Video Clip|02:06|
Author Toni Morrison is the first African American to win the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
3 Points
Feature Film|1:01:00|
When Tracy McGrady (T-Mac) of the NBA heard about the massive challenges children from Darfur were facing in the refugee camps in Chad, he decided to travel there.
When Tracy McGrady (T-Mac) of the NBA heard about the massive challenges children from Darfur were facing in the refugee camps in Chad, he decided to travel there.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Kennedy dynasty fascinates public
For more than half a century, Kennedy brothers Joe, John, Bobby and Ted grabbed headlines and set fashion trends, shaping popular culture in ways big and small. The untimely deaths only added to their mystique.
“The family was both dynasty and myth, larger than life in every respect,” says political commentator Larry Sabato. “The Kennedys combined Hollywood and Washington, glitz and power, in a way no other family has. Reagan had that personally, but his family did not.”
Americans, mesmerized by money, power and tragic endings, couldn't help but obsess over:
• Kennedy movies. From JFK, the 1991 Oliver Stone epic about the events leading up to the JFK assassination, to Thirteen Days, made in 2000 and set during the two-week Cuban missile crisis, the late president's life seemed tailor-made for the silver screen. Lesser known were the 1997 indie flick House of Yes and Bubba Ho-tep, a 2002 farce that featured Elvis and JFK, both alive and in nursing homes battling an ancient Egyptian mummy. The Zapruder footage remains an indelible image.
• Kennedy satire. The storied family was a regular subject; some jokes were tasteful, others not. Comedian and impersonator Vaughn Meader was a hit in the early ' 60s, when he made one of the fastest-selling records ever, The First Family. Kennedy barbs remained popular through the late ' 80s, when, in the midst of the Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill hearings, the late actor and comedian Phil Hartman impersonated Sen. Kennedy drinking in a bar with another actor playing Thomas. At the time, the Supreme Court justice was only a nominee.
• Kennedy cool. Jacqueline Kennedy, John's wife, captivated the world with her seemingly effortless style and grace. Whether she wore a riding habit, casual trousers accompanied by big, round sunglasses or a tailored suit topped with a pillbox hat, women worked to emulate her all-American glamour.
Just a few years after her death in 1994, it seemed as if her fashion spirit was revived in her daughter-in-law, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. With her signature red lipstick, platinum blond ponytail and classic leather tote bags, the wife of John F. Kennedy Jr. stepped all too briefly into her late mother-in-law's role of the adored and imitated fashion icon.
• Kennedy music.Abraham, Martin and John, written in 1968 by Dick Holler, referred to Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr. and John and Bobby Kennedy. Each man had a verse. Then there was PT-109, a song by Jimmy Dean about the adventures of John and the crew of the PT-109 during World War II; a rock group irreverently named “the Dead Kennedys;” and this classic line from the Rolling Stones hit Sympathy for the Devil:
I shouted out
Who killed the Kennedys?
When after all
It was you and me.
• Kennedy rhetoric. The brothers were among the best when it came to inspirational speeches, from JFK's “Ask not what your country can do for you” inaugural address to Ted's stirring eulogy for Bobby: “Some men see things as they are and say, ‘Why?' I dream things that never were and say, ‘Why not?' ”
claudia.feldman@chron.com
Sen. Edward Kennedy Tribute
Sen. Edward "Ted" Kennedy was one of the Democratic Party's most influential members. Named in '06 on Time's list of "America's 10 Best Senators," he authored more than 2,500 bills on a wide range of issues, including voting and civil rights, healthcare, labor and education. He chaired the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in the 110th Congress. Kennedy also wrote a children's book, My Senator and Me, a political history, America Back on Track, and, before his passing, a soon-to-be-released memoir, True Compass.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Monday, August 3, 2009
Keith Olbermann's Special Comment on Countdown
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Friday, July 17, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
Barack Obama Speaks on Patriotism
Independence Day
TV Spot|28:15|
Barack Obama defends his patriotism in a speech in Independence, Missouri, and talks about what the word means to him.
TV Spot|28:15|
Barack Obama defends his patriotism in a speech in Independence, Missouri, and talks about what the word means to him.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Lady Michelle
Photo by Mandel Ngan / Getty Images
First Lady Mrs. O spoke at Unity Health Care's Upper Cardozo Center in Washington this afternoon. For the event, Mrs. O wore a stone colored jacket, paired with a silver Givenchy belt and black trousers. The belt was last seen in France for an event honoring D-Day - might it be Mrs. O's belt of the season?
Monday, June 22, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
The President Got It Right
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Geprge W. Bush-Crazy for speaking out????
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Barack Obama: "I Have Made Mistakes" as a Father
President Barack Obama penned another touching letter to his daughters, Sasha, 8, and Malia, 10, in Parade magazine.
Obama -- who recalled how his girls inspired him to run for office in a January note -- approached the magazine about writing his tribute. Says the editor in chief: "The editing didn't take long. I changed two words for grammatical reasons and added a comma or two."
See pics of first children through the years.
An excerpt from the message, which runs this on Father's Day this Sunday, is below:
"I observe this Father's Day not just as a father grateful to be present in my daughters' lives but also as a son who grew up without a father in my own life.
See the Obama family album.
"In many ways, I came to understand the importance of fatherhood through its absence—both in my life and in the lives of others. I came to understand that the hole a man leaves when he abandons his responsibility to his children is one that no government can fill. We can do everything possible to provide good jobs and good schools and safe streets for our kids, but it will never be enough to fully make up the difference.
Check out star dads' personal kid photos.
"We need fathers to step up, to realize that their job does not end at conception; that what makes you a man is not the ability to have a child but the courage to raise one.
"I know I have been an imperfect father. I know I have made mistakes. I have lost count of all the times, over the years, when the demands of work have taken me from the duties of fatherhood. There were many days out on the campaign trail when I felt like my family was a million miles away, and I knew I was missing moments of my daughters' lives that I'd never get back. It is a loss I will never fully accept.
Look back at the Obama family's first 100 days in the White House.
"On this Father's Day, I think about the pledge I made to Malia the day she was born: that I would give her what I never had -- that if I could be anything in life, I would be a good father."
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart June 11, 2009
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Season 14 : Ep. 79|23:41||
Katie Couric, the face of CBS News drops by to tell Jon what's happening in the world.
Season 14 : Ep. 79|23:41||
Katie Couric, the face of CBS News drops by to tell Jon what's happening in the world.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Obama Vacation Plans Upset Critics
The Obama Administration
Excerpt|07:40|
June 5: Face off: A political panel spars over Barack Obama’s vacation schedule, the state of the Republican Party and the best and worst of the president’s week.
Excerpt|07:40|
June 5: Face off: A political panel spars over Barack Obama’s vacation schedule, the state of the Republican Party and the best and worst of the president’s week.
Day In The Life Of The Obamas
The Obama Administration
Excerpt|06:28|
June 5: Countdown’s David Shuster previews the Obama family’s trip to Paris.
Excerpt|06:28|
June 5: Countdown’s David Shuster previews the Obama family’s trip to Paris.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
GOP already got there claws out
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Saturday, May 23, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Presidebt at Notre Dame
http://news.aol.com/article/protests-await-obamas-appearance-at/486476?cid=9
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Michelle Obama brings hope 3:08
Creative students at University of California, Merced lobby the White House and get Michelle Obama to their graduation.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Why we torture
August 2002
Abu Zubaydah is tortured by the CIA.
March 2003
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is tortured by the CIA.
June 2004
“The reason I keep insisting that there was a relationship between Iraq and Saddam and al-Qaeda is because there was a relationship between Iraq and al-Qaeda.” — George W. Bush
June 2004
This administration rejects torture. … I don’t think it’s productive, let alone justified.” - John Ashcroft
November 2005
“We do not torture.” — George W. Bush.
October 2007
“This government does not torture people … We stick to U.S. law and international obligations.” –George W. Bush
April 2009
A former senior U.S. intelligence official familiar with the interrogation issue said that Cheney and former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld demanded that the interrogators find evidence of al Qaida-Iraq collaboration.
“There were two reasons why these interrogations were so persistent, and why extreme methods were used,” the former senior intelligence official said on condition of anonymity because of the issue’s sensitivity.
“The main one is that everyone was worried about some kind of follow-up attack (after 9/11). But for most of 2002 and into 2003, Cheney and Rumsfeld, especially, were also demanding proof of the links between al Qaida and Iraq that (former Iraqi exile leader Ahmed) Chalabi and others had told them were there.”
It was during this period that CIA interrogators waterboarded two alleged top al Qaida detainees repeatedly — Abu Zubaydah at least 83 times in August 2002 and Khalid Sheik Muhammed 183 times in March 2003 — according to a newly released Justice Department document.
Yesterday
“What I have learned is that as the administration authorized harsh interrogation in April and May of 2002–well before the Justice Department had rendered any legal opinion–its principal priority for intelligence was not aimed at pre-empting another terrorist attack on the U.S. but discovering a smoking gun linking Iraq and al-Qa’ida.
So furious was this effort that on one particular detainee, even when the interrogation team had reported to Cheney’s office that their detainee “was compliant” (meaning the team recommended no more torture), the VP’s office ordered them to continue the enhanced methods.” — Lawrence Wilkerson
–WKW
Abu Zubaydah is tortured by the CIA.
March 2003
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is tortured by the CIA.
June 2004
“The reason I keep insisting that there was a relationship between Iraq and Saddam and al-Qaeda is because there was a relationship between Iraq and al-Qaeda.” — George W. Bush
June 2004
This administration rejects torture. … I don’t think it’s productive, let alone justified.” - John Ashcroft
November 2005
“We do not torture.” — George W. Bush.
October 2007
“This government does not torture people … We stick to U.S. law and international obligations.” –George W. Bush
April 2009
A former senior U.S. intelligence official familiar with the interrogation issue said that Cheney and former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld demanded that the interrogators find evidence of al Qaida-Iraq collaboration.
“There were two reasons why these interrogations were so persistent, and why extreme methods were used,” the former senior intelligence official said on condition of anonymity because of the issue’s sensitivity.
“The main one is that everyone was worried about some kind of follow-up attack (after 9/11). But for most of 2002 and into 2003, Cheney and Rumsfeld, especially, were also demanding proof of the links between al Qaida and Iraq that (former Iraqi exile leader Ahmed) Chalabi and others had told them were there.”
It was during this period that CIA interrogators waterboarded two alleged top al Qaida detainees repeatedly — Abu Zubaydah at least 83 times in August 2002 and Khalid Sheik Muhammed 183 times in March 2003 — according to a newly released Justice Department document.
Yesterday
“What I have learned is that as the administration authorized harsh interrogation in April and May of 2002–well before the Justice Department had rendered any legal opinion–its principal priority for intelligence was not aimed at pre-empting another terrorist attack on the U.S. but discovering a smoking gun linking Iraq and al-Qa’ida.
So furious was this effort that on one particular detainee, even when the interrogation team had reported to Cheney’s office that their detainee “was compliant” (meaning the team recommended no more torture), the VP’s office ordered them to continue the enhanced methods.” — Lawrence Wilkerson
–WKW
Obama to revive terror tribunals, with more rights
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama will restart Bush-era military tribunals for a small number of Guantanamo detainees, reviving a fiercely disputed trial system he once denounced but with new legal protections for terror suspects, U.S. officials said Thursday.
Obama suspended the tribunals within hours of taking office in January, ordering a review but stopping short of abandoning President George W. Bush's strategy of prosecuting suspected terrorists.
The military trials will remain frozen for another four months as the administration adjusts the legal system that is expected to try fewer than 20 of the 241 detainees at the U.S. naval detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Thirteen detainees — including five charged with helping orchestrate the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks — are already in the tribunal system.
Cheney Shocker! Not really, we knew.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Obama, Comic Wanda Sykes Headline D.C. Correspondents' Dinner
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama mocked his own administration and gave playful jabs at his critics and Republicans at a black-tie dinner attended by a mix of politicians, celebrities and journalists.
The Republican Party was a favorite target for Obama, speaking at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner on Saturday night.
Former Vice President Dick Cheney couldn't make the dinner, Obama joked, because he was writing his memoir, "How to shoot friends and interrogate people." It was a reference to Cheney's support of harsh interrogation and his accidental shooting of a hunting companion
The president directly addressed Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, who was in the audience.
"Michael for the last time, the Republican Party does not qualify for a bailout. Rush Limbaugh does not count as a troubled asset, I'm sorry," said Obama, referring to recent economic steps of the White House and the conservative radio commentator's public criticism of the Republican party leader.
But Obama targeted his own miscues as well.
"No president in history has ever named three commerce secretaries this quickly," Obama said. The president's two top choices for the position dropped out.
He playfully ribbed his frequent use of a teleprompter and Vice President Joe Biden's knack for speaking off the cuff. And about the Democratic Party, he said his administration has helped in "bringing in fresh, young faces — like Arlen Specter." The 79-year-old Pennsylvania senator, a former Republican, switched parties last month.
Obama noted that he and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton had been political rivals, but he assured the audience "these days, we could not be closer."
"In fact the second she got back from Mexico, she pulled me into a hug," the president said, playing off the threat of a spreading swine flu virus that has targeted Mexico the most.
Obama also turned serious and talked of the financially struggling media industry, praising journalists for holding government officials accountable. "A government without newspapers, a government without a tough and vibrant media of all sorts is not an option for the United States of America," he said.
The president wasn't the only one to tell jokes.
Tart-tongued comic Wanda Sykes, the dinner's entertainer, poked fun at Obama giving the Queen of England an iPhone during a recent visit. "What are you going to give the Pope, a Bluetooth?," asked Sykes, referring to the hands-free cell phone device. And she questioned first lady Michelle Obama having patted the queen on the back "like she just slid into home plate — way to go, queen!"
The $200-per-ticket dinner attracted plenty of VIPs from outside the Beltway.
Among those attending were Eva Longoria Parker, Ashton Kutcher, Christian Slater, Natalie Portman, Sting, Mariska Hargitay, Steven Spielberg and Jon Bon Jovi. Also there was Richard Phillips, the captain who was held hostage by Somali pirates after his cargo ship was attacked.
Proceeds from the dinner, $98,000, will help feed the hungry and fund journalism scholarships.
Those honored at the dinner are several journalists:
—Sandra Sobieraj Westfall of People magazine and David Greene of National Public Radio, the Merriman Smith Award for presidential coverage under deadline pressure. Westfall won for her election night reporting. Greene won for digging into candidate Obama's speech that addressed the country's racial divide.
—Michael Abramowitz, formerly of The Washington Post, the Aldo Beckman award for his coverage of the final days of the Bush administration.
—Michael J. Berens and Ken Armstrong of the Seattle Times, the Edgar A. Poe Award for excellence in coverage of news of national or regional significance, for a series exposing the failure of Washington state hospitals and others to handle the rise of the MRSA staph infection.
The White House Correspondents Association was formed in 1914 as a liaison between the press and the president. Every president since Calvin Coolidge has attended the dinner.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
The White Shadow|Sports
Season 2 : Ep. 10|48:52||Closed Captions available
Coach Reeves has a hard decision to make when a high school basketball superstar, who is unfortunately also illiterate, transfers to Carver High.
Coach Reeves has a hard decision to make when a high school basketball superstar, who is unfortunately also illiterate, transfers to Carver High.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Kieth Olbermann & Prince Charles???
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Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Dave Bing, NBA Great, Elected Detroit’s Mayor
DETROIT — Basketball legend Dave Bing was elected Tuesday as Detroit’s mayor through the end of the year, sweeping the incumbent from office in the city with myriad problems.
“The real work starts now,” Bing said to loud cheers during his victory speech.
“What we will bring … is efficiency, transparency, honesty and integrity back to the mayor’s office,” he said.
With all but two of 629 precincts reporting, Bing had 52.3 percent of the vote, or 48,951 votes, to 47.7 percent, or 44,703 votes, for Ken Cockrel Jr. Both are Democrats.
Bing, 65, will be mayor through 2009, serving the balance of the term that belonged to Democrat Kwame Kilpatrick, who resigned in September and went to jail after admitting he lied during a civil trial to cover up an affair with his chief of staff.
Bing must run again in the regular Aug. 4 nonpartisan primary and win the Nov. 3 general election to hold the mayor’s seat for a full four years.
The founder of steel manufacturer The Bing Group announced his run for mayor the day after Kilpatrick stepped down as part of pleas to two criminal cases.
Cockrel, 43, was City Council president before Kilpatrick’s departure automatically promoted him to the mayor’s office. He’ll go back to that job now.
May the city heal from the exploits of the Trifling, Hip-Hop Mayor.
Congratulations, Mr. Bing.
Jack&Jill News
Monday, May 4, 2009
When Reporters Rise For The President
Some people noticed that many reporters rose from their seats last Friday when President Obama unexpectedly entered the White House briefing room, but the same courtesy was not always extended in the past when President Bush would make an appearance.
Comparison videos were even posted on YouTube.
It’s a long-standing practice for reporters to rise when the president enters the East Room for a news conference, but that hasn’t been the case in the briefing room.
I checked with two colleagues who served as senior wire service reporters during the Bush Presidency and who, in matters of press protocol, the rest of us followed.
“The briefing room is always a more informal place,” says Steve Holland of Reuters.
But the principal reason reporters remained in their seats, he said, was not to block the shot of TV cameramen and still photographers in the back of the room who were trying to make a picture of the president’s walk-in.
No disrespect was intended for President Bush and to the best of my knowledge none was taken.
In addition, it only takes about three steps for the president to reach the lectern from the press room door. He’d be ready to begin and many reporters would barely be out of their seats, which used to be further complicated by swivel desks that had to be shifted out of the way.
When some reporters stood up for President Obama last Friday, they forgot about the needs of their colleagues in the back of the room as well as the less formal atmosphere of the briefing room. Certainly it was a sign of respect for the president, but not one of disrespect for his predecessor.
It was President Obama’s first time at the briefing room lectern since taking office and for some new members of the White House Press, it was their first time seeing a president enter the room as well.
By:Mark Knoller
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Edwards Under Federal Investigation
A story in Sunday's Raleigh News & Observer reports that Edwards, a Democratic senator from North Carolina from 1999 to 2005, has acknowledged that officials are looking into whether any donations to his 2008 campaign were diverted to his mistress, Rielle Hunter, to keep her from going public. Diverting funds from a campaign non-profit for any personal expenditure would be a violation of federal law.
Hunter, who had no previous experience as a filmmaker, was paid $114,000 to film a series of campaign "webisodes'' that mainly showed him flirting with her; her intended audience seemed to be the candidate's wife.
After he was photographed by tabloid photographers running away from them in the Los Angeles hotel where he was visiting Hunter and her baby, Edwards admitted to the affair last summer.
But he said in a statement released to the News & Observer that the Feds wouldn't find anything illegal in the campaign records he has turned over: "I am confident that no funds from my campaign were used improperly. However, I know that it is the role of government to ensure that this is true. We have made available to the United States both the people and the information necessary to help them get the issue resolved efficiently and in a timely matter. We appreciate the diligence and professionalism of those involved and look forward to a conclusion."
Among several Edwards nonprofits that investigators are looking into is the Alliance for a New America, which according to the News & Observer received a $3.48 million check in 2008 from 98-year-old Rachel "Bunny'' Lambert Mellon. Though not a regular political donor, she told relatives she had been moved by Edwards' "Two Americas'' anti-poverty campaign.
A new book by Elizabeth Edwards, due in stores on May 12, says her husband met Hunter at a campaign event in New York, where she opened the conversation by telling him, "You're so hot.''
Friends of Hunter's have said that their affair began that night. The former candidate told ABC News last summer that it began after she had gone to work for his campaign.
He also told ABC that he'd been visiting Hunter in Los Angeles hotel where he was chased by photographers only because he feared that she would go public if he didn't meet with her: "I wanted her not to tell the public what had happened. Very simple. That's the reason I went."
Did he also pay for her silence? The Feds aren't the only ones who'd like to know; disillusioned former supporters would, too.
In the interview with ABC News last summer, Edwards said, "I think my family is entitled to every detail. They've been told every detail.'' Yet in her book, his wife said that even when he did tell her about the relationship, he "left most of the truth out,'' and insisted that it had been a one-night stand.
Edwards' close friend Fred Baron told ABC at the time that he had been sending money out of his own pocket to Hunter and to the former campaign aide who had claimed paternity of her baby, at his own instigation: "[I] decided independently to help two friends and former colleagues rebuild their lives when harassment by supermarket tabloids made it impossible for them to move forward on their own. I did this of my own volition without the instruction or suggestion of anyone, and made a conscious decision not to tell anyone, including John Edwards, that assistance was provided. The assistance was offered and accepted without condition. This is now and shall always remain a private matter between these individuals and me." That much did turn out to be true; Baron has since died of cancer.
At a recent Dallas event honoring Baron, the only mention of Edwards was from Baron's widow, Lisa, who noted ruefully that their foray into presidential politics had not exactly turned out as planned.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Arlington: Field of Honor
National Geographic Specials
Feature Film|54:53|
Tour one of America's most sacred places and explore its hallowed history in this powerful portrait.
Feature Film|54:53|
Tour one of America's most sacred places and explore its hallowed history in this powerful portrait.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Justice Souter plans to retire
Thursday, April 30, 2009
By GottaLaff
Officials have told MSNBC that Justice Souter intends to retire.
This won't change the tenor of the Supreme Court much, although appointed by Bush 41. He tends to vote more "liberal".
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Sojourner Truth becomes first black woman to be honored among statues at U.S. Capitol
Today at the new Capitol Visitors' Center, Sojourner Truth became the first African American woman to have a place of honor among the statues in the U.S. Capitol.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi opened the ceremony that unveiled the memorial statue in Emancipation Hall, so-named because slaves helped build the Capitol. Pelosi, the first woman speaker of the House of Representatives in U.S. history, said the former slave who met Abraham Lincoln had come home "to her rightful place."
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called the placement of Truth's statue "an achievement that did not come quickly or easily" and noted, "We're here because of barriers she tore down."
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, the Texas Democrat who with Hillary Clinton spearheaded the drive to honor Truth with a statue, spoke of how much the current generation owes to previous ones, saying "the truth will prevail." Actress Cicely Tyson recited Truth's speech to suffragettes.
Several other lawmakers also spoke -- House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.
But the headliner of today's event was First Lady Michelle Obama, who said that Sojourner Truth did not allow the indignity of slavery o destroy her spirit, "who fought for her own freedom, and then used her powers, young people -- then she used her power to help others; who fought for the right to vote and for the rights of all women." In short, she said, "The power of this bust will not just be in the metal that delineates Sojourner Truth's face; it will also be in the message that defines her legacy."
Story from the LA Times
Morning Joe speaking about Arlen Spector and the GOP
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Another Democrat-Arlen Spector
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Veteran Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter told colleagues Tuesday that he switched from the Republican to the Democratic Party, Sen. Harry Reid says.
The Specter party switch would give Democrats a filibuster-proof Senate majority of 60 seats if Al Franken holds his current lead in the disputed Minnesota Senate race.
"Since my election in 1980, as part of the Reagan Big Tent, the Republican Party has moved far to the right," Specter said in a statement posted by his office on PoliticsPA.com.
"Last year, more than 200,000 Republicans in Pennsylvania changed their registration to become Democrats. I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans."
Specter, a five-term Senate veteran, was greeted by a loud, sustained round of applause by dozens of constituents outside his Washington office shortly after the news broke.
"I don't have to say anything to them," a smiling Specter said. "They've said it to me."
Specter was expected to face a very tough primary challenge in 2010 from former Rep. Pat Toomey, who nearly defeated Specter in the Pennsylvania GOP Senate primary in 2004.
A Quinnipiac University survey of registered Pennsylvania voters released last month showed Specter trailing the more conservative Toomey in a hypothetical primary matchup, 41 to 27 percent.
A separate Franklin & Marshall survey showed Specter leading Toomey 33 to 18 percent. Another 42 percent, however, were undecided.
More than half of the Republicans polled in the Franklin & Marshall survey said they would prefer to see someone new in the Senate.
Numerous Republicans are angry with Specter over his recent vote in support of President Obama's $787 billion stimulus plan.
Specter, one of only three GOP senators to vote for the measure, has been part of a dwindling group of GOP moderates from the northeastern part of the country.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Five Members Of Congress Arrested
Five members of Congress and two Darfur activists had themselves arrested Monday outside the Sudanese embassy in Washington, D.C., to draw attention to the continuing humanitarian crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan.
Uniformed Secret Service officers put plastic handcuffs on Reps. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), John Lewis (D-Ga.), Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.), along with Save Darfur Coalition president Jerry Fowler and Enough Project co-founder John Prendergast after the group stepped behind yellow police tape in front of the embassy.
Before being taken into custody, each of the arrestees addressed a small crowd of reporters and other activists who had been tipped off about the event. Each speaker called on the Obama administration to do more to stop the conflict in Sudan.
"Almost a half a million people have been killed," said Rep. Lewis before crossing the line. "This terror, this violence must end and it must end soon."
After their statements, the gang lifted up the police tape and waited patiently (and quietly) for the police to arrest them. An officer issued three warnings before the cuffs came out. Officers frisked each of the lawbreakers and went through their pockets before stuffing them in a paddywagon and a cruiser.
The group met Monday morning at the Religious Action Center before marching the short distance to the embassy. As they went over their plan, some of the members put their wallets and other personal belongings into plastic bags. Ellison took the extra step of removing his shoelaces. The Huffington Post asked Ellison if he'd been arrested before.
"Not on something like this," he said.
The protesters had hired criminal defense attorney Laura Rhodes to get them out from behind bars. Rhodes seemed pretty confident in her game.
"For those of you anxious about going to jail, I've gotten people out who've killed people," she said.
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Uniformed Secret Service officers put plastic handcuffs on Reps. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), John Lewis (D-Ga.), Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.), along with Save Darfur Coalition president Jerry Fowler and Enough Project co-founder John Prendergast after the group stepped behind yellow police tape in front of the embassy.
Before being taken into custody, each of the arrestees addressed a small crowd of reporters and other activists who had been tipped off about the event. Each speaker called on the Obama administration to do more to stop the conflict in Sudan.
"Almost a half a million people have been killed," said Rep. Lewis before crossing the line. "This terror, this violence must end and it must end soon."
After their statements, the gang lifted up the police tape and waited patiently (and quietly) for the police to arrest them. An officer issued three warnings before the cuffs came out. Officers frisked each of the lawbreakers and went through their pockets before stuffing them in a paddywagon and a cruiser.
The group met Monday morning at the Religious Action Center before marching the short distance to the embassy. As they went over their plan, some of the members put their wallets and other personal belongings into plastic bags. Ellison took the extra step of removing his shoelaces. The Huffington Post asked Ellison if he'd been arrested before.
"Not on something like this," he said.
The protesters had hired criminal defense attorney Laura Rhodes to get them out from behind bars. Rhodes seemed pretty confident in her game.
"For those of you anxious about going to jail, I've gotten people out who've killed people," she said.
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Saturday, April 25, 2009
Bill Maher Says: The GOP: divorced from reality
Opinion
The GOP: divorced from reality
The Republican base is behaving like a guy who just got dumped by his wife.
By Bill Maher
April 24, 2009
If conservatives don't want to be seen as bitter people who cling to their guns and religion and anti-immigrant sentiments, they should stop being bitter and clinging to their guns, religion and anti-immigrant sentiments.
It's been a week now, and I still don't know what those "tea bag" protests were about. I saw signs protesting abortion, illegal immigrants, the bank bailout and that gay guy who's going to win "American Idol." But it wasn't tax day that made them crazy; it was election day. Because that's when Republicans became what they fear most: a minority.
The conservative base is absolutely apoplectic because, because ... well, nobody knows. They're mad as hell, and they're not going to take it anymore. Even though they're not quite sure what "it" is. But they know they're fed up with "it," and that "it" has got to stop.
Here are the big issues for normal people: the war, the economy, the environment, mending fences with our enemies and allies, and the rule of law.
And here's the list of Republican obsessions since President Obama took office: that his birth certificate is supposedly fake, he uses a teleprompter too much, he bowed to a Saudi guy, Europeans like him, he gives inappropriate gifts, his wife shamelessly flaunts her upper arms, and he shook hands with Hugo Chavez and slipped him the nuclear launch codes.
Do these sound like the concerns of a healthy, vibrant political party?
It's sad what's happened to the Republicans. They used to be the party of the big tent; now they're the party of the sideshow attraction, a socially awkward group of mostly white people who speak a language only they understand. Like Trekkies, but paranoid.
The GOP base is convinced that Obama is going to raise their taxes, which he just lowered. But, you say, "Bill, that's just the fringe of the Republican Party." No, it's not. The governor of Texas, Rick Perry, is not afraid to say publicly that thinking out loud about Texas seceding from the Union is appropriate considering that ... Obama wants to raise taxes 3% on 5% of the people? I'm not sure exactly what Perry's independent nation would look like, but I'm pretty sure it would be free of taxes and Planned Parenthood. And I would have to totally rethink my position on a border fence.
I know. It's not about what Obama's done. It's what he's planning. But you can't be sick and tired of something someone might do.
Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota recently said she fears that Obama will build "reeducation" camps to indoctrinate young people. But Obama hasn't made any moves toward taking anyone's guns, and with money as tight as it is, the last thing the president wants to do is run a camp where he has to shelter and feed a bunch of fat, angry white people.
Look, I get it, "real America." After an eight-year run of controlling the White House, Congress and the Supreme Court, this latest election has you feeling like a rejected husband. You've come home to find your things out on the front lawn -- or at least more things than you usually keep out on the front lawn. You're not ready to let go, but the country you love is moving on. And now you want to call it a whore and key its car.
That's what you are, the bitter divorced guy whose country has left him -- obsessing over it, haranguing it, blubbering one minute about how much you love it and vowing the next that if you cannot have it, nobody will.
But it's been almost 100 days, and your country is not coming back to you. She's found somebody new. And it's a black guy.
The healthy thing to do is to just get past it and learn to cherish the memories. You'll always have New Orleans and Abu Ghraib.
And if today's conservatives are insulted by this, because they feel they're better than the people who have the microphone in their party, then I say to them what I would say to moderate Muslims: Denounce your radicals. To paraphrase George W. Bush, either you're with them or you're embarrassed by them.
The thing that you people out of power have to remember is that the people in power are not secretly plotting against you. They don't need to. They already beat you in public.
Bill Maher is the host of HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher."
Applause, Applause, Applause
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
"TMZ and The Prsidential Pup"
Apparently President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle were trying to keep the whole Presidential dog thing under wraps -- and then we came along...
The White House had offered The Washington Post a "puppy exclusive" when the time came, according to The Washington Post! But last Friday, we got all the details.
-- the pup was coming from a Texas kennel
-- the kennel had sold Senator Ted Kennedy 3 Portuguese Water Dogs in the past, all from the same lineage
-- the dog the Obama's were getting is also from the same lineage as the Kennedy dogs
-- the Obama dog was originally sold to a private owner, who returned it
-- the dog was named Charlie, but the Obamas planned to rename it
-- the dog was going to be "re-homed" to the Obamas from the kennel, and presented to the Obamas by the Kennedy family
-- the reason it's important that the dog was "re-homed" is because the Obamas could not accept the dog as a gift, and re-homing averts the problem.
-- the dog will be officially presented to the Obamas by the Kennedys on Tuesday
So that's what we said Friday. And sure enough, The Post is now saying the dog was renamed Bo, after Bo Diddley.
We got a pic of a pooch that appears to be Bo. Today, The Post ran a pic of the doggie with the Prez, Michelle, Sasha and Malia.
BTW, there are reports that Ted Kennedy gave the puppy to the First Family as a gift -- untrue. It was re-homed by the kennel and the Kennedy family only facilitated the transfer.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Sarkozy receives new death threat
A letter containing threats and two bullets arrived at French President Nicolas Sarkozy's office, a judicial source said.
The letter, posted on Wednesday in southern France, was similar to previous ones received in recent weeks by Sarkozy and members of his government, the source in the Paris prosecutor's office said.
Last month police arrested and then released without charge a man on suspicion of sending Sarkozy, several of his ministers and other politicians envelopes containing a 9 mm cartridge and identical letters with threats including "you are all dead men walking".
Anti-terrorist police have been investigating the incidents.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Wax museum to unveil Michelle Obama
WASHINGTON (CNN) — First lady Michelle Obama joins an elite group Tuesday.
She is to become the third U.S. presidential spouse with a lifelike wax figure on display at Madame Tussauds, a museum and tourist attraction.
Figures of Jacqueline Kennedy and Hillary Clinton stand in the museum alongside lookalikes of Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan, George Washington and Martin Luther King Jr. as well as Angelina Jolie and Will Smith.
Madame Tussauds touts its new addition as an "incredibly lifelike" figure in a sleeveless red dress based on the purple dress she wore when her husband claimed the Democratic nomination for president.
The museum unveiled a figure of President Barack Obama in February.
Monday, April 6, 2009
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