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16 Dec 2010 10:40

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U.S., World: Afghan war report: Troops could start leaving in mid-2011

  • 100k number of troops the U.S. has stationed in Afghanistan right now
  • 30k number of troops Obama added to that total earlier this year
  • 20k troops could leave in 2011 without significantly affecting the war source
  • » The progress so far: Those numbers, which come from the Obama administration’s assessment of the war, suggest that the administration is optimistic about the way things are going – particularly that they’ve stunted the Taliban’s momentum. Hopefully that’s true – a prior report from the US National Intelligence Estimates suggested things were much gloomier.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Dec 2010 21:21

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Politics: Rahm Emanuel leads mayoral race – if he’s eligible to even run

  • If Rahm Emanuel still lives in Chicago, he’ll probably be its next mayor. See, Emanuel is facing lots of questions over his residency, due to the fact that he lived in D.C. while he was Obama’s Chief of Staff. He never changed over his license, though, and owns a home in the city. Thing is, though, he had a guy renting his apartment while he lived elsewhere, and while he paid the bills, he wasn’t living in the home full-time (for obvious reasons). Around 30 residents are challenging his eligibility to run for mayor; the court has been hearing his case all week. Thing is, if Rahm can get through this roadbump, he’ll be the guy most likely to win. With two months to go, here’s how he’s doing in the polls:
  • 32% of those polled would vote for Rahm “I still live here!” Emanuel
  • 30% the share of undecideds in the Chicago mayoral race (understandable)
  • 34% the combined polling of five non-Rahm mayoral candidates source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Dec 2010 23:34

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Politics: Max Headroom: Shepard Smith calls Obama “Omaba” somehow

  • “Anonymous” goes mainstream: Remember when “Anonymous” was simply a joke on the Internet that most people didn’t take seriously? It’s been a long time since those days. Now, we have “Operation Payback” (an offshoot of whatever “Anonymous” is) showing up as the number one item on “Countdown.” It’s a fascinating time we live in where something that started out as an apparent internet joke can actually raise some eyebrows. Our question: Will future attacks be scare tactics, like shutting down Mastercard and Visa? Or will they go for the jugular, like the massive hacking attack that tore through Gawker today?
  • Great Washington Theater The thing that we enjoyed the most about Friday’s ad-hoc press conference at the White House on Friday? We got to see a cheery, almost casual approach by both Obama and Bill Clinton. That said, guys like Anthony Weiner (part of the panel) aren’t having it. He backs Clinton while questioning Obama.
  • “Omaba”: A one-term president? We love when our boy Shepard Smith makes on-air mistakes. They’re always supremely entertaining – including the epic clip where he suggested Jennifer Lopez couldn’t get a blowjob block party in her old neighborhood. In this case, he called Obama “Omaba,” which is such a bizarre mistake to make.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Dec 2010 21:15

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Politics: Obama tax compromise: Democrats resigned to its eventual passing

  • We’re not going to hold this thing up at the end of the day.
  • Democratic Rep. Chris Van Hollen • Admitting what’s been obvious from the outset – the Obama tax compromise will eventually pass. The GOP knows this. Obama knows this, and House Democrats, who perhaps have been most dead-set against it (barring Bernie Sanders) are starting to turn around and begrudgingly accept it. By offering up the compromise he did when he did, Obama knew what he was doing. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Dec 2010 10:24

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Politics: Here’s Obama’s tactical strategy for the tax compromise

  • So, how does Obama expect the tax compromise to pass? According to David Axelrod (who spoke on CNN’s “State of the Union” today), it’ll go a little like this: First, the Senate will take up the compromise Monday, written in such a way that it’ll probably pass there (barring more awesome Bernie Sanders filibusters). Then … well, we’ll let David finish this: “We believe that when it comes back to the House, that we will get a vote, and that we’ll prevail there.” So, long story short – the Obama administration expects one chamber to fall, and when that one does, so will the other one. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Dec 2010 14:47

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U.S.: Obama official Richard Holbrooke in critical condition post-surgery

Holbrooke, Obama’s special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, is recovering from emergency surgery to repair a tear in his aorta, which is a really bad spot for a tear. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Dec 2010 21:10

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Politics: Is Obama learning the martial art of Bill Clinton’s triangulation?

  • So, another theory on this whole tax cut thing – Obama’s taking a cue from Bill Clinton on that whole “trangulation” thing he did in the ’90s – where Clinton gave the GOP some of what they wanted but ended up helping himself in the long run. It’s a theory that the White House bristles at, but the video above, where Bill Clinton essentially took over for Obama today, looks kind of symbolic. Beyond the fact that it’s effing hilarious. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

10 Dec 2010 10:51

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Politics: Charles Krauthammer: Obama just pulled wool over both parties’ eyes

  • Know how we know the Obama compromise is smarter than it looks? Because you have guys like Charles Krauthammer basically calling him a genius. Krauthammer, a pretty solid conservative guy, suggests that Obama is smarter than his own party, because the tax-cut plan he just put in place is really a massive stimulus in everything but name; yet he’s also smarter than the GOP, because he got them to agree to a massive stimulus by making them think it was a tax cut. “Obama is no fool,” Krauthammer writes. “While getting Republicans to boost his own reelection chances, he gets them to make a mockery of their newfound, second-chance, post-Bush, Tea-Party, this-time-we’re-serious persona of debt-averse fiscal responsibility.” And that, friends, is a pretty entertaining take on the whole mess. But will it go through? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Dec 2010 09:18

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Politics: Obama, in fact, playing his long-term tax change card

  • Look, the fact of the matter is that, for a decade now we have had the tendency to think that we can keep on having all the services we want and … can keep cutting taxes as much as we want and that somehow things are going to magically balance out.
  • Barack Obama • Discussing the country’s current tax situation – basically a suggestion that we’ve been living like we can have our cake and eat it too. Obama, on the other hand, doesn’t think that’s true; he suggests his compromise would play out as “a central battle as part of a larger discussion about how do we reform our tax code so that it’s fair” and a way to deal with the deficit in “an intelligent way.” Obama is playing for long-term gain, and if he’s successful, he’ll make a stronger long-term mark. Of course, that still means it needs to pass, which Obama’s confident will eventually happen (even if it didn’t yesterday). source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Dec 2010 11:10

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U.S.: Federal health officials: Smoking causes immediate negative effects

  • cause Federal health officials say that smoking causes immediate damage in people’s lungs and DNA (even at tiny amounts), and must be prevented.
  • reaction The Obama administration (which includes a president that still smokes) will redouble its efforts to get people to stop smoking. Start with the president, guys. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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