Category Archives: American Politics

Running Against Hooverville–The Presidential Blame Game

Posted on February 26, 2010 by admin

In the immediate aftermath of the Bay of Pigs fiasco in 1961, President John F. Kennedy stood before the nation accepting the total blame for what had happened. He referred to an old saying about victory having a thousand fathers, … Continue reading →

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A Joke Too Far

Posted on November 20, 2009 by admin

A tasteless joke – one that saw earlier popularity during the administrations of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush – has resurfaced across America. It is being told in whispers, emails, and even bumper stickers. During Mr. Clinton’s administration it … Continue reading →

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Mass Appeal

Posted on August 17, 2009 by admin

Unguided Missal? Mass composer Leonard Bernstein in 1971. Last week on The New Yorker’s website, music critic Alex Ross wrote three articles based on newly released Freedom of Information Act-obtained government documents regarding inquiries into composer-conductor-polymath Leonard Bernstein’s politics. They … Continue reading →

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Palin, Nixon, And The “Secret Plan”

Posted on July 4, 2009 by admin

At CQ Politics, Jonathan Allen contrasts Sarah Palin and Richard Nixon.  “Palin doesn’t have Nixon’s interest in, or knowledge of, foreign affairs,” he writes. “Imagine the reaction if Palin suggested she had a “secret plan” to win the war in … Continue reading →

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Of Mice, Pumpkins, And Former Presidents

Posted on January 15, 2009 by admin

Sometime after the transition in January of 1969, President Richard Nixon asked his predecessor, Lyndon Johnson, how it felt the moment he knew he wasn’t president anymore. LBJ replied: I don’t know whether you’ll understand this now or not, but … Continue reading →

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OK — My Bad — But I Get To Keep My Job

Posted on September 10, 2008 by admin

“I really don’t believe making mistakes means you have to give up your career,” Representative Charles B. Rangel said at a news conference in Washington on Wednesday. Already dealing with the backdraft from several other scandals, eternal Harlem Congressman and immensely … Continue reading →

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Gen ‘08

Posted on July 21, 2008 by admin

In the July 30 “New Republic,” Michael Crowley has a thoughtful profile of McCain right-hand man, co-author, and speechwriter Mark Salter. Here’s the 53-year-old Iowan’s challenge as he heads to to his cottage in Maine to work on Sen. McCain’s … Continue reading →

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The Big Anti-Semitic Lie that Won’t Go Away

Posted on July 11, 2008 by admin

While fires were still smoldering at Ground Zero, the Pentagon, and in a Pennsylvanian pasture, malicious people conjured up an evil myth. In the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, many in the Arab world believed that the vicious … Continue reading →

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The Great Pennsylvania Debate – in McKeesport

Posted on April 18, 2008 by admin

Presidential debates, especially the intra-party variety we are witnessing these days, are frequent to the point of becoming common place, if not benign. They seem to prove what Marshall McLuhan said about medium equaling message. The recent gotcha-fest between Hillary … Continue reading →

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