Category Archives: Current Events

John F. Harris and Jim Vandehei explain why the other night's bit of dinner theater was The Worst Debate Ever. I disagree with them that there should have been an Independent there — I don't think any were qualified this time around — but I think I agree with all their other points.

Fred Kaplan critiques the candidates' foreign policy statements in the debate tonight. Advantage: Obama.

I thought the debate was a replay of the first one and so are the snap polls that say Obama won.

One poll is also saying that McCain came across as too aggressive and mean. This is interesting because the Conservative sites are all moaning that McCain didn't do enough tonight to label Obama a left-wing fanatic and traitor. In other words, the Independents think he was too nasty and the right-wing thinks he wasn't nasty enough. That oughta make for some interesting strategy meetings tomorrow.

My buddy Robert Elisberg reminds us (and any Republicans who may pretend otherwise) that George W. Bush is the President of the United States. I've checked and, sure enough, Bob is right.

Journalist Ron Suskind writes that "George Walker Bush is not a stupid or a bad man." He says that in an article that makes George Walker Bush out to be a pretty stupid and bad man.

Someone over at Rolling Stone magazine — correct that: many someones — doesn't/don't like John McCain…and they aren't too wild about Ms. Palin, either. In the latest issue, Tim Dickinson has a pretty unflattering bio of the man — so unflattering that I'm waiting to see if anyone will offer a fact check/rebuttal before I wholeheartedly believe what it says. If anyone sees one, let me know.

More fact-checking on the debate.

Some fact-checking on the debate.

Ben Stein comes to the defense of the much-maligned Washington.

Paul Krugman knows a lot more about economics than I do and probably more than you do, as well. So it's kinda nice to see that he suspects what I've been suspecting about the current financial crisis and bail-out.

Elizabeth Drew authored Citizen McCain, a fawning biography of the Senator from Arizona that was widely criticized for fawning over its subject and whitewashing his negatives. She says he is no longer the principled "maverick" she wrote about.

One of the students in the Humor Writing class I teach brought this article in yesterday. It's a piece by Jack Handey on the shabby way that bookstores treat their Humor sections.

Also in the New York Times, Bill Carter writes about John McCain's decision to bail on his David Letterman booking, claim he had to rush back to Washington to save the economy…and then to go do an interview with Katie Couric at the precise time he would have been doing Dave's show. I have the feeling McCain is going to regret a lot of decisions he made yesterday but that one especially.

Michael Lewis writes about the real danger in our economy…that the execs at financial institutions might not get all their bonuses.

Fred Kaplan explains why "The Surge" had limited success in Iraq and why the same tactics won't work in Afghanistan. I thought The Surge was supposed to set things up for "political reconciliation" in Iraq. Did that happen and we didn't hear about it?

Here's a simple chart comparing the tax proposals of John McCain and Barack Obama.

I don't know enough about economics and banking laws and such to know whether the big "bail out" plan is the best way to deal with our nation's current financial crisis. But I do note a growing consensus among pundits — and it goes across party lines — that the way the Bush administration plans to tackle the problem is not a good idea. Sebastian Mallaby is one such pundit.

Hey, I've got an idea that might help a little. How about a Windfall Profits Tax on former execs and investors who walked away with zillions when their companies went under?