Category:The Papers | The Fireside Post The Papers | The Fireside Post
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The Papers

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NFL, NASCAR and America

So the Divisionaries continue to divide… It’s true that NASCAR has only had 4 black drivers in its history, notably one being a black woman. Yet, the popularity of the sport fades in the light of Football. Where 64% of Americans claim to be fans. Break that down to 73% of men and 55% of […]

26Sep2017 | | 5 comments | Continued
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Does Race Really Matter?

Transcript from Walla Walla Union Bulletin, Walla Walla, Washington December 20, 1950 Seattle (AP) – A blow on the head with a baseball bat in a neighborhood altercation was fatal Tuesday to Merritt Scotten, 33 year old Seattle pipe fitter. He died of a skull fracture Saturday night. Leon W. Venson 28 a neighbor has […]

25Nov2015 | | 1 comment | Continued
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Time Magazine Cartoon

5May2010 | | Comments Off on Time Magazine Cartoon | Continued
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Does Obama err by leaning on Lincoln?

Then Sen. Barack Obama at the dedication of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Springfield, Ill., April 2005. (Chicago Tribune photo by Pete Souza.) by Frank James President-elect Barack Obama really has a thing for Abraham Lincoln. The latest manifestation of what appears to be his Lincoln envy is the way Obama intends on […]

16Dec2008 | | Comments Off on Does Obama err by leaning on Lincoln? | Continued
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Sorry, We’re Booked, White House Tells Obamas

By Helene Cooper Michelle, Malia and Sasha Obama met Barack Obama’s campaign plane in Colorado on Nov. 1. (Photo: Damon Winter/The New York Times) Updated | 3:12 p.m. CHICAGO—The White House has turned down a request from the family of President-elect Barack Obama to move into Blair House in early January so that his daughters […]

12Dec2008 | | Comments Off on Sorry, We’re Booked, White House Tells Obamas | Continued
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He Ducked Back Down the Alley …

By Jack Healy Gov. Rod Blagojevich, center, leaves his home through a back ally Wednesday. (Mark Carlson/Associated Press) They wrote songs about the “Streets of Philadelphia” and “The Sidewalks of New York.” But as Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich demonstrated this morning, Chicago is a city where the alleys rule. With hordes of reporters and photographers […]

10Dec2008 | | Comments Off on He Ducked Back Down the Alley … | Continued
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Meanwhile in Chicago

Posted by michaelscherer The Good Governor Blagojevich is back on the job, per the Chicago Tribune. [Spokesman Lucio] Guerrero said Blagojevich is back at work in the James R. Thompson Center and has met with staff to discuss the state budget and short term loans to help alleviate some of the state’s money pressures. Guerrero […]

10Dec2008 | | Comments Off on Meanwhile in Chicago | Continued
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Clean Body, Clean Mind?

Columnist Lee Dye reports: Maybe what the world really needs is a hot, sudsy bath. Researchers in Great Britain have found that even just washing your hands may make you less harsh in your judgment of others. Their study, published in the journal Psychological Science, asserts that feeling clean can “reduce the perceived seriousness of […]

5Dec2008 | | Comments Off on Clean Body, Clean Mind? | Continued
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A Gay Jesus and Catholic Art

“Corpus Christi” is a play written by an Irish Catholic named Terrence McNally, first performed on Broadway in 1998 and revived for two weeks in October. It is a controversial interpretation of the life and work of Jesus Christ, so it can be considered a part of the crazy-quilt reality of living as a Catholic […]

4Dec2008 | | Comments Off on A Gay Jesus and Catholic Art | Continued
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Obama’s New World Order

By Karen Tumulty and Mark Thompson It was hard to miss the message that Barack Obama was sending with the powerful tableau lined up behind him onstage in Chicago. “I assembled this team because I’m a strong believer in strong personalities and strong opinions,” the President-elect said of his national-security picks. The top three members […]

4Dec2008 | | Comments Off on Obama’s New World Order | Continued
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Barack WHO?

Posted by Karen Tumulty After Sarah Palin got fooled by a prank call from “Nicolas Sarkozy,” you can see why a politician would be skeptical: WASHINGTON (CNN) –A Florida congresswoman – convinced she was being prank-called by a Barack Obama sound-alike – hung up on the actual president-elect Wednesday. Florida Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen was told […]

4Dec2008 | | Comments Off on Barack WHO? | Continued
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A 4.5 percent mortgage for all?

by Frank James Who wouldn’t want one of those 4.5 percent mortgages that are now being considered as a way to revive the economy? Sign me up. But there’s evidently some disagreement about whether such mortgages would be available to those who would be refinancing, like me, or available only to those purchasing a home. […]

4Dec2008 | | Comments Off on A 4.5 percent mortgage for all? | Continued
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More Palin ‘Accessories’ Spending Revealed

By Michael Luo Gov. Sarah Palin wearing Cole Haan boots in October. Clothing and other items the Republican National Committee purchased for her caused a stir during the campaign. (Photo: Robert F. Bukaty/Associated Press) Look for more “campaign accessories” bought on behalf of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in tomorrow’s end-of-cycle financial report filed by the […]

4Dec2008 | | Comments Off on More Palin ‘Accessories’ Spending Revealed | Continued
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A Pragmatic Pair Chosen to Confront Terrorism Threat

By Carrie Johnson and Spencer S. Hsu Washington Post Staff Writers In nominating former federal prosecutors to lead the departments of Justice and Homeland Security, President-elect Barack Obama yesterday selected two Democrats with sterling law-and-order credentials but less experience in detecting threats and gathering intelligence in the age of international terrorism. Eric H. Holder Jr., […]

2Dec2008 | | Comments Off on A Pragmatic Pair Chosen to Confront Terrorism Threat | Continued
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Obama’s ‘Dream Team’

By Michael Falcone Barack Obama in May, 2008. (Photo:Doug Mills/The New York Times) Besides their impressive resumes and political star-power, a few of President-elect Barack Obama’s top cabinet choices have something else in common — hoop dreams. Though these days Eric H. Holder Jr., Susan E. Rice and Gen. James L. Jones, may be more […]

2Dec2008 | | Comments Off on Obama’s ‘Dream Team’ | Continued
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Bush: ‘I Was Unprepared for War’

By Kate Phillips In what might be considered one of the first exit interviews, President Bush told ABC News’s Charles Gibson that during the eight years of his administration, the thing he was most “unprepared” for was the war in Iraq after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. But he also said that he felt he […]

2Dec2008 | | Comments Off on Bush: ‘I Was Unprepared for War’ | Continued
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Michelle Obama geneaology off-limits

A surviving shack along road once known as Slave Street on a South Carolina plantation. Michelle Obama’s great-great-grandfather, who was born around 1850, lived as a slave, at least until the Civil War, on the sprawling rice plantation. (Tribune photo by Alex Garcia / November 22, 2008) by Frank James Michelle Obama’s roots can be […]

1Dec2008 | | Comments Off on Michelle Obama geneaology off-limits | Continued
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Out for Obama: Gay Rights Group Plans Mega Inaugural Shindig

Cyndi Lauper scheduled to headline the Out for Equality inaugural extravaganza. (AP Photo) The “Out for Equality” ball (though its gay-rights organizers don’t want to call it a ball) is shaping up to be one of the single hottest tickets on inauguration night. And you don’t have to be L, G, B or T to […]

1Dec2008 | | Comments Off on Out for Obama: Gay Rights Group Plans Mega Inaugural Shindig | Continued
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A Handpicked Obama Team for a Shift in Foreign Policy

Damon Winter/The New York Times Barack Obama’s national security team is to include, from left, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Gen. James L. Jones, a retired Marine commandant. By DAVID E. SANGER Published: November 30, 2008 WASHINGTON — When President-elect Barack Obama introduces his national security team on Monday, it […]

1Dec2008 | | Comments Off on A Handpicked Obama Team for a Shift in Foreign Policy | Continued
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Obama’s confidence-rating: High, steady

by Mark Silva Perhaps it is the alacrity with which President-elect Barack Obama has set about assembling a Cabinet and army of advisers – an economic team named this week, defense coming next week. Or perhaps it is the expertise of the nominees – with a “towering” economic team that includes the six-foot-seven Paul Volcker, […]

29Nov2008 | | Comments Off on Obama’s confidence-rating: High, steady | Continued
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President-elect: ‘You can call me Barack’

Posted November 26, 2008 5:15 PM Veronica Lewis bows for President-elect Barack Obama, and his family, from left, Michelle Obama, daughters Sasha, 7, (hidden) Malia, 10, distributing Thanksgiving turkeys at the food bank at St. Columbanus Catholic Church on the South Side of Chicago today. (AP Photo by Pablo Martinez by Mark Silva On the […]

27Nov2008 | | Comments Off on President-elect: ‘You can call me Barack’ | Continued
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Happy Thanksgiving: Charity shrinking

by William Neikirk Happy holidays, folks, and here’s some news. Citing the economic crisis, corporate America is cutting back on its charitable giving because of the economic crisis. The Wall Street Journal told us so on Tuesday. The publication is superior in reflecting board-room sentiment across America. But valuable inferences can be gathered from this […]

27Nov2008 | | Comments Off on Happy Thanksgiving: Charity shrinking | Continued
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Thanksgiving Camp David-style

by Mark Silva Free-Range Roast Turkey. Cornbread Dressing. Cranberry Sauce. Sautéed Green Beans Morelia Style Gazpacho with Spinach Salad. It’s the Gazpacho that gives it away: These are the fixin’s for the Thanksgiving table today at Camp David, where President Bush has retreated with his family for the holiday. An overcast, wintry pall settled over […]

27Nov2008 | | Comments Off on Thanksgiving Camp David-style | Continued
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Obama Volunteers at a Chicago Food Bank

President-elect Barack Obama, center, his wife Michelle Obama, left, and daughter Malia, 10, center, greet people at a food bank at St. Columbanus Catholic Church on the South Side of Chicago, Nov. 26, 2008. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Associated Press) Tom DeFrank of the New York Daily News was today’s pool reporter covering Barack Obama’s visit to […]

27Nov2008 | | 2 comments | Continued
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Obama Transition Statement on Terrorist Attacks in Mumbai

Onlookers stand at the site of a bomb blast in Mumbai Nov. 26, 2008. (Reuters) Obama Transition chief national security spokesperson Brooke Anderson condemned the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, on behalf of the president-elect, saying: President-Elect Obama strongly condemns today’s terrorist attacks in Mumbai, and his thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their […]

27Nov2008 | | Comments Off on Obama Transition Statement on Terrorist Attacks in Mumbai | Continued
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Obama’s Speechwriter Moves to the White House

By Jeff Zeleny Barack Obama’s Chief Speech Writer at work on his victory speech for the New Hampshire primary election in a hotel lobby. (Jacob Silberberg for The New York Times) CHICAGO – President-elect Barack Obama’s wordsmith is moving to the West Wing. In his latest round of White House staff announcements, Mr. Obama said […]

27Nov2008 | | Comments Off on Obama’s Speechwriter Moves to the White House | Continued
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Feminism and The Three Arguments Against Gay Marriage

By Michael Scherer Arguments against gay marriage tend to fall into three broad categories: it is a threat to tradition (the idea is historically not sanctioned; the bible does not approve); it is a threat to children (kids will learn about homosexuality in school, confuse gender roles, or even become gay themselves); and it is […]

26Nov2008 | | Comments Off on Feminism and The Three Arguments Against Gay Marriage | Continued
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The Meaning of Jihad in Islam

By Ali Gomaa Within Islam the term jihad refers to a large category of meanings. Today, however, there are attempts to isolate this term to only one form of jihad to the exclusion of all others. This includes a conception of jihad that at best refers only to armed struggle, and at worst to a […]

24Nov2008 | | Comments Off on The Meaning of Jihad in Islam | Continued
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Fix Pick: Brooks on the Transition

New York Times columnist David Brooks is reassured by the people with whom President-elect Obama has chosen to surround himself. (By Linda Davidson — The Washington Post) Amid the chaos of Cabinet picks and the whirl of White House staff announcements over the past week, it’s easy to lose sight of the big picture. That […]

23Nov2008 | | Comments Off on Fix Pick: Brooks on the Transition | Continued
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The Saturday Word: Obama Aims for 2.5 Million Jobs

By Sarah Wheaton In his weekly address for broadcast today, President-elect Barack Obama announced his intention to create 2.5 million new jobs by January 2011. “There are no quick or easy fixes to this crisis, which has been many years in the making, and it’s likely to get worse before it gets better,” he said. […]

23Nov2008 | | Comments Off on The Saturday Word: Obama Aims for 2.5 Million Jobs | Continued
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The Inauguration: Planning Team Taking Shape

By Katharine Q. Seelye Barack Obama began preparing for his transition to the White House several months ago, and formally established his transition office right after his election. But the team planning his inaugural, set for Jan. 20, is just starting to take shape. One person who is expected to play a prominent role on […]

21Nov2008 | | Comments Off on The Inauguration: Planning Team Taking Shape | Continued
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Bailouts for white, not blue collars?

by Frank James Have the federal bailouts been biased towards white-collar and against blue-collar workers? That question was starkly raised by Rep. Barney Frank, chair of the House Financial Services Committee, which yesterday heard the chief executives of the Big Three automakers beseech Congress for $25 billion in taxpayer-funded loans. Frank, the committee’s chair, said: […]

20Nov2008 | | Comments Off on Bailouts for white, not blue collars? | Continued
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Trending Away From the GOP

By David S. Broder Sunday, November 16, 2008; Page B07 The deeper one digs into the returns from this past election, the more portentous the results seem. This Story Trending Away From the GOP 5 Myths About an Election of Mythic Proportions Watch Where You Walk, Mr. Obama I know the dangers of deciding too […]

20Nov2008 | | Comments Off on Trending Away From the GOP | Continued
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White House: Blame Dems if no Big 3 help

by Frank James The White House is trying to shift blame to congressional Democrats if the auto industry doesn’t get the financial bailout it’s seeking, saying Democrats appear unwilling to loosen restrictions on $25 billion that’s already been approved to help the industry retool to make their vehicles more fuel efficient. White House spokeswoman Dana […]

19Nov2008 | | Comments Off on White House: Blame Dems if no Big 3 help | Continued
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Auto execs testify as legislators try for deal

By John Crawley and Kevin Drawbaugh WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. auto executives went to Capitol Hill for a second day on Wednesday to argue their case for $25 billion in aid as legislators proposed changes to help a bailout pass Congressional and White House muster. The day’s hearings, before the House Financial Services Committee, got […]

19Nov2008 | | Comments Off on Auto execs testify as legislators try for deal | Continued
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The Early Word: How to Pick a Cabinet

By Michael Falcone President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team offered more clues about the makeup of his Cabinet and White House staff on Tuesday as word leaked out that Eric H. Holder Jr., a former Clinton administration official and Obama confidant, would likely be picked for Attorney General. The Times’s Eric Lichtblau and John M. Broder […]

19Nov2008 | | Comments Off on The Early Word: How to Pick a Cabinet | Continued
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Mission Endeavour

(Update: 8:25 p.m. EST) Space Shuttle Endeavour lit up the sky at the Kennedy Space Center as it launched tonight, racing up the east coast of the United States on its way to orbit Seven astronauts are on board.  Their flight is scheduled to run just shy of fifteen days. By space shuttle standards, the […]

19Nov2008 | | Comments Off on Mission Endeavour | Continued
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Huckabee’s Choice Words for Romney

By Michael Luo Ah, memories. Among The Caucus’s favorites from campaign days gone by were those from the bitterly cold days of December 2007 preceding the Iowa caucuses, when the silver-tongued Mike Huckabee and his indefatigable sparring partner, Mitt Romney, circled and slashed at each other from dawn until dusk. The episodes are now in […]

17Nov2008 | | Comments Off on Huckabee’s Choice Words for Romney | Continued
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Obama, like Lincoln, ditches ideology

by Frank James Liberal supporters of President-elect Barack Obama’s who thought he was one of them should ready themselves, for they are about to be Greeleyed. Horace Greeley, for those who don’t or remember know their history, was the stridently abolitionist editor of the New York Tribune who in August 1862 wrote an open letter […]

17Nov2008 | | 1 comment | Continued
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Mormons Tipped Scale in Ban on Gay Marriage

By JESSE McKINLEY and KIRK JOHNSON Published: November 14, 2008 SACRAMENTO — Less than two weeks before Election Day, the chief strategist behind a ballot measure outlawing same-sex marriage in California called an emergency meeting here. “We’re going to lose this campaign if we don’t get more money,” the strategist, Frank Schubert, recalled telling leaders […]

16Nov2008 | | 1 comment | Continued
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The Moose Stops Here

By FRANK RICH Published: November 16, 2008 ELECTION junkies in acute withdrawal need suffer no longer. Though the exciting Obama-McCain race is over, the cockfight among the losers has only just begun. The conservative crackup may be ugly, but as entertainment, it’s two thumbs up! Over at Fox News, Greta Van Susteren has been trashing […]

16Nov2008 | | 1 comment | Continued
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Obama Announces More White House Picks

Two of these we sort of knew: Ron Klain will become Vice President Joe Biden’s chief of staff and Valerie Jarrett, longtime friend and confidante of both Barack and Michelle Obama, will have the title Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Relations and Public Liaison (which looks like a very broad troubleshooting […]

15Nov2008 | | Comments Off on Obama Announces More White House Picks | Continued
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Obama Delivers First Democratic Video Address

By Michael Falcone From now on it will be the weekly “Democratic Radio Address” in name only. President-elect Barack Obama, capitalizing on his successful use of multimedia technologies during the campaign, delivered his message on Saturday using video as well as audio. It may seem like a political no-brainer in the age of YouTube, but […]

15Nov2008 | | Comments Off on Obama Delivers First Democratic Video Address | Continued
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Obama weighing idea of “auto czar,” aide says

CHICAGO (Reuters) – President-elect Barack Obama is considering naming a point person to lead efforts to help the distressed auto industry return to health, an Obama aide said on Thursday. General Motors Corp, Ford Motor Co and Chrysler LLC are seeking a federal bailout of up to $50 billion. Automakers and Democratic congressional leaders have […]

13Nov2008 | | Comments Off on Obama weighing idea of “auto czar,” aide says | Continued
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Palin Soaks Up Media Spotlight

ABC’s Kate Snow reports: Bill McAllister is suddenly a very busy man.  As spokesman for the Governor of Alaska, his role was pretty much taken over in an instant last August — the moment Governor Sarah Palin was selected as John McCain’s running mate.  The McCain campaign quickly selected a brand new team of communication […]

13Nov2008 | | 1 comment | Continued
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Wag the Blog: Media Bias?

By Chris Cillizza It seems that every social event The Fix attends — and that list includes plane flights, field hockey games and shopping with Mrs. Fix, among others — there is someone who asks about bias in the media. Usually the “inquiry” comes in the form of an assertion — the media is far […]

13Nov2008 | | Comments Off on Wag the Blog: Media Bias? | Continued
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Change ahead on environment under President Obama

By Rocky Barker | Idaho Statesman Western Democrats and environmentalists will have more influence on federal land decisions in Idaho and the West under President Barack Obama. Decision-makers will defer more to scientists on resource issues and spending priorities will shift toward protecting land, fish and wildlife, Democrats said Tuesday night. But there is a […]

12Nov2008 | | Comments Off on Change ahead on environment under President Obama | Continued
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Bush officials moving fast to cut environmental protections

By Renee Schoof | McClatchy Newspapers WASHINGTON — In the next few weeks, the Bush administration is expected to relax environmental-protection rules on power plants near national parks, uranium mining near the Grand Canyon and more mountaintop-removal coal mining in Appalachia. The administration is widely expected to try to get some of the rules into […]

12Nov2008 | | Comments Off on Bush officials moving fast to cut environmental protections | Continued
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Obama’s Fascinating Interview with Cathleen Falsani

Tuesday November 11, 2008 The most detailed and fascinating explication of Barack Obama’s faith came in a 2004 interview he gave Chicago Sun Times columnist Cathleen Falsani when he was running for U.S. Senate in Illinois. The column she wrote about the interview has been quoted and misquoted many times over, but she’d never before […]

12Nov2008 | | Comments Off on Obama’s Fascinating Interview with Cathleen Falsani | Continued
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Obama election spurs gun sales

by Frank James When President-elect Obama was campaigning and talking about change, he probably wasn’t thinking of this kind of change: people going on a gun-buying spree in reaction to his election. Here’s an excerpt from our colleague Howard Witt’s report today: HOUSTON — A week after the election of Barack Obama, gun buyers across […]

12Nov2008 | | Comments Off on Obama election spurs gun sales | Continued