Microphone Picks Up Private Conversation Between Obama and British Leader
If this is all I would ever say when I don’t know that a microphone is recording me, I would be very happy. The relatively tame headline on ABC News “Microphone Picks Up Private Conversation Between Obama and British Leader on Need for Vacations and ‘Thinking’ Time” was dramatized by the Drudgereport to “BAM AND CAM: Private Obama Chat with Tory Leader Caught on Mic…‘You should be on the beach… You need a break” and then picked up by newspapers around the world as if Obama had a Ronald Reagan moment (Reagan joked he had already given a command to send nuclear bombs to the Soviet Union]. Reading the Drudgereport headline I am thinking, “Oh, my God, Obama must be totally worn out.”
The visions of Buckminster Fuller
Elizabeth Kolbert (New Yorker June 9, 2008) presents a wonderful portrait of Buckminster Fuller (yes, this a name of a person). My own imagination was fired up when I read some of Fuller’s incredible ideas.
Annals of Innovation: Dymaxion Man
The U.S. Pavilion for the 1967 World
Continue ReadingWatching the Supreme Court for 30 Years
LINDA GREENHOUSE covered the Supreme Court for the NY Times during the past 30 years. The review of her experience is a great read and a superb civics lesson.
2,691 Decisions
By LINDA GREENHOUSE (NY Times)
WASHINGTON
Collateral Damage When Small Men Become Political Leaders
Read this book review and be reminded why George Bush stepping down is going to be a big relief for America. [A day later: Frank Rich also reviews the book and comes to the conclusion that we may be in for an terrorists attack before long. Then all bets about the election are off]
THE DARK SIDE: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals. By Jane Mayer: Doubleday. 392 pp. $27.50
With the appearance of this very fine book, Hillary Clinton can claim a belated vindication of sorts: A right-wing conspiracy does indeed exist, although she misapprehended its scope and nature. The conspiracy is not vast and does not consist of Clinton-haters. It is small, secretive and made up chiefly of lawyers contemptuous of the Constitution and the rule of law.
Continue ReadingWhere has Obama’s Magic Gone?
The last couple of weeks my excitement about Obama’s candidacy has cooled considerably. BOB HERBERT (NY Times) has articulated well what is bothering people like me. I wonder whether the fund-raising machine will work without a message that is one of change rather than putting together a convenience coalition. Obama has stumbled before and come back. From the beginning the question of Obama’s candidacy was whether he would be a transformative president or not get anything done. The good news is that it is almost impossible to be worse than G. W.
Lurching With Abandon
In one of the numbers from
Continue ReadingThe Neural Buddhists
This is one of DAVID BROOKS’S best columns. He has done a lot of reading for you to be able to write about a revolution in our understanding of our brain and what this means for our view of the meaning of life. Enjoy.
In 1996, Tom Wolfe wrote a brilliant essay called
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David Brooks Explains the Reemergence of the Conservative Party in the UK
I had not followed British politics and until I read this column by David Brooks, I did not know why the Tory party won the local elections in Great Britain last week.
The Conservative Revival
For years, American and British politics were in sync. Reagan came in roughly the same time as Thatcher, and Clinton
Continue ReadingIt is definitely over for Hillary Clinton
It was an exciting day of politics. I stayed glued to news coming in over the internet. After Indiana had already been called for Clinton, it seemed like the voters of Gary might come out so strongly in favor of Obama that he might take the state after all. Contrary to reports that Hillary will fight on until the convention, I think she might drop out as early as tomorrow. Does she want to ruin her career in the senate.
Hillary Clinton, Fairy Princess
Timothy Noah on Slate.com walks you through the numbers why Hillary Clinton does not have a real shot to win the Democratic nomination. If she wins it in the end, Hillary Clinton will be a true princess and Timothy Noah will be transformed into an ugly frog, living unhappily ever after.
Can we please stop pretending she has a plausible chance to win the nomination?
“Give me a break. This whole thing is the biggest fairy tale I’ve ever seen.”
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