecture might have showed us that the US has reached a turning point: either the national security monster we've created is going to eat us alive by bankrupting the country or we're going to have to shift course.

Obama Summons Senate Democrats To White House

AP | Posted 12.14.2009 | Politics


WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will meet with Senate Democrats at the White House Tuesday to press for action at a make-or-break moment for...

Lyndon Johnson's Thoughts on Obama's Nobel Peace Prize

Jonathan Leigh Solomon | Posted 12.14.2009 | Politics


Jonathan Leigh Solomon

And so I had to ask myself, if Lyndon were alive today, what he would make of Obama's receiving the Nobel Peace Prize? Knowing Lyndon it would probably be unprintable.

The Economy is Recovering, No Thanks to Republicans

Andy Ostroy | Posted 12.14.2009 | Politics


Andy Ostroy

The economy is indeed turning, and it's done so with absolutely no assistance from Republicans, who've elected instead to take the calculated political risk of becoming the Party of No.

Hanukkah Message From President Barack Obama Released, Including Hebrew Translation (TEXT)

Posted 12.13.2009 | Home


President Barack Obama provided the following statement today to coincide with the beginning of Hanukkah: "Michelle and I send our warmest wishes t...

Matt Taibbi: How Obama Sold Out America

Rolling Stone | Posted 12.10.2009 | Politics


Barack Obama ran for president as a man of the people, standing up to Wall Street as the global economy melted down in that fateful fall of 2008. He p...

Afghanistan Ambassador Speaks Out On U.S. Troop Surge

Robert Guttman | Posted 12.10.2009 | World


Robert Guttman

Ambassador Jawad makes our surge seem plausible when he states: "The mission is clear. This is America's war to disrupt, dismantle and ultimately defeat Al Qaeda."

Pearl Harbor, Hiroshima and the Need to Readjust Our Historical Lenses

Phillip Martin | Posted 12.09.2009 | World


Phillip Martin

But it's time for Americans and the Japanese to start readjusting our historical lenses and to look at historic tragedies from multiple perspectives to mitigate our natural reflexes toward revisionism.

Jobs Obama Can Fill Now, Rehiring Consumer Reps At The White House

Jamie Court | Posted 12.08.2009 | Politics


Jamie Court

Every other Democratic president since President Kennedy has hired a Special Assistant for Consumer Affairs. This is a gift Obama should give American consumers for the holidays.

A Tale of Two Obamas

Robert Kuttner | Posted 12.07.2009 | Politics


Robert Kuttner

This president, who could have been such an insurgent at a moment demanding insurgency, has been so utterly captured by the Wall Street elite, the health insurance industry elite, and the military elite.

Some Straight Talk on Afghanistan

Mayhill Fowler | Posted 12.06.2009 | World


Mayhill Fowler

Marvin Weinbaum, a scholar-in-residence at the Middle East Institute and an Afghanistan expert who visited the White House during the months President Obama was crafting his new AfPak policy, recently spoke to a group of journalists.

"Nice Work If You Can Get It": My Playlist for a Musical Jobs Summit

David Wild | Posted 12.04.2009 | Entertainment


David Wild

Obama's job summit was a sincere attempt to bring together great minds to help ease what has become a national crisis. My musical jobs summit -- not so much.

A Few Small Questions About Obama's Afghanistan Surge

Mayhill Fowler | Posted 12.02.2009 | Politics


Mayhill Fowler

Why would any civilian, an expert in agriculture or public health or energy infrastructure, be willing to give his or her life for a project to which our president is not fully committed?

Afghanistan, "So It Goes"

Joseph A. Palermo | Posted 12.02.2009 | Politics


Joseph A. Palermo

As with Vietnam, the problem in Afghanistan is political, not military. The United States can stay there forever if we want to -- but is it worth it?

Afghanistan Is the War Obama Always Wanted

Earl Ofari Hutchinson | Posted 12.01.2009 | Politics


Earl Ofari Hutchinson

Only the most hopelessly naïve, star struck or a true believer could have ever thought that President Obama would not dump massive numbers of fresh troops into Afghanistan.

Why Ben Bernanke Should Not be Confirmed, and the Fed Should Keep its Autonomy

Georges Ugeux | Posted 12.01.2009 | Business


Georges Ugeux

One of the casualties of this crisis is the capacity of economists to read the signs and launch warning signals. While Ben Bernanke understands economics and numbers, he lacks the necessary instincts.

California: Killing the Goose that Lays the Golden Eggs

Joseph A. Palermo | Posted 12.03.2009 | Los Angeles


Joseph A. Palermo

Scwharzenegger and the Republicans who control California's finances have concluded it's not even worth trying to compete with India and China anymore, as evidenced by the "restructuring" of the California State University system.

Obama-nation: From Hope to Cynicism

Denise Dennis | Posted 11.30.2009 | Politics


Denise Dennis

Neither Lincoln nor FDR resolved the enormous challenges that faced the United States during their first months or even years of their administrations, yet they went on to become two of our greatest Presidents.

Obama's War: The Next Best Steps in Afghanistan?

Patricia DeGennaro | Posted 12.02.2009 | World


Patricia DeGennaro

Both military and civilian leaders need to revisit their management and cooperation efforts, and better define their "jobs" if any progress is to be made.

Teflon Dick: How Cheney Uses Media For Protection

Linda Milazzo | Posted 12.03.2009 | Media


Linda Milazzo

Dick Cheney has committed unconstrained, and as yet unprosecuted offenses, that include circumventing the Constitution and lying the nation into war.

The Hollywood Connection in U.S.-India Relations

Richard F. Celeste | Posted 11.24.2009 | World


Richard F. Celeste

For all the glamor attached to Hollywood and Bollywood in their home countries, their potential in fostering bilateral ties has been scarcely appreciated. But the entertainment sector can be a foreign policy connection.

Obama Gets 11-Dimensional Chess Win; Epic Fail for Media, GOP

Matt Osborne | Posted 11.20.2009 | Media


Matt Osborne

The Republican strategy of delay escalated their misfortune; their "tea party" movement is a great, big Teabagger Fail, and the media's credibility is shot right along with them.