Arianna Huffington is a passionate partisan who does not mince words and takes no prisoners in her fight for social justice. Her straightforward, unabashedly liberal commentary speaks the language of average Americans. She freely attacks the conventional wisdom of both Democrats and Republicans and, in the process, gives voice to readers frustrated by politics-as-usual. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics.html http://www.ihavenet.com/images/newlook_logo.gif http://www.ihavenet.com/politics.html Want to find out what is happening in Politics and Society? Check out iHaveNet.com for social and political commentary featuring Arianna Huffington 127 50 One of the greatest challenges facing President Obama when he took office was restoring America's standing among other nations, especially our standing in the Arab and Muslim world, so badly shattered http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Obama-Reaches-Out-to-Muslim-World-Bill-Press.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Obama-Reaches-Out-to-Muslim-World-Bill-Press.html Sun, 7 June 2009 There is one thing about Barack Obama's speech in Cairo that critics and supporters can agree on: It was vintage Obama. As an Obama critic, let me say from the outset that there was much that was good and praiseworthy in the president's address at Cairo's Al-Azhar University on Thursday. But that may put the cart before the horse http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Obama-Cairo-Speech-Prism-of-Obama-Jonah-Goldberg.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Obama-Cairo-Speech-Prism-of-Obama-Jonah-Goldberg.html Sun, 7 June 2009 President Obama, in his Cairo speech to the Muslim world, was a bit like the man walking down a street who is asked by two others to settle an argument over whether the earth is round or flat. He thinks for a moment and then replies: Surely between men of good will, the truth must lie somewhere in-between. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Obama-Middle-East-Middle-Ground.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Obama-Middle-East-Middle-Ground.html Sun, 7 June 2009 U.S. President Barack Obama's eloquent Cairo speech was distinguished by the quality of his previous major speeches, that of speaking as an adult to adults. He promised to say what he thought, and did so on all of the topics he addressed. He was not a comfortable guest for the Egyptian government, although a courteous and honest one. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Obama-Cairo-Speech-Significant-Eloquent-William-Pfaff.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Obama-Cairo-Speech-Significant-Eloquent-William-Pfaff.html Sun, 7 June 2009 The national debt is now the highest in history, $11 trillion. How many Rolls Royces could I buy with a trillion dollars? It would help a little if the dictionary definition let us know what a cardinal number is http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Andy-Rooney-National-Debt-Too-Many-Zeroes-to-Count.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Andy-Rooney-National-Debt-Too-Many-Zeroes-to-Count.html Sun, 7 June 2009 Vice President Biden is on a diplomatic tour in the Balkans, visiting what many regard as the most problematic areas in the region. In his visit to Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Kosovo, he has the opportunity to foster improved relations among parties whose cooperation needs additional encouragement, and few are as well-suited as he to do just that: In Bosnia-Herzegovina, in particular, the vice president has significant experience and meaningful relationships http://www.ihavenet.com/In-Balkans-US-Could-Use-Marbury-vs-Madison-Supreme-Court-Case-for-Guidance.html http://www.ihavenet.com/In-Balkans-US-Could-Use-Marbury-vs-Madison-Supreme-Court-Case-for-Guidance.html Sun, 7 June 2009 Two competing, contradictory bits of conventional wisdom regarding president's 1st 100 days in office often connected: A president's 100 days are a critical window into character of administration, but historians argue that it is too short a time period to draw meaningful conclusions http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Rating-President-Obama-First-100-Days-Politics.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Rating-President-Obama-First-100-Days-Politics.html Sun, 7 June 2009 Faith has played a larger role in Obama's white house in the first 100 days than in any other president's The conventional wisdom was that George W. Bush was the most faith-based president in recent history, by a long shot. Citing Jesus as his favorite philosopher and Billy Graham as a mentor, Bush won evangelical voters in numbers not previously seen http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Faith-has-Played-Larger-Role-in-Obama-White-House.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Faith-has-Played-Larger-Role-in-Obama-White-House.html Sun, 7 June 2009 The Obama administration has swept away policy after policy from the Bush administration, and the top antitrust regulator, Assistant Attorney General Christine Varney, made it clear in her speech that she's coming in with a very big broom http://www.ihavenet.com/Obama-New-Antitrust-Rules-Have-Big-Business-Powerful-Companies-Sweating.html http://www.ihavenet.com/Obama-New-Antitrust-Rules-Have-Big-Business-Powerful-Companies-Sweating.html Sun, 7 June 2009 The negative campaigns at all levels, the extremist rhetoric coming out of the right wing, the litmus-test mentality of those accusing others of being "RINOs" -- Republicans in Name Only -- all present a less-than-welcome message to moderate women who believe in limited but active government, a strong defense, and market-oriented solutions to the economic downturn. Right now, to most women, the GOP isn't much of a choice. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Why-Women-Are-Fleeing-the-Republican-Party.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Why-Women-Are-Fleeing-the-Republican-Party.html Sun, 7 June 2009 It has been a relatively easy transition for the 66-year-old Washington insider, his aides and friends say. And even though the vice presidency is often derided as little more than playing second fiddle, Biden seems content with his evolving role. He believes he is making a contribution, especially as a confidant to the president and a superlobbyist on Capitol Hill. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Biden-Key-Adviser-and-Confidant-in-Obama-Administration.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Biden-Key-Adviser-and-Confidant-in-Obama-Administration.html Sun, 7 June 2009 President Obama stood at a podium flanked by six healthcare leaders and announced what he called "a watershed event in the long and elusive quest for healthcare reform." Obama, by almost any account, had just scored what appeared to be a major concession from several of the country's biggest healthcare players http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Obama-and-Healthcare-Executives-Pledge-to-Work-Together.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Obama-and-Healthcare-Executives-Pledge-to-Work-Together.html Sun, 7 June 2009 For most Americans, Barack Obama 's most vivid presidential moment came on election night. Since that electric Chicago night back in November, he has pivoted from poetry to prose, playing down charisma and emphasizing competence. And he has moved with impressive speed to focus on the nation's No. 1 problem: the recession and the collapsing financial industry, widely considered the worst economic calamity since the Depression http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Obama-Blazing-New-Trail-With-His-Bold-Moves-on-Economy.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Obama-Blazing-New-Trail-With-His-Bold-Moves-on-Economy.html Sun, 7 June 2009 When Obama took office, many economists were skeptical about how the largely untested former senator would handle the array of economic problems before him. While there certainly has been no shortage of quibbling about the specifics of his recovery plans and there continues to be little certainty about what lies in store for the economy http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Waiting-for-Payoff-Debate-Continues-Over-Obama-Economic-Recovery-Plan.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Waiting-for-Payoff-Debate-Continues-Over-Obama-Economic-Recovery-Plan.html Sun, 7 June 2009 As similar as the economic challenges facing Reagan and Obama may sound, the fiscal solutions proposed by the two presidents could not be more different http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Tax Cuts-Why-Obama-is-Leaving-the-Reagan-Era Behind.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Tax Cuts-Why-Obama-is-Leaving-the-Reagan-Era Behind.html Sun, 7 June 2009 It is a telling reflection of the priorities of the last president that one of the few civil rights cases before the nation's high court this year is a reverse discrimination case http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Defense-of Civil-Rights-Justice-Department.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Defense-of Civil-Rights-Justice-Department.html Sun, 7 June 2009 It took a remarkably long time before someone finally popped the question. At a press conference in March, two months after he had moved into the White House, Barack Obama was asked for the first time to describe how his race has affected his presidency http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Obama-Facing-the-Race-Factor-Racial-Inequality.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Obama-Facing-the-Race-Factor-Racial-Inequality.html Sun, 7 June 2009 Like all presidents, Barack Obama will have the chance to shift the direction of the nation's courts by virtue of those he appoints to the bench and to federal prosecuting posts http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Long-Road-Remaking-Courts-Limits-toObama-shift-judicial-branch-balance.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Long-Road-Remaking-Courts-Limits-toObama-shift-judicial-branch-balance.html Sun, 7 June 2009 Perhaps the most dramatic shift when it comes to terrorism is simply that it is not dominating the White House agenda in the same way it did for the past seven years. Intelligence officials warn that al Qaeda remains a persistent national threat, but the terrorist network has been overshadowed in Obama's early months by the global economic crisis, among other challenges http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Beyond-Bush-War-on-Terrorism-Obama-changed-tone-but-some-surprising-continuity.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Beyond-Bush-War-on-Terrorism-Obama-changed-tone-but-some-surprising-continuity.html Sun, 7 June 2009 Obama has laid the groundwork for a massive overhaul of America's healthcare system into a more publicly managed, cost-conscious enterprise that focuses more on wellness than sickness. Driving most government outlays, however, are the many millions of Americans, particularly the elderly, with extremely resource-intensive chronic diseases http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/When-Healthcare-Reform-Hits-Grandma.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/When-Healthcare-Reform-Hits-Grandma.html Sun, 7 June 2009 My fear is that creating a government-run health insurance plan wouldn't guarantee quality care by physicians -- in fact, it will not guarantee care at all http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Government-run-Healthcare-Insurance-Program-Sure-to-Backfire.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Government-run-Healthcare-Insurance-Program-Sure-to-Backfire.html Sun, 7 June 2009 Elections have consequences, and flashing forward a generation from the Reagan revolution to the Obama ascendancy, I sense the same kind of seismic shift in our politics and our economic policy http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Positively-Reaganesque-Start-to-Obama-Presidency.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Positively-Reaganesque-Start-to-Obama-Presidency.html Sun, 7 June 2009 Barack Obama has acted with breathtaking speed on a wide range of issues at home and abroad, making a dramatic break from the past eight years. If he can sustain public support for his sweeping initiatives, he may join Franklin Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan as one of the modern era's transformational presidents http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Obama-A-Potentially-Transformational-President.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Obama-A-Potentially-Transformational-President.html Sun, 7 June 2009 President Obama might be modeling his presidency after Franklin D. Roosevelt's. In hard times, most Democrats think fondly of the New Deal -- certainly Obama's media fans are making the connection -- but thus far, he is shaping up less like the 32nd president and more like the 18th, Ulysses S. Grant http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Obama-Franklin-D-Roosevelt-Ulysses-S-Grant.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Obama-Franklin-D-Roosevelt-Ulysses-S-Grant.html Sun, 7 June 2009 President Obama has had an outstanding start. He has demonstrated the capacity to lead and to manage on the national scale. Yet his convictions and charm will be enough to carry the country forward only if his policies are adequate to meet the financial and economic crises http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Is-President-Obama-Big-Start-Too-Big.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Is-President-Obama-Big-Start-Too-Big.html Sun, 7 June 2009 Barack Obama won a cinematically stirring election, then took office amid the greatest economic collapse since the Great Depression. It's hard to escape the feeling that we have entered into a new, unfamiliar epoch http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/New-Political-Epoch-Begins-The-Age-of-Obama.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/New-Political-Epoch-Begins-The-Age-of-Obama.html Sun, 7 June 2009 Remember all the talk about Barack Obama's Team of Rivals. Hooey. In fact, he relies on friends, wins some converts and loses others, and takes fire from the GOP. Sen. Arlen Specter's defection to the Democratic Party might make him Obama's newest pal, but there are several other key friends--and reliable foes--on Capitol Hill. Here's a guide ... http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Congressional-Friends-Foes-Obama-Faces-Cheers-Jeers-from-Capitol-Hill.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Congressional-Friends-Foes-Obama-Faces-Cheers-Jeers-from-Capitol-Hill.html Sun, 7 June 2009 The 100-day standard for gauging presidential effectiveness is not a perfect measure, but it's a useful one. The underlying truth is that presidents tend to be most effective when they first take office, when their leadership style seems fresh and new, when the aura of victory is still powerful, and when their influence on Congress is usually at its height http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Five-most-effective-Presidents-first-100-days.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Five-most-effective-Presidents-first-100-days.html Sun, 7 June 2009 After her husband's historic victory, it emerged that Michelle Obama saw her role as first lady as being a wife and mother first. In terms of visions, it was traditional, nonthreatening, and practically ho-hum. But it has proved a whopping understatement for the world's newest A-lister, a woman whose debut has been punctuated with exclamation points http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Not-Business-as-Usual-in-East-Wing-with-Michelle-Obama-in-Charge.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Not-Business-as-Usual-in-East-Wing-with-Michelle-Obama-in-Charge.html Sun, 7 June 2009 When Maine's two U.S. senators, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, broke ranks with all but one other Republican and voted "Yes" on President Barack Obama's $787 billion stimulus, they handed the White House an early, critical win. As some Republicans seethed, the two were celebrated as the most powerful women in Washington. At the same time, these dwindling Republican moderates have real worries about the future of the GOP http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Republican-Moderates-Real-Worries-about-GOP-Future.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Republican-Moderates-Real-Worries-about-GOP-Future.html Sun, 7 June 2009 There is a popular proverb that has been making the rounds in Kabul involving the inadvisability of juggling two watermelons with one hand. It is used to suggest the peril--some say folly--of taking on large tasks with too few resources. Lately, it has been cropping up as Afghans struggle to describe the enormity of the task that confronts President Obama in their country, where conditions have deteriorated dramatically over the past year http://www.ihavenet.com/Afghanistan-it-is-President-Obama-War-Now.html http://www.ihavenet.com/Afghanistan-it-is-President-Obama-War-Now.html Sun, 7 June 2009 White House officials say Obama's appeal extends beyond just the leaders of the world. "What has happened is that anti-Americanism isn't cool anymore," says top Obama adviser David Axelrod. But this initial repositioning of the American leadership brand onto more popular terrain internationally will be the easier part of Obama's task. For all the sense of fresh starts and of goodwill, the seeds of perhaps inevitable disappointments are present as well http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Bright-Star-on-World-Stage-but-Obama-real-challenge-will-be-to-show-results.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Bright-Star-on-World-Stage-but-Obama-real-challenge-will-be-to-show-results.html Sun, 7 June 2009 In his masterful commencement speech at Notre Dame, President Obama took his campaign theme of Change to a whole new level, telling the graduates -- and the rest of us -- that we find ourselves at a rare inflection point in history where the size and scope of the challenges before us require that we remake our world to renew its promise. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Obama-Notre-Dame-Commencement-Speech-arianna-huffington.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Obama-Notre-Dame-Commencement-Speech-arianna-huffington.html Thu, 28 May 2009 The two biggest sellers in any bookstore are the cookbooks and diet books. The cookbooks tell you how to prepare the food and the diet books tell you how not to eat any of the food you prepare. The quickest way for a writer to get rich is to write a diet book. A cookbook is more difficult. As someone who is been eating too much all his life, I think I am as qualified to write a diet book as anyone. My book would be called The Andy Rooney Upside Down Diet Book. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Andy-Rooney-Commentary-Upside-Down-Diet.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Andy-Rooney-Commentary-Upside-Down-Diet.html Thu, 28 May 2009 What we have witnessed is a Left Wing that has become obsessed with using its new found political power to not just change previous government policy, but to criminalize and destroy the reputations of those who formulated that policy. Pelosi and her henchmen, showing their true, authoritarian colors, want to not just discredit Bush administration officials: they want them jailed, preferably for a very long time. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Politics-Democrats-Torture-Smokescreen-Chris-Thomas.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Politics-Democrats-Torture-Smokescreen-Chris-Thomas.html Thu, 28 May 2009 If incompetence was a crime, you might have a case. Heck, if arrogance was a felony, you could put them on death row. But these things are not against the law, so forgive me if I am not sold on the argument that we should launch investigations into the failures of the Bush years. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Politics-Bush-Administration-Incompetence-Arrogance-Not-a-Crime-Leonard-Pitts.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Politics-Bush-Administration-Incompetence-Arrogance-Not-a-Crime-Leonard-Pitts.html Thu, 28 May 2009 The American public is owed forthrightness from elected officials on matters as serious as the use of torture. But in Washington simple questions do not get straightforward answers. So now the public is presented with merry-go-round of accusations and denials on the question of whether Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi knew about enhanced interrogation techniques, including waterboarding, and whether she acted upon that information appropriately. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Politics-Failure-of-Leadership-Mary-Sanchez.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Politics-Failure-of-Leadership-Mary-Sanchez.html Thu, 28 May 2009 All this faux patriotic indignation over the suggestion that the CIA misled Congress in briefings over detainee treatment is just raw political theater. House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio and other congressional Republicans are relishing the Pelosi tiff with the CIA regarding what she knew about waterboarding and when she knew it. Now they want an investigation -- a ploy to keep the issue in the news, no doubt. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Can-CIA-Be-Trusted-Torture-Briefing-Flap-Robyn-Blummer.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Can-CIA-Be-Trusted-Torture-Briefing-Flap-Robyn-Blummer.html Thu, 28 May 2009 Insider consensus seems to be that the worst of the hard times is behind us and that the economy is back on track. Or at least on track to be back on track. Not even the latest employment stats showing that another 539,000 Americans had lost their jobs dimmed the enthusiasm. Call it The New Financial Euphoria. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Wall-Street-Washington-Politics-New-Financial-Euphoria.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Wall-Street-Washington-Politics-New-Financial-Euphoria.html Fri, 15 May 2009 Beginning with the cars I drove that my mother and father owned and including all the cars and trucks I drove in the Army, I suppose I have driven more than 20 cars for more than 10,000 miles, and a few of them a lot farther than that. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Andy-Rooney-Commentary-Vehicle-I-Never-Forgot.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Andy-Rooney-Commentary-Vehicle-I-Never-Forgot.html Fri, 15 May 2009 Compare and contrast Jack Kemp, one of the architects of the Reagan Revolution, who passed away last weekend at the age of 73 and Arlen Specter, the Pennsylvania senator who switched parties. Kemps death should be cause for deep reflection about what the Republican Party is about. Specters defection is much less significant. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/What-Does-the-Future-Hold-for-GOP.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/What-Does-the-Future-Hold-for-GOP.html Fri, 15 May 2009 Political Opportunism, not principles, guides most in Washington. Consider also the dexterous Obama administration about-face. It still finds it useful to damn the old Bush governments embrace of wiretaps, military tribunals and renditions -- even as it dares not drop or completely discount these apparently useful Bush policies, albeit under new names and with new qualifiers. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Politics-Opportunism-Once-Upon-a-Time-in-2002-Victor-Davis-Hanson.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Politics-Opportunism-Once-Upon-a-Time-in-2002-Victor-Davis-Hanson.html Fri, 15 May 2009 We conservatives are having one of our grand, knock-down, drag-out fights over the future of conservatism and the GOP. Should conservatives compromise on gay marriage or abortion rights. Should we jump on the environmental bandwagon. Are there ways to reform health care without abandoning our principles. What would Reagan do. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/The-Future-of-the-GOP-and-Conservatives.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/The-Future-of-the-GOP-and-Conservatives.html Fri, 15 May 2009 Many have commented on the life and legacy of Jack Kemp -- the former Buffalo, N.Y., congressman, former vice presidential candidate, former HUD secretary, former professional football star and a friend for life to all those who knew him. Next to Ronald Reagan, Jack Kemp was probably the most optimistic Republican I knew. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/The-Jack-Kemp-I-Knew-GOP.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/The-Jack-Kemp-I-Knew-GOP.html Fri, 15 May 2009 When I heard former Vice President Cheney talk about the meaning of Republicanism the other day -- We are what we are, he said -- I felt drawn to the simplicity and dignity of that. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/We-Are-What-We-Are-Garrison-Keillor-GOP.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/We-Are-What-We-Are-Garrison-Keillor-GOP.html Fri, 15 May 2009 Ben Bernanke glimpses a possible recovery by year end. He is a cautious scholar, backed by the best forecasters in the world at the Federal Reserve Board. You and I should hope that there will indeed be a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel ahead. But shift our vision now to the future. Even if ... http://www.ihavenet.com/economy/Main-Street-Economic-Recovery-Paul-A-Samuelson.html http://www.ihavenet.com/economy/Main-Street-Economic-Recovery-Paul-A-Samuelson.html Fri, 15 May 2009 Last week at the Milken Global Conference, three Noble Laureates in Economics sat down to discuss the global recession -- Gary Becker (Nobel Prize, 1992), Roger Myerson (Nobel Prize, 2007) and Myron Scholes (Nobel Prize 1997). All three agreed that this is not going to be a depression and that the free-market economy is fundamentally healthy. http://www.ihavenet.com/economy/Free-Market-Economy-Relatively-Healthy-Nobel-Laureates.html http://www.ihavenet.com/economy/Free-Market-Economy-Relatively-Healthy-Nobel-Laureates.html Fri, 15 May 2009 Brazil, India and even China will not be able, by themselves, to correct the dysfunctions that produced the global crisis. But it is true that the economic power of these three countries can mitigate its negative consequences. ... http://www.ihavenet.com/economy/Brazil-China-India-Can-Mitigate-Global-Economic-Crisis.html http://www.ihavenet.com/economy/Brazil-China-India-Can-Mitigate-Global-Economic-Crisis.html Fri, 15 May 2009 In an important recent speech, months after the current financial crisis began, the chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board, Ben Bernanke, placed partial blame for the catastrophe on the sharp increase in the complexity of the financial products offered to consumers. Unfortunately, his description of the problem comes late and underestimates its importance. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Economy-Complex-Case-of-Complexity-Bernanke.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Economy-Complex-Case-of-Complexity-Bernanke.html Thu, 07 May 2009 Despite all that I know about the reform-killing power unleashed by the nexus of lobbying, campaign cash and legislation, I have been flabbergasted by the amount of behind-the-scenes influence recently being wielded by the banking lobby. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Bankers-Still-Treated-as-Beltway-Royalty-arianna-huffington.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Bankers-Still-Treated-as-Beltway-Royalty-arianna-huffington.html Thu, 07 May 2009 It is hard to believe that President Obama has only been in office for such a short time, but sometimes 100 days feels like more than 100 days. So how is it going. According to the American people, pretty darn good. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Obama-first-100-days-arianna-huffington.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Obama-first-100-days-arianna-huffington.html Fri, 01 May 2009 In matters of foreign policy during the first 100 days, we have seen two Barack Obamas. So which Obama persona is the real president -- Obama I, more radical than Jimmy Carter, or Obama II, a smoother centrist than Bill Clinton. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Obama-first-100-days-our-jekyll-and-hyde-president-victor-davis-hanson.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Obama-first-100-days-our-jekyll-and-hyde-president-victor-davis-hanson.html Fri, 01 May 2009 The most remarkable, or certainly the least remarked on, aspect of Barack Obamas first 100 days has been the infectious arrogance of his presidency. There is no denying that this is liberalisms greatest opportunity for wish fulfillment since at least 1964. But to listen to Democrats, the only check on their ambition is the limit of their imaginations. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Obama-first-100-days-liberal-arrogance-will-be-his-undoing.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Obama-first-100-days-liberal-arrogance-will-be-his-undoing.html Fri, 01 May 2009 The first overseas trip of a new president always has a significance beyond its itinerary. The president has an opportunity to test the impact of his policies; his interlocutors begin to assess the leader with whom they will have to deal over at least four years. http://www.ihavenet.com/Obama-Foreign-Policy-Challenge-Henry-Kissinger.html http://www.ihavenet.com/Obama-Foreign-Policy-Challenge-Henry-Kissinger.html Fri, 01 May 2009 Reading the business section these days is not for the faint of heart -- or those hoping to drift off to sleep. Instead, you end up like Scrooge, visited by the ghosts of outrages past, present and future. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Financial-Outrages-Past-Present-Future.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Financial-Outrages-Past-Present-Future.html Fri, 24 Apr 2009 One of the great pleasures of my life has been the famous people I have not only met but known. Famous people do not get famous for no reason, so there's always something special about them. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Andy-Rooney-Commentary-Well-Known-to-Me.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Andy-Rooney-Commentary-Well-Known-to-Me.html Fri, 24 Apr 2009 As you may have read, I read the newspaper every day and I think of myself as someone who knows what is going on in the world, but who am I kidding. Just look at some of the headlines and decide for yourself whether either you or the newspaper know what they are talking about. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Andy-Rooney-Commentary-The-World-Woes.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Andy-Rooney-Commentary-The-World-Woes.html Fri, 24 Apr 2009 Victor Davis Hanson, Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, once wrote that one of the features of western civilization that gave it a leg up on other cultures was the concept of self-audit, or the capacity for us to critique ourselves and our institutions. Which brings us to the Republican Party of 2009 which has fallen. Unfortunately the GOP is currently incapable of embracing Hanson's concept of self-audit. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Roving-Towards-Irrelevancy-GOP-Obama-Era.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Roving-Towards-Irrelevancy-GOP-Obama-Era.html Fri, 24 Apr 2009 Home is the sailor, home from sea. Capt. Richard Phillips, his five-day ordeal happily concluded, has been rescued in the finest tradition of the United States Navy, and his captors dealt with. Effectively and summarily. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Somali-Pirates-Mission-Accomplished.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Somali-Pirates-Mission-Accomplished.html Fri, 24 Apr 2009 And now for something completely different -- some good news about banking. Yes, I know that an upcoming analysis by the IMF reportedly says that, when all is said and done, toxic debts on the balance sheets of banks and insurers could go as high as 4 trillion dollars. And I realize that last weekend saw the FDIC take over two more banks -- the 22nd and 23rd takeovers of the year. But, It is not all doom and gloom http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Some-Good-News-About-Banking.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Some-Good-News-About-Banking.html Fri, 24 Apr 2009 Andy Rooney would like to mount a campaign once again to encourage people not to go anywhere as he was looking at all the ads in newspapers and magazines for places to go. Sometimes, travel is quite unpleasant. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Andy-Rooney-I-Would-Rather-Stay-Home.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Andy-Rooney-I-Would-Rather-Stay-Home.html Thu, 9 Apr 2009 In an idle moment, trying to come up with an idea, Humorist and Commentator Andy Rooney decided to make a list of things he should do but has not. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Andy-Rooney-Commentary-My-Wish-List.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Andy-Rooney-Commentary-My-Wish-List.html Thu, 9 Apr 2009 Andy Rooney sees the phrase hedge fund in the newspaper every day now and does not really know what a hedge fund is. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Andy-Rooney-Commentary-on-Hedge-Funds.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Andy-Rooney-Commentary-on-Hedge-Funds.html Thu, 9 Apr 2009 A series of recent meetings with the Obama economic team leading to a spirited back-and-forth left me with a pair of indelible impressions. First, these are all good people, many of them brilliant, working incredibly hard with the best of intentions to solve the financial crisis. Second, they are operating on the basis of an outdated cosmology that places banks at the center of the economic universe. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Obama-Economic-Team-Flaws.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Obama-Economic-Team-Flaws.html Thu, 9 Apr 2009 Ever since I saw the Green light, thanks to my friend Laurie David, and traded in my gas-guzzling SUV, I have tried my best to up my eco-awareness. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Greening-my-House.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Greening-my-House.html Thu, 2 Apr 2009 America has been the greatest of all nations for a long time. But we should not forget, especially at a crucial juncture like this, that with enough bad decisions and enough political incompetence, we can indeed manage ourselves into decline. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/US-Economic-Peril-Road-to-Buenos-Aires.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/US-Economic-Peril-Road-to-Buenos-Aires.html Thu, 26 Mar 2009 The best laid plans of our remarkable president may be laid to waste by a bank rescue plan that is the product of exhausted ideas put together by men far too beholden to Wall Street. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Larry-Summers-Brilliant-Mind-Toxic-Ideas.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Larry-Summers-Brilliant-Mind-Toxic-Ideas.html Thu, 26 Mar 2009 John King opened the interview on CNN by showing clips of President Obama saying that his administration had inherited an economic crisis and inherited a big mess. King then asked former Vice President Dick Cheney if the Bush Administration had left the mess. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Jon-Stewart-John-King-Interview-Dick-Cheney.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Jon-Stewart-John-King-Interview-Dick-Cheney.html Thu, 19 Mar 2009 No wonder the Fed acted like the National Security Agency and now we know why Fed Vice Chairman Kohn refused to release to Congress the names of all of AIG's counterparties in his recent testimony. http://www.ihavenet.com/aig-bailout-european-free-riding.html http://www.ihavenet.com/aig-bailout-european-free-riding.html Mon, 16 Mar 2009 Besides being awash in toxic paper, credit default swaps, and collateralized debt obligations, we seem to be drowning in unknowns. Only, I get the sense that there are fewer unknowns than we're being told. Instead, we are greeted with a wall of manufactured complexity by the people whose job it is to make known unknowns into known knowns. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Tim-Geithner-Obama-Budget-Economic-Crisis.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Tim-Geithner-Obama-Budget-Economic-Crisis.html Thu, 12 Mar 2009 This past week, while iconic American enterprises like GE and Berkshire came under substantial market pressure, our Leadership in Washington became preoccupied with talk show host Rush Limbaugh. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Rush-Limbaugh-and-Rahm-Emanuel-Show.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Rush-Limbaugh-and-Rahm-Emanuel-Show.html Mon, 9 Mar 2009 Although anointed the intellectual force and energy behind the Republican Party, Rush Limbaugh is just a massive shiny object that distracts our attention from the real intellectual force and energy behind the Republican Party, Karl Rove. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Rove-Economy-Madoff-Investing.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Rove-Economy-Madoff-Investing.html Thu, 5 Mar 2009 Hot on the heels of the banking crisis, the employment crisis and the mortgage-foreclosure crisis, the country is on the verge of experiencing a credit-card crisis. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/American-Credit-Card-Crisis.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/American-Credit-Card-Crisis.html Thu, 26 Feb 2009 The banks are too big to fail has been the mantra we have been hearing since September. But when you consider the millions of American homeowners facing foreclosure, are not they also too big to be allowed to fail. So why has the foreclosure crisis not gotten the attention it deserves. A combination of perverse priorities and flawed thinking http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/American-Homeowners-Foreclosure-Crisis.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/American-Homeowners-Foreclosure-Crisis.html Thu, 19 Feb 2009 An economic stimulus plan developed by a real estate agent in New Jersey that is currently in the hands of the House of Representatives and every Senator in Washington D.C. This plan is strictly a transparent time-out and reset of the national tax lien industry for the sake of stopping foreclosures while simultaneously protecting investors by shoring up the absolute bedrock of the capitalist economy which emanates directly from real property values and the taxes thereon. This is an intravenous infusion to the arteries of both Wall St. and Main St. simultaneously http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Bipartisanship-Best-for-America-Obama.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Bipartisanship-Best-for-America-Obama.html Sat, 14 Feb 2009 The first question at President Obama primetime press conference should have been Mr. President, what is your priority bipartisanship or what is best for America. And when the two are in conflict, which are you going to choose http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Bipartisanship-Best-for-America-Obama.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Bipartisanship-Best-for-America-Obama.html Thu, 12 Feb 2009 Here is a thought. If we are going to spend 2 trillion dollars trying to deal with the economic crisis, should not we do it right. The price of getting it wrong is, after all, extremely high. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Economic-Stimulus-Package-Arianna-Huffington.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Economic-Stimulus-Package-Arianna-Huffington.html Thu, 12 Feb 2009 There is plenty of debate about what President Obamas stimulus bill should look like -- as well there should be, given all that is at stake. But there is a growing consensus that the guiding principle in that debate should be Obamas call for a new era of responsibility. Helping fuel that consensus is the saga of the rise and fall of former Merrill Lynch CEO John Thain, the poster child for the Era of Irresponsibility. The condemnation of his behavior is completely bipartisan. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Era-of-Not-Getting-it-Arianna-Huffington.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Era-of-Not-Getting-it-Arianna-Huffington.html Thu, 29 Jan 2009 The new president and the throng that turned out to cheer him and hear him on Inauguration Day were on two very different missions. The crowd had come to celebrate. Obama had come to deliver a sober sermon. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Obama-Sober-Sermon-on-the-Steps.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Obama-Sober-Sermon-on-the-Steps.html Thu, 29 Jan 2009 President Barack Obama gives his inaugural address after taking the oath of office. The presidential inauguration is a tradition dating back to George Washingtons 1789 inauguration. President Obama Inauguration Speech in full in text and video. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Obama-Inaugural-Address-Speech.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Obama-Inaugural-Address-Speech.html Thu, 29 Jan 2009 The U.S. Constitution is front and center as Barack Obama solemnly swears to preserve, protect, and defend it. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Memo-to-Obama-Arianna-Huffington.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Memo-to-Obama-Arianna-Huffington.html Thu, 15 Jan 2009 The inauguration of the first black president will long be remembered as a momentous day in history, but many past inaugurals also have had their memorable moments. Inaugurals are a mixture of pomp, festival and gravity, the American equivalent of a coronation. Their rituals are laden with symbols of national purpose, continuity and unity. For 220 years, they have marked the peaceful transfer of power, a feat few other countries have achieved. http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-President-Inauguration-History.html http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-President-Inauguration-History.html Wed, 14 Jan 2009 With all of the excitement surrounding the event, it is easy to forget there have been many inaugurations before it. Over the years, the inauguration has become highly formalized, with the days scheduled events taking on almost ritualistic significance. A look at the Obama Inauguration schedule, events from past inaugurals and how and when certain inaugural events became part of Inauguration Day. http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-President-Inauguration-Schedule-Events.html http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-President-Inauguration-Schedule-Events.html Wed, 14 Jan 2009 Parade, luncheon, ball. Being inaugurated sounds like fun. But what exactly is an inauguration. What happens. Here are answers to your most pressing questions. Plus Inauguration Trivia, Presidential Pets and the Obama Girls http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-Inauguration-for-Kids.html http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-Inauguration-for-Kids.html Wed, 14 Jan 2009 Not too long ago, Barack Obama would have found when he moved his family to Washington that his daughters could not attend the same schools white children could. They could not try on clothes or shoes at most local department stores, or eat at downtown lunch counters. Or see a play at the National Theatre or a movie just a block or two from the White House. http://www.ihavenet.com/Obama-New-Home-Slow-to-Integrate.html http://www.ihavenet.com/Obama-New-Home-Slow-to-Integrate.html Wed, 14 Jan 2009 Barack Obama is not the only one being inaugurated on January 20. And that is not just because Obama has promised to make a call to service a central cause of his presidency. http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-President-Inauguration-Obama-Is-not-Only-One-Being-Inaugurated-January-20th-Arianna-Huffington.html http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-President-Inauguration-Obama-Is-not-Only-One-Being-Inaugurated-January-20th-Arianna-Huffington.html Wed, 7 Jan 2009 On January 20, 2009 Barack Obama will stand before Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and swear the oath prescribed in Article II, Section 1, of the Constitution as the 44th President of the United States. After taking the oath President Obama will give an inaugural address. Since George Washington's first inaugural address, many memorable words have been spoken and are among the most enduring and frequently quoted. http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-President-Inauguration-Memorable-Lines-from-Past-Inaugurals.html http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-President-Inauguration-Memorable-Lines-from-Past-Inaugurals.html Wed, 7 Jan 2009 President-elect Barack Obama is obsessed with Lincoln, who changed the country both by changing government policy and by using the bully pulpit to help us change ourselves. http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-President-Inauguration-Awaiting-the-Transformational-Presidency.html http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-President-Inauguration-Awaiting-the-Transformational-Presidency.html Wed, 7 Jan 2009 When President Obama takes his hand off the Bible and walks to the Capitol lectern, he carries real power in his pocket, maybe more than any president since FDR, and some of it he has earned and some is a gift. http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-President-Inauguration-America-Receives-Leading-Man-for-Dramas-Ahead.html http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-President-Inauguration-America-Receives-Leading-Man-for-Dramas-Ahead.html Wed, 7 Jan 2009 Personally, I am hoping for a new piece of presidential trivia come Inauguration Day. I am hoping Barack Obama becomes the first person elected president to refuse to take the Oath of Office. In other words, I hope he turns down the job. http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-President-Inauguration-Do-not-Take-that-Oath-Barack.html http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-President-Inauguration-Do-not-Take-that-Oath-Barack.html Wed, 7 Jan 2009 Our new president is offering us more than the promise of change. With his historic election, he offered us the optimistic idea that we can do what we must do. In my experience studying the human condition, we only change when there is no alternative. And now, there is no alternative. Our national challenges trickle down into our households. We have family members at war, our jobs are not secure, our retirement savings seem to be disappearing and our material lifestyle is under assault. http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-President-Inauguration-Riding-on-the-Wings-of-Change-Amy-Dickinson.html http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-President-Inauguration-Riding-on-the-Wings-of-Change-Amy-Dickinson.html Wed, 7 Jan 2009 With a new political era dawning in America, the world is paying attention. I remember the first time my Italian friends expressed a curiosity and enthusiasm about some black politician named Alabama. Now everyone knows Obama's name, and we have a president whom people around the world want to look up to. http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-President-Inauguration-Europeans-Love-Obama.html http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-President-Inauguration-Europeans-Love-Obama.html Wed, 7 Jan 2009 With Barack Obama, it is the reverse. Perhaps because of his eloquence, lithe body, handsome face and beautiful family and because he is not George W. Bush, expectations are so high that they are beyond the reach of any mortal. Perhaps that is why Obama has been disparagingly referred to as the messiah and the one. http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-President-Inauguration-Great-Expectations-Cal-Thomas.html http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-President-Inauguration-Great-Expectations-Cal-Thomas.html Wed, 7 Jan 2009 Those who claim we live in a post-racial America are guilty of no sin greater than wishful thinking. But that does not make them any less incorrect. Not simply because people are still being pulled over for driving black but, more fundamentally, because Obama victory does not mean what some of us think it does. I do not mean to suggest it does not embody breathtaking progress, it does. http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-President-Inauguration-Is-This-The-End-of-Black-Leonard-Pitts.html http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-President-Inauguration-Is-This-The-End-of-Black-Leonard-Pitts.html Wed, 7 Jan 2009 As we head into 2009, America is in shock. It is not because of the unusual sight of the first black president taking up residence in the White House. Barack Obamas profile, after all, is familiar to the diverse population of todays ethnically and racially hybrid America. America is in shock because our economic and financial landscape is suddenly unrecognizable. http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-President-Inauguration-America-in-Shock-Nathan-Gardels.html http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-President-Inauguration-America-in-Shock-Nathan-Gardels.html Wed, 7 Jan 2009 Something has to change about how we conduct our business and live our lives no, that is putting it too mildly. A spiritual awakening has to occur, the shock and awe of awareness as we look unblinking at the state of the world as it really is. http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-President-Inauguration-A-New-Way-of-Being-on-this-Planet-Robert-Koehler.html http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-President-Inauguration-A-New-Way-of-Being-on-this-Planet-Robert-Koehler.html Wed, 7 Jan 2009 Over the interminably long campaign, Obamas positions evolved to suit his political needs. This is hardly extraordinary. Pretty much every successful presidential candidate embarks on a similar ideological migration http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-President-Inauguration-As-Decider-True-Obama-will-Become-Clear-Jonah-Goldberg.html http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-President-Inauguration-As-Decider-True-Obama-will-Become-Clear-Jonah-Goldberg.html Wed, 7 Jan 2009 Can you solve this special inaugural crossword with your mom, dad or your favorite grown-up. Yes, you can. Kids solve the across clues while adults tackle the down ones. http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-President-Inauguration-Crossword-Puzzle.html http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-President-Inauguration-Crossword-Puzzle.html Wed, 7 Jan 2009 2008 was a very memorable year, featuring one of the most unforgettable presidential campaigns in history. I would like to take a moment to focus on the things that happened over the last 12 months that I would love to forget. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Bye-Bye-2008-Things-I-want-to-forget-Arianna-Huffington.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Bye-Bye-2008-Things-I-want-to-forget-Arianna-Huffington.html Fri, 2 Jan 2009 The collapse of Communism as a political system sounded the death knell for Marxism as an ideology. But while laissez-faire capitalism has been a monumental failure in practice, and soundly defeated at the polls, the ideology is still alive and kicking. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Laissez-Faire-Capitalism-Should-Be-as-Dead-as-Soviet-Communism.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Laissez-Faire-Capitalism-Should-Be-as-Dead-as-Soviet-Communism.html Wed, 24 Dec 2008 An ambitious and risky undertaking carried out with hubris, and featuring the weeding out of anyone who raises alarms, little-to-no transparency, an oversight system in which no central authority is accountable, and the deliberate manufacturing of ambiguity and complexity. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Does-the-Madoff-Debacle-Finally-End-the-Who-Could-have-Known-Era.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Does-the-Madoff-Debacle-Finally-End-the-Who-Could-have-Known-Era.html Wed, 17 Dec 2008 Among its myriad failings, the Bush administration has repeatedly gotten it wrong when it comes to getting it right. Call it Bush Darwinism -- Survival of the Unfittest. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Bush-Darwinism-Survival-of-the-Unfittest-and-Rewarding-Those-Who-Got-It-Right.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Bush-Darwinism-Survival-of-the-Unfittest-and-Rewarding-Those-Who-Got-It-Right.html Wed, 10 Dec 2008 Losing your job -- or even fearing that you might -- can make you feel powerless. But at the same time you are looking for work -- or learning a new skill -- you can take up blogging. It does not require anyones permission, there is no application process. You just need blogging software (some of the best is free) and the will to express yourself. http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Huffington-The-Economic-Meltdown-Will-Be-Blogged.html http://www.ihavenet.com/politics/Huffington-The-Economic-Meltdown-Will-Be-Blogged.html Wed, 3 Dec 2008 It is too early to tell what changes Hillary Clinton will bring to Barack Obama foreign policy, but she is already had an enormous effect on his brand. http://www.ihavenet.com/Hillary-Clinton-Plus-Barack-Obama-Equals-High-Drama.html http://www.ihavenet.com/Hillary-Clinton-Plus-Barack-Obama-Equals-High-Drama.html Wed, 26 Nov 2008 His high-tech outreach has been instrumental in getting people across the country to donate millions of dollars and contribute millions of hours working on the campaign. Will it now become a hub for civic action. Obama has always said that a call to service would be a central cause of his presidency. We will ask Americans to serve," he said in a signature speech in July. "We will create new opportunities for Americans to serve. And we will direct that service to our most pressing challenges. http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-Call-to-Service-Meets-the-Economic-Meltdown.html http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-Call-to-Service-Meets-the-Economic-Meltdown.html Wed, 19 Nov 2008 President-Elect Barack Obama is reportedly considering New York Senator Hillary Clinton among others for Secretary of State. http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-Presidential-Cabinet-Hillary-Clinton.html http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-Presidential-Cabinet-Hillary-Clinton.html Wed, 19 Nov 2008 Change was driven by two things. Our remarkable capacity for regeneration as Americans and the remarkable ability of Barack Obama to tap into the better angels of our nature. You know something extraordinary is happening when even Michele Bachmann, Sarah Palin and Joe Lieberman trip over themselves and their hastily discarded invective to say nice things about Obama and the tremendous signal sent by his election. http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-Can-Obama-Pull-Off-Historic-Presidential-Double-Play.html http://www.ihavenet.com/Barack-Obama-Can-Obama-Pull-Off-Historic-Presidential-Double-Play.html Thu, 13 Nov 2008 Even if your candidate did not win Tuesday night, you have reason to celebrate. We all do. Ten months ago, when Barack Obama won in Iowa, we had a glimpse of what was possible and what became real Tuesday night. What I wrote then about one state is now true for the whole country: Barack Obamas impressive victory says a lot about America, and also about the current mindset of the American voter. http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-Barack-Obama-Wins-President-Elect-Why-All-Americans-Should-Celebrate.html http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-Barack-Obama-Wins-President-Elect-Why-All-Americans-Should-Celebrate.html Wed, 05 Nov 2008 With the finish line in sight, Obama serves up familiar, pie-in-the-sky promises. In the last few days, Obama has wrapped up his pitch to the electorate with some misleading claims we have heard before: He continued to ask voters to believe he can pay for every dime of an ambitious health care plan and other spending proposals while cutting taxes for all but the most affluent. Budget experts say that iss unlikely. He also kept up the drumbeat on a promise to end tax breaks for sending jobs overseas, as though that could do much to keep jobs at home. Experts say it cannot. http://www.ihavenet.com/Barrack-Obama-Closing-Arguments-2008-Election-Eve.html http://www.ihavenet.com/Barrack-Obama-Closing-Arguments-2008-Election-Eve.html Mon, 03 Nov 2008 John McCain and Sarah Palin close their campaign with a new set of dubious attacks. In the final week, the McCain-Palin campaign unleashed some all-new misleading attacks on Obama: McCain strained to tie Obama to a Palestinian professor whose views on Israel are quite different from Obamas. McCain and Palin both distorted a seven-and-a-half-year-old radio interview with Obama concerning the court system and civil rights. McCain and the GOP ran ads claiming Obamas military budget would mean huge job cuts in Virginia, despite Obamas proposal to increase the size of the Army and Marine Corps and McCains own calls for ending wasteful weapons programs. http://www.ihavenet.com/John-McCain-Sarah-Palin-Closing-Arguments-2008-Election-Eve.html http://www.ihavenet.com/John-McCain-Sarah-Palin-Closing-Arguments-2008-Election-Eve.html Mon, 03 Nov 2008 Of all the nutty rumors, baseless conspiracy theories and sheer disinformation that we have dealt with at FactCheck.org during campaign 2008, perhaps the goofiest is the claim that Barack Obama is not a natural-born citizen and therefore not eligible to be president under the constitution. There has never been anything but rumor and speculation to support such a claim, and zero hard evidence. http://www.ihavenet.com/Barrack-Obama-Its-Official-Obama-Born-In-The-USA.html http://www.ihavenet.com/Barrack-Obama-Its-Official-Obama-Born-In-The-USA.html Sun, 02 Nov 2008 Republicans, while still holding out hope for a McCain Miracle, are increasingly worried that McCain is losing in a way that, as David Frum put it, "threatens to take the entire Republican Party down with him." Democrats, while being careful not to count their electoral chickens before they are hatched, are privately worried about winning without enough of a majority in the Senate to really change things. http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-Barrack-Obama-Should-Spill-Little-Red-Ink-Turn-Few-More-Red-States-Blue.html http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-Barrack-Obama-Should-Spill-Little-Red-Ink-Turn-Few-More-Red-States-Blue.html Thu, 30 Oct 2008 Age has finally become an issue for John McCain. But the problem is not the candidates 72 years, it is the antediluvian approach of his campaign. John McCain is running a textbook Rovian race that is fear-based, smear-based, anything goes. But it is not working. The glitch in the well-oiled machine is The Internet. http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-John-McCain-The-Internet-and-The-Death-of-Rovian-Politics.html http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-John-McCain-The-Internet-and-The-Death-of-Rovian-Politics.html Wed, 22 Oct 2008 Political horse-race fans are focusing on Obamas 11-point lead in the new Newsweek poll. But I am focusing on the 10-point lead McCain has on national security and terrorism -- the only remaining issue voters believe the Republican candidate would be more adept at handling. As the one arrow left in McCains quiver-- other than appealing to racists -- national security becomes the likeliest playing field for that GOP fall tradition, the October Surprise. http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-What-McCain-May-Be-Planning-What-Obama-Can-Do-to-Ruin-It.html http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-What-McCain-May-Be-Planning-What-Obama-Can-Do-to-Ruin-It.html Wed, 15 Oct 2008 In Debate II, John McCain twice laid out the criteria for how the American people should judge the candidates: In tough times, we need someone with a steady hand on the tiller. By that measure, Obama was the clear winner. http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-The-Winner-of-Presidential-Debate-2-That-One.html http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-The-Winner-of-Presidential-Debate-2-That-One.html Wed, 08 Oct 2008 Ronald Reagan, in his first inaugural address, famously declared that government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem. 27 years later, in the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and 7 plus years into the reign of Bush and Cheney, the Reagan anti-government battle cry should be on trial. But, stunningly, it is not. This needs to change. The presidential candidates view of the role of government should be one of the central questions of the last 36 days of the campaign. http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-Does-John-McCain-Still-Agree-with-Ronald-Reagan-that-government-is-the-problem.html http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-Does-John-McCain-Still-Agree-with-Ronald-Reagan-that-government-is-the-problem.html Wed, 01 Oct 2008 Welcome to Economic Shock and Awe (or as some have dubbed it, according to Paul Krugman, "the Authorization for Use of Financial Force"). Even the amount of taxpayer money being bandied about -- $1 trillion -- is similar. Think you got your moneys worth for the Iraq war? Congratulations -- you are about to buy another pricey debacle. We have seen how negligent the Bush administration is with our money -- flushing billions on wasteful, mismanaged Iraq reconstruction and Katrina recovery projects. http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-The-Bailout-Plan-Welcome-to-Economic-Shock-and-Awe.html http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-The-Bailout-Plan-Welcome-to-Economic-Shock-and-Awe.html Wed, 24 Sep 2008 Sarah Palin may not have known what the Bush Doctrine was, but we are getting a pretty good idea of what the Palin Doctrine is. Or will be -- because its still currently under construction. And what is it going to look like? Lets just say, its going to seem familiar. According to London Daily Telegraph, the architects of the Palin Doctrine are a group of people who have been singularly wrong about virtually everything in the last decade -- the neocons, who have been briefing Palin for weeks. As predicted, the fact that she did not know anything was not a bug, it was a feature. She is perfect for the neocons: likeable on the outside, a blank slate on the inside. To borrow from an old cliche, if Sarah Palin did not exist, the neocons would have had to invent her. http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-The-Palin-Doctrine-Why-Neocons-are-So-Excited.html http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-The-Palin-Doctrine-Why-Neocons-are-So-Excited.html Wed, 17 Sep 2008 Did Sarah Palin wrongfully push to have her ex-brother-in law fired? Was she really against the "Bridge to Nowhere?" Did she really sell Alaska plane on eBay, or just list it on eBay? Did she actually have any substantial duties commanding the Alaska National Guard? The correct answer to all these questions is: Who cares? http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-sarah-palin-a-trojan-moose.html http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-sarah-palin-a-trojan-moose.html Thu, 11 Sep 2008 You can see why Sarah Palin is such an appealing pick for John McCain. Along with all the things she brings to the table -- fresh face, mother of five, hockey mom -- Sarah Palin is notable for what she does not bring: a track record. If John McCain had picked any of the far more experienced candidates on his short list, they would have come fully equipped with a long paper trail http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-sarah-palin-gop-john-mccain-vp-nomination.html http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-sarah-palin-gop-john-mccain-vp-nomination.html Wed, 3 Sep 2008 What is great about the Biden pick is not just that he has foreign policy expertise, it is the kind of expertise he has, how he uses it, and how useful his expertise is for the unique challenges we currently face around the world. His approach favors diplomacy and engagement. Contrast that with the approach of John McCain, who also has foreign policy experience. http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-john-mccain-joseph-biden-barrack-obama-foreign-policy.html http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-john-mccain-joseph-biden-barrack-obama-foreign-policy.html Wed, 28 Aug 2008 How honest are we if we tell the truth most of the time and stay silent only when telling the truth might get us fired or earn us a broken nose? We need moral courage to be honest all the time. Those words were written by John McCain in his 2004 book Why Courage Matters: The Way to a Braver Life. I could not agree with them more. I just wish John McCain did. Not the John McCain who wrote them in 2004; the John McCain running for president in 2008. There is a big difference. http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-three-man-race-obama-versus-the-two-mccains.html http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-three-man-race-obama-versus-the-two-mccains.html Wed, 20 Aug 2008 What I am really hoping is that Obama will use this downtime to regroup, recharge, and come back ready to relentlessly make the case to the American people that McCain is not "ready to lead" on national security. Voters trust McCain on the war on terror; Obama needs to show them every day why they should not. http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-john-mccain-not-ready-to-lead-on-national-security.html http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-john-mccain-not-ready-to-lead-on-national-security.html Wed, 13 Aug 2008 The makers of Swing Vote, the new film starring Kevin Costner, have pulled off a rare double play, producing a smart political satire that is also heartfelt and moving. It is also a film that turns out to be remarkably relevant to the 2008 race. http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-barrack-obama-swing-vote-kevin-costner.html http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-barrack-obama-swing-vote-kevin-costner.html Wed, 06 Aug 2008 Is not it strange that Barack Obama did not get a bounce from his wildly well-received overseas trip? Of course, almost all of this analysis is based on polls taken before the end of Obama trip -- a serious case of premature pontification. http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-barrack-obama-trip-bounce-media-obsession-with-polls.html http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-barrack-obama-trip-bounce-media-obsession-with-polls.html Wed, 30 Jul 2008 I understand why John McCain campaign is desperately looking for negatives in Obama overseas trip. But why have so many in the media internalized the McCain campaign claptrap? http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-barrack-obama-why-is-obama-popularity-with-our-allies-a-bad-thing.html http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-barrack-obama-why-is-obama-popularity-with-our-allies-a-bad-thing.html Wed, 23 Jul 2008 In the last two weeks, there has been a flurry of stories that has tried to portray criticism of Barack Obama recent stands as the sole province of disenchanted members of "the left" -- also referred to as "the far left", "left-winger bloggers", ... http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-barrack-obama-the-latest-media-blind-spot.html http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-barrack-obama-the-latest-media-blind-spot.html Wed, 16 Jul 2008 John McCain, aided and abetted by his loving protectors in the media, is running a victory lap on Iraq. Buoyed by a reduction in violence in Iraq, war supporters are crawling out from the shadows and beating their chests http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-surge-amnesia-the-medias-new-affliction.html http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-surge-amnesia-the-medias-new-affliction.html Wed, 9 Jul 2008 I looked at the Obama campaign not through the prism of my own progressive views and beliefs but through the prism of a cold-eyed campaign strategist who has no principles except winning. From that point of view, and taking nothing else into consideration, I can unequivocally say: The Obama campaign is making a very serious mistake. Tacking to the center is a losing strategy. http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-memo-to-obama-moving-to-the-middle-is-for-losers.html http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-memo-to-obama-moving-to-the-middle-is-for-losers.html Wed, 2 Jul 2008 Is not it interesting how, after largely ignoring the issue for the last 30 years, during which the GOP consistently outfundraised and outspent Democrats in election after election, the media are suddenly all atwitter about whether the campaign finance system is "basically fair"? How dare Obama inspire 1.5 million donors, giving an average of $197 apiece, to help him raise more money than McCain http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-john-mccain-campaign-funding-hypocrisy.html http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-john-mccain-campaign-funding-hypocrisy.html Wed, 25 Jun 2008 Prominent Republicans . . . have been for the first time openly critical of John McCain and his floundering campaign. An NBC Wall Street Journal poll released last week asked the question, Who do you think will win The answer Barack Obama 54 percent John McCain 30 percent. Obama is unlikely to win in such a landslide, which means that millions planning to vote for McCain expect him to lose -- as was the case with Dole. http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-john-mccain-second-coming-of-bob-dole.html http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-john-mccain-second-coming-of-bob-dole.html Wed, 18 Jun 2008 In his book What Happened Inside the Bush White House and Washington Culture of Deception, Scott McClellan offers withering portraits of George Bush, Karl Rove, Condi Rice and Scooter Libby, confirms that we went to war in Iraq under false pretenses, and that we were serially lied to about the outing of Valerie Plame. http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-scott-mclellan-book-review.html http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-scott-mclellan-book-review.html Wed, 4 Jun 2008 We have seen the exit polls. I get the anger and the disappointment. Really? In Clinton vs. McCain. And nowhere is the difference more profound than with reproductive rights. http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-unmasking-mccain-reactionary-record.html http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-unmasking-mccain-reactionary-record.html Wed, 28 May 2008 A front page story in Monday New York Times wonders whether Hillary Clinton flagging run for the presidency is "a historic if incomplete triumph or a depressing reminder of why few (women) pursue high office in the first place." http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-hillary-clinton-defeat-a-historic-triump.html http://www.ihavenet.com/arianna-huffington-unmasking-mccain-reactionary-record.html Wed, 21 May 2008