I’m not surprised that Paul articulated my point about the wider implication of the Miller/Obama student loan proposal even better than I could. As Paul says, the federal government has long paid a subsidy to private loan providers in the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program. That’s because banks incur costs when they originate and […]
Ruth Levine of the Center for Global Development (a fabulous organization, for anyone who cares about development issues) offers her take on President Obama’s recent speech in Ghana, and the reasoning he offers for U.S. support for public health in Africa and beyond: America will support these efforts through a comprehensive, global health strategy, because […]
Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation hearing began today and the end of the process is about as foregone a conclusion as you’re likely to find in politics. Which is probably good. Judge Sotomayor has three crucial qualities going for her: (1) The president wants her to be the newest justice of the Supreme Court (and he […]
Interesting that Vinca and Julia picked up on that workout metaphor offered by President Obama last week. I also noticed it, and it got under my skin – not because it’s sporty, but because it’s condescending. “This is a town where there was just a belief that nothing could get done…. Folks have been sitting […]
The last several posts on Robert Reich and Sarah Palin brought to mind one thought: sex appeal. But before anyone protests the direction of our family-friendly blog, it turns out www.whitehouse.gov is working blue, too. Speaking with Energy Secy Steven Chu about “new efficiency standards on fluorescent and incandescent lighting” in the federal government, President Obama […]
Check out the latest World Public Opinion poll on the popularity of various global leaders among their own publics and abroad. President Obama is the hands-down “winner” — though Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, Iraq, Pakistan, and the Palestinian Territories rate him significantly lower than does much of the rest of the world. Also of note: […]
President Obama today issued some of his strongest words about the situation unfolding in Iran. Opening his 378th press conference, the president said: The United States and the international community have been appalled and outraged by the threats, the beatings, and imprisonments of the last few days. I strongly condemn these unjust actions, and I […]
I want to offer a counterpoint to Clark’s latest post, in which he argued that the president’s response to the dramatic events unfolding in Iran have “sharpened the growing impression that he is not a man of strength.” Scott Wilson, in this morning’s Washington Post, has a front page story describing the apparent partisan divide […]
In this blog and in columns before Election Day 2008, I have warned that Mr. Obama was in danger of being seen as congenitally weak. For some time now, he has needed to take actions — even actions that might cut against his grain — to establish that he will be resolute in the face […]
President Obama has been reserved in his comments about the situation unfolding in Iran, and politicians and commentators across the political spectrum are urging him to say more. The president’s low-volume strategy is undergirded by two assumptions: first, that public support from the US president will feed the Iranian regime’s efforts to pin the protests […]
One of the quirks of Republican speechmaking is that for all their bluster about small government, Republicans often define their achievements by how much money they spend. President Bush, for instance, touted the extra education funding he doled out alongside the reforms of No Child Left Behind. I’ve always thought it’s a bit of a […]
Thanks to Mark for his post on the President’s speech in Cairo, which I agree was terrific. I was also impressed by the forethought the White House gave to the speech’s distribution; same-day versions were available in Arabic, Chinese, Dari, French, Hebrew, Hindi, Indonesian, Malay, Pashto, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Turkish, and Urdu — which means […]
President Obama’s speech in Cairo elicited a whirlwind of accusations from my fellow conservatives, many of whom have labeled it an “apology tour.” Marc Thiessen, former George W. Bush speechwriter, said on Fox News that the president had thrown “our military under the bus in front of a Muslim audience.” When it comes to opportunities […]
Washington Post columnist Robert Samuelson today asks a question vexing conservatives: “Has any recent president basked in so much favorable media coverage [as President Obama has]?” His answer: no – and that’s not healthy. Samuelson points to a new Pew study that attaches some numbers to the sense of coziness between the Administration and the […]
Today, in nominating Circuit Court judge Sonia Sotomayor to replace David Souter on the Supreme Court, President Obama discussed a few qualities he seeks in a justice. The “first and foremost” — a rigorous intellect — is obvious. The third — “a common touch and sense of compassion” — has been a key messaging point […]
