The Political Inquirer

Yesterday, hundreds of bloggers watched Jeremiah Wright’s speech at the National Press Club.  Afterwards, most of them criticized him for opening old wounds, for hurting Barack Obama’s candidacy, or for using incredibly divisive language.  Even Andrew Sullivan, who downplayed the speech at first because he thought it was simply political gossip, denounced the reverend’s “ugly” and [...]

Filed under: Barack Obama, Politics | 3 Comments »

Although the details are unclear, apparently Guillermo Vargas, a Costa Rican artist, used a suffering dog in an art exhibition last year. He paid some kids to catch a stray, tied it up on a short leash in an art gallery , and refused to give any food or water. Hundreds of visitors passed by [...]

Filed under: Politics | 2 Comments »

I’m a little bit tired of all of the overreaction to how the most recent presidential debate was handled by George Stephanopoulos and Charlie Gibson.  Obama looked horrible, but not because of how ABC handled it or because the media is out to get him.  He just looked bad, and his answers were weak.  He [...]

Filed under: Politics | 6 Comments »

Yesterday, pro-life Democrats Robert Casey and Timothy Roeder endorsed the strongly pro-choice Barack Obama for president, saying he was the only candidate who could “bring this country together”.   At first glance, it sounded encouraging.  There are too many single issue voters in America, and when a citizen forgoes tunnel vision for a broader perspective, democracy wins.  I tire of Evangelicals who merely focus [...]

Filed under: Barack Obama, Election 2008, Politics | 4 Comments »

Writing for Salon Magazine, Rebecca Traister expressed her frustration with Obama’s over-zealous supporters and their collective contempt for Clinton.  Not all of the piece deals with the subtle sexism of the race, but Traister does spend a good portion of the article talking about it.  Here’s a cutting: 
Kristen Phillips, 28, and a master’s student at the University of New [...]

Filed under: Politics | 2 Comments »

George Will goes after those in the media who are making more of the Housing Crisis than they need to.  Will is one of my favorite political writers, and I always enjoy his attempts to calm others down.   I agree with him in that the Housing ”Crisis” so many complain about is overrated, although he could be [...]

Filed under: Politics | 2 Comments »

Forty-two people were executed by the government for their crimes against the state last year.  Almost two-thirds of them had a previous felony on their record.  1 in 12 had previously committed homicide.    The average age of those executed was 29, but almost 10% of them were 19 or younger.  
 Phillip Workman was one of those forty-two.  On [...]

Filed under: Philosophy, Politics | 4 Comments »

During this period of economic downturn, has the Fed acted wisely?  Five experts weigh in.
 
http://www.american.com/archive/2008/march-03-08/grading-bernanke-a-symposium

Filed under: Politics | No Comments »

I worry that this blog spends its time arguing about petty quotes from the Clintons instead of debating issues to the benefit of all.  Maybe I am making a straw man argument, but a lot of the posts on this site focus on political gossip over which writers get agitated for approximately 5 minutes and [...]

Filed under: Politics | 9 Comments »

March 27, 2008
Conservatives More Liberal Givers
By George Will
WASHINGTON — Residents of Austin, Texas, home of the state’s government and flagship university, have very refined social consciences, if they do say so themselves, and they do say so, speaking via bumper stickers. Don R. Willett, a justice of the state Supreme Court, has commuted behind [...]

Filed under: Politics | 1 Comment »

Spencer Ackerman points out why an Obama presidency might be better than McCain, the alternative.  It basically comes down to two assumptions:  Obama will work to piss the world off less by utilizing diplomacy over force, and McCain is a neocon who has rarely disapproved of a bombing run. 
I’m not claiming to know that Obama [...]

Filed under: Politics | 4 Comments »

 By Kim Zetter @ http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/
The director of Scotland Yard’s forensics division says that Britain should be collecting DNA samples from any primary school children who show signs of behavior that exhibit a propensity for later crimes, according to an article in the Observer.
The Yard’s Gary Pugh says the idea that trivial offenses committed early in [...]

Filed under: Politics | No Comments »