My "Mission Accomplished"

Courtesy of the Associated Press

Once and For All...

After 10 grueling years of bitter partisan attacks and facing calamities incomparable to those faced by nearly any other president, former President George W. Bush (R-TX) (jokingly known as 'Dubya') is still smiling and offering a helping hand. The former president left office nearly two years ago: amidst the worst economic conditions since the great depression, with the worst approval rating in United States history, and having been charged with starting two unnecessary wars. Academia had turned its back on him declaring during his last year in office that he would unanimously go down as the worst president of all time. 

 With a rap like that one would think that 'Dubya' would have just crawled into a one of his companies many oil wells and thrown himself in, yet that is not the case. Instead, the former president has kept a busy schedule: he partnered with his immediate predecessor, former President Bill Clinton (D-AR), to help provide disaster relief in Haiti; has been tediously writing his own memoir; and apparently has been having secret phone conversations with President Barack Obama (D-IL). All of this, coupled with the revelation that most of the academics who previously denounced him have since rescinded their attacks, and some Gallop polls have suggested that a theoretical election between himself (G.W. Bush) and President Obama would result in a tie. Yet the attacks keep coming, even presidential courtesy being forgotten when Obama called Bush out by name, so this post holds a special purpose for me. Anyone who has followed this blog would know that I am not a huge Bush fan; however, I intend to finally end the debate (at least for myself) over the effectiveness of the Bush Administration by delving into the three biggest issues surrounding his name: the Bush tax cuts, the Iraq War, and the Economic Crisis.

Rangel Gets Wrangled

Courtesy of the Associated Press

Playing With Fire

If you play with fire, eventually your going to get burned. Well, Charlie Rangel (D-NY) definitely got burned. The former Chairman of the House Ways and Means was charged with 13 ethic violations involving financial misconduct and harming the credibility of Congress. Now the embattled Congressman is facing a full trial-like hearing some time in the future to account for his actions which include: violating house gift rules, improperly using his office to raise money, and lying about his residence to evade taxes. Yet these serious charges have not seemed to discourage him; in fact, they seem to have done the opposite. Rangel has been notably open about his situation and has recently challenged the House ethics Committee to kick him out if it dares. Are his actions just a shrewd political front or really just deadly hubris?

An Upset for the Ages (Maybe)

A New Comeback Kid?

Just a few weeks ago, the Alaskan Republican primary election for United States Senate seemed all but wrapped up. It looked to everyone like Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) was going to clinch the nomination and be the heavy favorite in the general election. Yet as of today it looks like the daughter of the former governor of Alaska may concede her race to the previously unknown attorney Joe Miller (R-AK). With the help from a few key endorsements and nearly $600,000 of Tea Party money, it seems Alaska may have a new Senator in Joe Miller.

Let's Go International, August 2010

Courtesy of the Associated Press

Rising Action

This month could not be more accurately describe by any words other than rising action. With the escalating tensions with North Korea, the scheduled Middle East Peace Talks, as well as the many other surprises that developed across the world this month. The month of August 2010 could very well be the rising action that will dictate much of the worlds, near and distant future.

When Obama Ate Wall Street

The Saga Continues

In 2008, simply put, Wall Street ate Main Street. In 2010, President Obama ate Wall Street. In one fell swoop the Obama Administration changed the United States marketplace from an extremely unregulated market into an economy of hyper regulation. The federal government can now review, liquidate, and regulate any financial institution it so desires. This explosion of federal regulation has not gone unnoticed, with members of Congress, economists, and even the Congressional Budget Office lodging complaints about the new legislation. Yet our Campaigner-In Chief, a.k.a. President Obama, seems to ignore these constructive criticisms and only seems intent on continuously being his own personal cheerleader. This "look at me, look at me" attitude has not been uncommon throughout this process with Senator Harry Reid doing much the same thing to save his own political career. This post is simply the follow up to "When Wall Street Ate Main Street" and will help the reader understand the drastic shift that has been taken in America's economic policy.

A Temporary Set Back

Judicial Activism

U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton has issued a temporary injunction against the main part of the Arizona Immigration law that has sparked controversy around the nation. The judge wrote that in her view, it was not feasible to ask the police to ask about a individuals immigration/citizenship status while making a routine stop. Judge Bolton also stopped the section that would have made it illegal for illegal immigrants to solicit or perform work in the United States. Basically, it seems that the judge was attempting to make an illegal immigrant as legal as possible. If that seems backwards to the reader, be comforted, you are not alone. Soon afterward, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (R-AZ) issued a statement confirming that the state will be appealing the ruling and calling for an expedited appeal.

112 Days

Courtesy of Nasa's Terra Satelite

112 Days...

How long is 112 days? It is four months, or more exactly it equals 2,688 hours. Yet neither of these statistics allow a person to grasp actual magnitude of this stint in time. For example Gerald Ford was only president for 895 days, and James Garfield for only 199 days. The Gulf Oil Spill has lasted longer than some presidents (well one actually) and thankfully its flow has been stopped and its permanent closure is in sight, but with 4.9 million barrels of crude oil in the Gulf of Mexico its long term effects are just beginning.
 

Elena Kagan: Associate Supreme Court Justice

Courtesy of Getty Images

Surprise, Surprise!

On August 5th 2010 Elena Kagan was confirmed, and then on August 8th she was sworn in as the 112th Associate Supreme Court Justice in American History. The former Dean of Harvard Law School was easily confirmed by a 63-37 vote, which shutdown and possible resistance from Republicans. Elena Kagan was nominated by President Barack Obama to fill the seat left vacant by former Associate Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens and will begin her lifelong post immediately.

Let's Go International, July 2010

Courtesy of Reuters

The Calm Before the Storm

After the chaos that seemed to engulf Asia in June and the many political upheavals that echoed around the world, the month of July seems relatively tame. Besides a few isolated natural disasters, the international community has not seen any shake-ups or shakedowns this month. Let's hope that this is indeed not the calm before the storm, but possibly the beginning of an extended political calm so that America can catch its breath.

Coming Soon, America by Heart

Courtesy of Harper Collins

She's Done it Again

 Sarah Palin (R-AK) and her publisher, Harper Collins, have finally released the book cover for her much anticipated sophomore book, America By Heart. The book is set to be officially released on November 23rd, almost a year to the day of the release of her New York Bestselling memoir Going Rogue, which chronicled her life from birth all the way through the controversial 2008 presidential election. This second book is rumored to cover a wide range of topics and promises to contain, as the subtitle promotes, 'reflections on family, faith, and flag.'