Who’s that guy?
Only the 33rd most powerful man in Washington DC who is not called Obama or Biden.
So says GQ magazine (of all places) in their much anticipated DC power 50. Believe it or not this was one of the buzz topics in the American capital when I was over there recently. Hardly surprising in the most power obsessed city on earth. To paraphrase Michael Heseltine who was commenting on the ranking order of seats in Cabinet, everyone says it doesn’t matter to them, but of course it does. Terribly.
read more...»Rated: 
(3/5), based on 2 reviews
Blank Palin
Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s (ghostwritten) autobiography is due for release next month, and has already shot to the top of the bestseller charts.
Say the Guardian:
“News of the autobiography’s release has already prompted a string of jokes by the late night talkshow hosts reminding the wider public about Palin’s shortcomings.
“Critics say that it starts out okay, it gets really exciting and then confusing, and then the last 100 pages are blank,” said comedian Jimmy Fallon.”
Book review value
A quick posting to say that the book review pages are often a good source of political info, even for cash and time poor students with no intention of making a purchase. Details of a new publication on Clinton were in the Sunday Times at the weekend and contained some fascinating nuggets.
Focus on US health care
Watch this report by Lyndsey Hilsum from Wednesday’s Channel 4 news.
The President needs Congress
The significance of the separation of powers is to be highlighted in perfect Technicolor later today when President Obama appears before a joint session of Congress to make a speech that he hopes will save his healthcare reform proposals (well, promises since he hasn’t actually been very specific about what he wants).
Most people expect Obama to be happy with some sort of healthcare package passing, even if it doesn’t include a government backed plan to insure Americans currently without coverage.
Bronwen Maddox in the Times takes up the story:
read more...»After Ted: more Kennedys for Massachusetts?
The Big Question runs a feature on the rather complex dynamics of choosing a replacement for his vacant Senate seat, which has been controlled by his family for over 50 years.
Keeping up with Obama
I’m posting a couple of details for those who are looking to keep up tp date with the Obama presidency.
There’s a good feature on Obama’s diplomatic efforts in the Middle East in the Guardian.
But Lexington argues that Obama is only likely to disappoint his supporters.
Obama and Africa
As if Barack Obama didn’t have enough on his plate as American President, he has taken time to forge a new direction in US foreign policy on Africa. Last week he made a bold speech where he argued that the continent could no longer apportion the blame on the effects of colonialism.
Useful Obama links
I’ve put together a list of resources on President Obama. This could be accessed by students or teachers for a host of purposes.
read more...»US revision: Obama’s executive office
It is well known that the executive office of the president (EOP or EXOP) is more important and powerful than the Cabinet. What evidence is there of this being the case in the current administration?
