Yes, President Obama will be heading a delegation, which includes his wife Michelle and Oprah Winfrey, to Copenhagen tomorrow to lobby the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to award the 2016 Summer Games to Chicago. And, since nothing (usually) inspires national pride and camaraderie quite like the quest to host the Olympics, one would’ve have thought… Read more.
Archives for September 2009
US now says ousted Zelaya is ‘irresponsible and foolish’…?!
Nothing betrays US mentoring for, if not complicity in, this coup quite like the way the military enlisted the Honduran Congress and Supreme Court to endorse it. In fact, after passing a resolution accusing Zelaya of “manifest irregular conduct [and] putting in present danger the state of law,” the Congress voted (“by a show of… Read more.
Cold justice for confessed (pedophile) rapist Roman Polanski
Chances are that more than a few of you have no clue who Roman Polanski is, or why his arrest is such a big deal. Therefore, here, in a nutshell, is the who and why of this commentary: Frenchman Polanski was as acclaimed a Hollywood director in 1978 as American Quentin Tarantino is today, having directed… Read more.
Is President Obama overexposed…?
There’s nothing surprising about Obama’s familiar media presence breeding contempt among Republicans. What is surprising, however, is the growing indifference it’s causing among Democrats. Of course, much was made of his unprecedented appearance on all major networks (reciting the same talking points on each one) last Sunday. But nothing demonstrates how much the novelty of his presidency… Read more.
End of ‘special relationship’ between US and UK…?
I remember thinking what an extraordinary snub it was when the White House refused Downing Street’s request to hold a formal press conference between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Gordon Brown after their first formal meeting in March. The White House claimed that Obama was simply too busy dealing with matters related to the… Read more.
Qaddafi and (his son) Obama headline UN’s annual gabfest
Watching world leaders deliver speeches at the annual United Nations General Assembly is rather like watching actors perform in an Italian opera. And, frankly, their speeches usually have about as much practical import as the arias in an opera. Nevertheless, some of the notes sounded yesterday by two first timers, namely US President Barack… Read more.
‘Without [or even with] more forces, failure in Afghanistan is likely’
On Monday, the Washington Post made a mockery of President Obama’s correspondence with his military commander in Afghanistan when it published an “urgent, confidential assessment of the war” by Gen. Stanley A. McCrystal within hours after Obama indicated that he has yet to even receive it. In any event, as is the case with most classified… Read more.
Dirty-tricks trial of former French PM de Villepin (aka, the betrayer of America)
Imagine if, instead of serving as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton were going on trial this week for attempting to sabotage Barack Obama’s presidential campaign last year by leaking forged documents to the Justice Department implicating him in taking bribes from shady Chicago developers. Surely that would be worthy of being hyped as “the trial… Read more.
Kenya facing drought and famine of biblical proportions…
I know, I know: reading about the scourge of drought and famine in Africa is like reading about the menace of guns and drugs in America. And truth be told, I harbor no illusions that anything I write will have any bearing on the looming fate of millions who are now competing with wild animals… Read more.
Reflection of our times…
Related commentaries: Coarsening of political debate (Joe Wilson) Serena snaps… Obama is right, Kanye is a Jackass Read more.