WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The former trainer to Roger Clemens will undergo more key cross-examination in the baseball star's perjury trial on Thursday, with the defense expected to attack inconsistencies in the trainer's story. Clemens' former trainer Brian McNamee underwent sharp questioning from the pitching great's defense lawyer on Wednesday as he probed for holes in McNamee's testimony about Clemens' alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs. McNamee's cross-examination is perhaps the core part of the trial in U.S. District Court. ...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Mary Kennedy, the estranged wife of Robert F. Kennedy Jr, was found dead on Wednesday at her home in a New York City suburb, an officer at the Westchester County Medical Examiner's Office said. She was 52. Mary Kennedy had four children with Kennedy, the son of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy. He is a prominent New York environmentalist. ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Wednesday hailed a fallen Vietnam War soldier who saved his members of his platoon by awarding him the Medal of Honor 42 years after his death. The sacrifice of Specialist Leslie Sabo Jr., 22, might not have been acknowledged if someone had not found the misplaced paperwork recommending him for the medal - the nation's highest military award for valor - more than a dozen years ago. ...

MIAMI (Reuters) - Defense lawyers want to force a former CIA official who supervised what they called torture of al Qaeda captives to testify in the war crimes tribunal for five Guantanamo prisoners accused of plotting the September 11 attacks. They argue that Jose Rodriguez, former director of the CIA's National Clandestine Service, has information pertinent to the defense allegation that the government is using security classifications to hide evidence their clients were tortured. ...

GREENSBORO, North Carolina (Reuters) - Former Senator John Edwards' defense ended its case on Wednesday without calling three of the most anticipated witnesses to counter charges that he used political contributions to hide his pregnant mistress from voters during his 2008 presidential bid. Seven people testified for the defense this week in Edwards' federal campaign finance trial in Greensboro, North Carolina, the state he represented in the Senate from 1999 to 2005. ...

A document by a conservative super PAC refers to the president as "metrosexual, black Abe Lincoln."

The trading losses suffered by JPMorgan Chase have surged in recent days, surpassing the bank's initial $2 billion estimate by at least $1 billion, according to people with knowledge of the losses.

Greece's caretaker Cabinet was sworn in and will lead the country into next month's election, after a deadlocked vote sparked more political turmoil and brought the country's use of the euro currency into question.

Police and FBI officials were poring over more than 100 tips as they hunted for a man accused of stabbing his new wife to death and leaving her body in her bathtub, still clad in her silver-sequined wedding dress.

Don't try to friend MaLi Arwood on Facebook. You won't find her there.

Romney nearly matched the $44 million that President Obama raised during the same period.

The presiding judge in the U.N. trial of Gen. Ratko Mladic has delayed indefinitely the presentation of evidence that had been scheduled to start later this month due to "errors" by prosecutors in disclosing evidence to defense lawyers.

With only two hours each to make their closing arguments, prosecutors and defense lawyers neared the end of a month-long trial into whether former presidential hopeful John Edwards violated campaign finance laws.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York and Boston may strike many as more intellectual but Alexandria, a small urban area in Virginia just outside Washington, D.C., is the most well-read city in the United States. Alexandria was one of three Virginia cities on the Amazon.com list of the 20 most well-read cities. It topped Cambridge, Massachusetts, the home of Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Berkeley, California to take the top spot. ...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Players and coaches with the New York Giants football team gathered at Tiffany & Co.'s flagship store in New York City on Wednesday evening to receive newly designed rings commemorating their Super Bowl victory earlier this year. The white-gold rings feature the Giants' logo in diamonds set in blue enamel and encircled by 37 blue sapphires, and is engraved with the years of the Giants' four Super Bowl victories, the first in 1986. "It's every boy's dream to come to Tiffany's and get a ring. ...

Police and FBI officials were poring over more than 100 tips as they hunted for a man accused of stabbing his new wife to death and leaving her body in her bathtub, still clad in her silver-sequined wedding dress.

Don't try to friend MaLi Arwood on Facebook. You won't find her there.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - U.S. plans for a possible military strike on Iran are ready and the option is "fully available", the U.S. ambassador to Israel said, days before Tehran resumes talks with world powers which suspect it of seeking to develop nuclear arms. Like Israel, the United States has said it considers military force a last resort to prevent Iran using its uranium enrichment to make a bomb. Iran insists its nuclear program is for purely civilian purposes. ...

Romney nearly matched the $44 million that President Obama raised during the same period.

The presiding judge in the U.N. trial of Gen. Ratko Mladic has delayed indefinitely the presentation of evidence that had been scheduled to start later this month due to "errors" by prosecutors in disclosing evidence to defense lawyers.

Chuck Brown, who styled a unique mix of funk, soul and Latin party sounds to create go-go music in the nation's capital, has died after suffering from pneumonia. He was 75.

With only two hours each to make their closing arguments, prosecutors and defense lawyers neared the end of a month-long trial into whether former presidential hopeful John Edwards violated campaign finance laws.

For Senate Republicans, 2012 is starting a lot like 2010. They have a shot at taking control from Democrats as long as insurgent conservatives don't frighten independent voters like they did two years ago.

Reality TV is giving birth to some of the most popular baby names. No, not Snooki. But Mason, as in Kourtney Kardashian's son, jumped 10 spots to become the second most popular name for newborn boys in 2011.

(Reuters) - There are not many Mitt Romney fan clubs at Liberty University. The Lynchburg, Virginia, school, founded by the late television evangelist Jerry Falwell, is a bastion for conservative Christian thought. Its theology students are taught that Mormonism - Romney's religion - is a cult. So for Romney, giving the commencement speech at Liberty on Saturday is a chance to make a heart-to-heart appeal to evangelical Christians who are skeptical of his Mormon faith and conservative credentials. ...

Pope Benedict XVI was serenaded on Friday with a religious-themed classical concert conducted by Italian maestro Riccardo Muti featuring rare instruments, including a Stadivarius violin from 1720.

The ultra-conservative Legion of Christ movement on Friday said it had reported seven suspected cases of child abuse by its priests to the Vatican for investigation under new anti-abuse rules.

Long a lightning rod for conservative criticism, the Girl Scouts of the USA are now facing their highest-level challenge yet: An official inquiry by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Police and FBI officials were poring over more than 100 tips as they hunted for a man accused of stabbing his new wife to death and leaving her body in her bathtub, still clad in her silver-sequined wedding dress.

Don't try to friend MaLi Arwood on Facebook. You won't find her there.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - U.S. plans for a possible military strike on Iran are ready and the option is "fully available", the U.S. ambassador to Israel said, days before Tehran resumes talks with world powers which suspect it of seeking to develop nuclear arms. Like Israel, the United States has said it considers military force a last resort to prevent Iran using its uranium enrichment to make a bomb. Iran insists its nuclear program is for purely civilian purposes. ...

Romney nearly matched the $44 million that President Obama raised during the same period.

The presiding judge in the U.N. trial of Gen. Ratko Mladic has delayed indefinitely the presentation of evidence that had been scheduled to start later this month due to "errors" by prosecutors in disclosing evidence to defense lawyers.

Chuck Brown, who styled a unique mix of funk, soul and Latin party sounds to create go-go music in the nation's capital, has died after suffering from pneumonia. He was 75.

With only two hours each to make their closing arguments, prosecutors and defense lawyers neared the end of a month-long trial into whether former presidential hopeful John Edwards violated campaign finance laws.

For Senate Republicans, 2012 is starting a lot like 2010. They have a shot at taking control from Democrats as long as insurgent conservatives don't frighten independent voters like they did two years ago.

AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Wednesday that countries trying to "sow chaos" in Syria could be infected with it themselves, an apparent warning to Arab Gulf nations that back the insurgency aimed at forcing him from power. Assad's remarks, to a Russian TV channel, came after U.N. staff monitoring an increasingly shaky ceasefire were caught up in an attack that killed at least 21 people, and had to spend a night with rebel forces. ...

GREENSBORO, North Carolina (Reuters) - Attorneys are scheduled to give their closing arguments on Thursday in former U.S. Senator John Edwards' federal campaign finance trial on charges he accepted excessive political funds to conceal his extramarital affair while he ran for president. The trial is winding down after 3 1/2 weeks of testimony in a case that legal experts have said could expand the scope of what qualifies as campaign contributions. Edwards' defense wrapped up its case in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Wednesday. ...

NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (Reuters) - A further lifting of U.S. sanctions on Myanmar, which could come during a visit by officials to Washington this week, would be crucial to opening its long-isolated economy, a senior Myanmar government official said. Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin meets U.S. officials on Thursday, stoking expectation the United States might announce a further lifting or suspension of sanctions, including investment restrictions, on the country that is also known as Burma. It is the first official visit by a Myanmar minister to the United States in decades. ...

For Senate Republicans, 2012 is starting a lot like 2010.

Police and FBI officials were poring over more than 100 tips as they hunted for a man accused of stabbing his new wife to death and leaving her body in her bathtub, still clad in her silver-sequined wedding dress.

Don't try to friend MaLi Arwood on Facebook. You won't find her there.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - U.S. plans for a possible military strike on Iran are ready and the option is "fully available", the U.S. ambassador to Israel said, days before Tehran resumes talks with world powers which suspect it of seeking to develop nuclear arms. Like Israel, the United States has said it considers military force a last resort to prevent Iran using its uranium enrichment to make a bomb. Iran insists its nuclear program is for purely civilian purposes. ...

Romney nearly matched the $44 million that President Obama raised during the same period.

The presiding judge in the U.N. trial of Gen. Ratko Mladic has delayed indefinitely the presentation of evidence that had been scheduled to start later this month due to "errors" by prosecutors in disclosing evidence to defense lawyers.

Chuck Brown, who styled a unique mix of funk, soul and Latin party sounds to create go-go music in the nation's capital, has died after suffering from pneumonia. He was 75.

With only two hours each to make their closing arguments, prosecutors and defense lawyers neared the end of a month-long trial into whether former presidential hopeful John Edwards violated campaign finance laws.

For Senate Republicans, 2012 is starting a lot like 2010. They have a shot at taking control from Democrats as long as insurgent conservatives don't frighten independent voters like they did two years ago.

Police and FBI officials were poring over more than 100 tips as they hunted for a man accused of stabbing his new wife to death and leaving her body in her bathtub, still clad in her silver-sequined wedding dress.

Don't try to friend MaLi Arwood on Facebook. You won't find her there.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - U.S. plans for a possible military strike on Iran are ready and the option is "fully available", the U.S. ambassador to Israel said, days before Tehran resumes talks with world powers which suspect it of seeking to develop nuclear arms. Like Israel, the United States has said it considers military force a last resort to prevent Iran using its uranium enrichment to make a bomb. Iran insists its nuclear program is for purely civilian purposes. ...

Romney nearly matched the $44 million that President Obama raised during the same period.

The presiding judge in the U.N. trial of Gen. Ratko Mladic has delayed indefinitely the presentation of evidence that had been scheduled to start later this month due to "errors" by prosecutors in disclosing evidence to defense lawyers.

Chuck Brown, who styled a unique mix of funk, soul and Latin party sounds to create go-go music in the nation's capital, has died after suffering from pneumonia. He was 75.

With only two hours each to make their closing arguments, prosecutors and defense lawyers neared the end of a month-long trial into whether former presidential hopeful John Edwards violated campaign finance laws.

For Senate Republicans, 2012 is starting a lot like 2010. They have a shot at taking control from Democrats as long as insurgent conservatives don't frighten independent voters like they did two years ago.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - In the 2008 presidential race, Barack Obama was famously effective in using new technologies to raise money, mobilize voters and target his message of change. In this year's campaign, his opponents are determined to turn the tables. Republican political operatives, some with deep financial backing from the billionaire Koch brothers and others, are unleashing about a half dozen major projects that take advantage of advanced database technologies to manage campaigns and target voters with personalized messages. ...

Divisive Republican primaries, an out-of-nowhere GOP retirement in Maine and an unexpectedly competitive race in North Dakota add up to an unpredictable battle for control of the Senate this fall, confounding early forecasts that an era of Democratic rule was inevitably coming to an end.

Vice President Joe Biden, campaigning in Democratic territory with high unemployment, went after Republican Mitt Romney's business background Wednesday and cast him as a corporate raider more interested in profits than people.

The presiding judge in the U.N. trial of Gen. Ratko Mladic has delayed indefinitely the presentation of evidence that had been scheduled to start later this month due to "errors" by prosecutors in disclosing evidence to defense lawyers.

Chuck Brown, who styled a unique mix of funk, soul and Latin party sounds to create go-go music in the nation's capital, has died after suffering from pneumonia. He was 75.

With only two hours each to make their closing arguments, prosecutors and defense lawyers neared the end of a month-long trial into whether former presidential hopeful John Edwards violated campaign finance laws.

For Senate Republicans, 2012 is starting a lot like 2010. They have a shot at taking control from Democrats as long as insurgent conservatives don't frighten independent voters like they did two years ago.

For the first time, racial and ethnic minorities make up more than half the children born in the U.S., capping decades of heady immigration growth that is now slowing.

National foreclosure trends took a positive turn in April, as the number of homes seized by banks declined and fewer properties entered into the foreclosure process.

A Georgia graduate student fighting a rare flesh-eating infection has been looking at her ravaged hands and asking about the damage, all without tears, her father said.

At a campaign stop in Youngstown, Ohio, Vice President Joe Biden lit into Republicans and their presumed  presidential nominee for what he described as a failure to understand the plight of the middle class.

The Death of RFK Jr.'s wife is the Latest Tragedy for the Kennedy Family.

Would you say it was heroic to make a blunder on national television that forces the President of the United States to flipflop on an issue six months before Election Day thereby threatening his chances at the polls?

Newsweek editor Tina Brown did exactly that Wednesday when during an interview with the Huffington Post called Vice President Joe Biden "the hero of the hour" for making what could be game-changing comments about same-sex marriage on Meet the Press earlier this month (video follows with transcribed highlights and commentary):

The interview began with Brown being asked about this week's controversial Newsweek cover.

"I thought it was the simplest. It communicated the idea in a very kind of smart but at the same time subtle way," she told the Post. "I thought this was a chic way of doing it honestly, I thought it did very well."

About the headline, Brown said, "I tend to feel that unless you have the line right, you know, you can't create an image just out of nowhere. So, the line 'The First Gay President' was something Andrew Sullivan and I really loved, and we went from there."

For her part, Brown clearly is pleased with the President calling his flipflop "a brave decision," "a great generational coup" and "a moment of moral clarity."

As for the bumbling Vice President, "I think frankly [Obama] stumbled into it because of Joe Biden. The hero of the hour is Joe Biden, right? But I think once [Obama] realized that this was a bus that was now moving, that he did grasp it and did the right thing."

Will Brown and her liberal colleagues feel the same way if Obama loses in November and certain key battleground states that he won in 2008 go to Mitt Romney because of this issue?

Have they considered the likelihood that Biden would then be depicted by history as single-handedly dooming the first black president's reelection with his own stupidity?

This clearly doesn't concern liberal elites like Brown suddenly far more interested in advancing same-sex marriage regardless of who it hurts politically - even the messiah.

It's become quite a bit of a refrain among liberal journalists that nefarious conservatives are unwilling to compromise and unite with more moderate GOPers in order to "get things done," yet in many cases, the very opposite is true. In several recent elections, conservative unknowns have scored the primary victory (think Sharron Angle) and gone on to receive only tepid establishment support despite calls for "unity." That does not appear to be happening in the state of Nebraska after Deb Fischer defeated two better known candidates, Jon Bruning and Don Stenberg, to receive the Republican nomination for that state's federal Senate race.

Instead of whining like Indiana Republican Dick Lugar did after he went down in defeat, Bruning and Stenberg are banding together to support Fischer's candidacy:

Attorney General Jon Bruning and State Treasurer Don Stenberg stood behind state Sen. Deb Fischer as she accepted kudos for her big upset Tuesday night in the U.S. Senate primary and vowed to defeat Democrat Bob Kerrey in November

Republican Party Chairman Mark Fahleson acknowledged the rough campaign, but said primary battles prepare candidates for the bigger battle ahead.

“Republicans believe that competition is a good thing; it makes us better,” he said.

GOP headquarters was filled with public and party officials such as Speaker Mike Flood, who supported Bruning. Also there: national committeeman Pete Ricketts, whose father bankrolled a last-minute blitz of TV ads blasting Bruning and boosting Fischer. And there was Gov. Dave Heineman, who didn’t endorse anyone.

Heineman said he didn’t endorse a candidate in the U.S. Senate race because Stenberg, Bruning and Fischer are “three very good friends” and he wanted to be in a position to unite the candidates and party “so we can go forward to defeat Bob Kerrey in November.”

Bruning and Fischer both looked bleary-eyed and even teary-eyed at times during the press conference – with Bruning looking off to the side during most of the press conference, avoiding eye contact with the roomful of observers and reporters. He and Fischer embraced at one point. Asked what he thought of the election results, he declined to comment, saying everything was water under the bridge and “This is Deb’s day.”

“I’m 100 percent behind her,” Bruning said. “This is about how we can get together and beat Bob Kerrey.”

With much-lower name recognition than Kerrey, Fischer has her work cut out for her. As it stands, this is a seat that the GOP has a chance to flip to its count, however.

During his regular "Miller Time" segment on FNC's The O'Reilly Factor, comedian Dennis Miller on Wednesday reacted to President Obama's recent appearance on ABC's The View, tagging his administration as a "Kardashian presidency." He also suggested that host Bill O'Reilly is not tough enough on Obama, as he teased the FNC host as a "fanboy." When O'Reilly opined that people like Obama personally because he seems like someone "you could play basketball with," Miller took at jab at the President's job performance as he quipped:

Well, that's fine. Hey, listen, he's great at everything on the planet save one thing: being President for three and a half years.  

Via the Radio Equalizer blog: On his radio show Tuesday, MSNBC personality Rev. Al Sharpton mocked black ministers who have decided not to vote for Obama because he's ready to legalize gay marriage in a second term. Ever the Obama loyalist, Sharpton found it more objectionable that black ministers prayed for Bill Clinton after his adultery (and perjury) were exposed -- slobbering and rolling around on the floor, he said of them -- than they would not vote for Obama.

Sharpton can't see that someone might find a greater moral problem in installing "marriage equality" across America than in a president's semi-private sexual incontinence, which is not a legislative issue. Apparently, Sharpton can only see that it's his job to pressure black ministers to toe the line, no matter how far it strays from Christianity (audio below):

AL SHARPTON: When I start hearing people say I disagree with his [Obama] position I’m all right with that. I respect that there are things we can disagree with. But when I hear them say they’re not going to vote ‘cause we prayed for him? I saw black ministers, the same one you naming get around and lay hands and pray for Bill Clinton, when Bill Clinton we know committed a sin and we still voted for him and prayed for him. So what is the difference in this man [Obama] taking a position and an opinion, not committing the act, just saying I’m all right with the legal right for people to do this and people that have committed acts, we didn’t do that to. That’s why I say a lot of these guys are hypocrites. They had prayer meetings for Bill Clinton! Some of the same ones you talking about. Prayer meetings! Got on their knees, slobbered, and rolling down the floor to keep him on office, when they were trying to impeach him.

Sharpton recently signed an open letter endorsing Obama's new position on same-sex couples:

"We are glad that President Obama has joined Dr. Joseph Lowery, Dr. Julian Bond and so many others in full embrace of equality for gay and lesbian individuals in our country. We also welcome the civil debate on this issue that will surely spring. And we encourage all individuals to keep all issues of import to our communities in mind in the days ahead, and we seek to secure equal justice, opportunity, and dignity for all God’s children."

The liberal media took another stunning defeat Tuesday as Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace totally demolished the BBC's Katty Kay on Jeopardy!.

This followed Monday's abysmal performance by MSNBC's Chris Matthews (video follows with commentary).

At the closing bell, Wallace had amassed $22,400 to Kay's pitiful $8,000. Dr. Mehmet Oz came in third with $5,900.

And liberals claim they're the smartest.

Ha!

On Tuesday, May 16, CNN did something that hadn't happened to the network since 1997: The 9 p.m. edition of Piers Morgan Tonight drew an audience of only 39,000 viewers in the important 25-54 age demographic.

These numbers come as a huge blow to the host, liberal, former tabloid editor Piers Morgan.

According to a story by Alex Weprin for the TVNewser,com Website, that day was “a typical boring Tuesday, with little earth-shattering news to drive TV viewers to cable news.”

It was also May sweeps, with the season finale of NCIS: Los Angeles on CBS, America's Got Talent on NBC and Dancing With the Stars on ABC, drawing an astonishing 39 million viewers between them at 9 p.m.

Morgan's hour-long program, during which he interviewed lesbian actress Jane Lynch and Ted Williams, “the man with the golden voice,” drew a total of approximately 284,000 viewers, which was down from a typical weekday but not a record-breaking low overall.

The program's lead-in and lead-out, Anderson Cooper 360, drew about 90,000 demo viewers at both 8 and 10 p.m., also down from a typical weekday this year.

It has been an interesting year so far for Morgan. As NewsBusters previously reported, conservative columnist Jonah Goldberg called Morgan “a niggling pedant” after the interviewer belittled him during the April 30 edition of Piers Morgan Tonight.

Goldberg returned to the program on May 8 and accused Morgan of having a double standard when interviewing Republicans as opposed to Democrats.

Also, during an interview with Tony Perkins soon after the overwhelming passage of Amendment 1 in North Carolina, Morgan asked the president of the Family Research Center why he is “so implacably opposed to two loving people getting married.”

Morgan began his program on CNN on January 17, 2011, following the retirement of long-time interviewer Larry King who was shoved aside ostensibly in pursuit of higher ratings among younger viewers. It doesn't seem to be working out.

Just how in the tank for Barack Obama is CNN's Piers Morgan?

During an interview with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak Wednesday, Morgan actually said to his guest concerning Iran, "President Obama clearly would prefer not to see Israel take any action before the election" (video follows with transcript and commentary):

PIERS MORGAN, HOST: President Obama clearly would prefer not to see Israel take any action before the election. So there is a time sensitivity here. He would see that as politically dangerous for his presidency, and you would be aware of that. How much does that factor into your military planning on Israel’s behalf, that the President of the United States has an election coming in November?

So, in Morgan's view, Israel's national security calculus should involve America's election.

It seems quite doubtful he'd feel that way if the current White House resident were a Republican.

Maybe biased statements like this are responsible for Morgan getting only 39,000 viewers aged 25 to 54 Tuesday, a fifteen year low for CNN.

For the record, this was Barak's answer:

EHUD BARAK: You know, first of all, we are trying to avoid letting it slip into anything that carries a certain relationship to internal politics into here or in Israel. But we basically share the same rhetoric. We say loud and clear, the Americans say the same, the President says the same, a nuclear, military Iran is unacceptable. We are determined to prevent them from turning nuclear, and that no option, except for containment, no option should be removed off the table in order to achieve these objectives. Basically, we are on the same page.

A quick comparable: If George W. Bush had arranged to insert "Did You Know?" promos of his administration's accomplishments and positions into other presidents' biographies on the White House's web site, does anyone think that the press would have ignored it? Not only would they have not ignored it, they and every left-leaning entertainer would (quite justifiably) have ridiculed and criticized him for historical tampering bordering on vandalism.

Well, Dear Leader has done exactly what I described sometime in the past four days to 13 of his past 14 predecessors, sparing only Gerald Ford (I guess that will have to wait until Obama can compare his administration-ending pardons to Ford's pardon of Dick Nixon). After the jump, readers will find pictures of the conclusion of the bio of Franklin Delano Roosevelt from Google Cache as of May 12 and as of today, followed by a bit of commentary from Andrew Malcolm at Investor's Business Daily:

Here is Google's cache as of May 12:

Here is how FDR's White House page looks today (except, of course, that the red box around Team Obama's gratuitous inserted text is mine):

Isn't that something?

Here is most of what Malcolm had to say at IBD beyond quoting other "Did You Know?" items at other presidential bios:

Narcissism update: Obama now inserts himself into online bios of past presidents

It was probably to be expected from a monstrous political ego that considers himself among the top two presidents of the 21st century.

But faced with the apparently frightening possibility of losing his reelection bid, Barack Obama has inserted himself into the online White House bios of almost every president in the last nine decades. To somehow share and compare their achievements. At one point Obama even draws his wife into the biographical additions.

It would be funny if it wasn't so hilarious.

... Imagine the emotional insecurities of a grown man who would have henchman find and gratuitously insert even the faintest link between this 44th president and almost every president back to Calvin Coolidge --"On Feb. 22, 1924 Calvin Coolidge became the first president to make a public radio address to the American people.....President Obama became the first president to hold virtual gatherings and town halls."

Malcolm supplies the other bio additions at this column. Those readers of strong, er, constitution who want to see how the Obama administration sullied the other bios can go to the following direct links: Coolidge, Hoover, FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, JFK, LBJ, Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Bush 41, Clinton, and (yes) Bush 43.

This of course is not news at the Associated Press (search was on "White House biographies," not in quotes). The ever-so-pompous New York Times falsely headlined the notion that all of the additions are policy-related (some are most definitely not), and was careful only to quote conservative pundits and others about the additions -- as if independents and many Democrats are presumptively okey-dokey with all of this. What rubbish

Does anybody still want to seriously question the propriety of yours truly's decision to begin calling Obama the Punk President on Election Night in 2008?

Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.

Really, the only surprise is that consumers came before Obama in the headline -- because Obama came before the economy in the underlying article.

A late-day dispatch from Jonathan Fahey and Paul Wiseman at the Associated Press even found someone to say that history will be on Obama's side if gas prices fall to below $3.50 a gallon or so by Labor Day. Excerpts follow (bolds are mine):

A threat that's been hanging over the economy is starting to look a lot less menacing.

Oil and gasoline prices are sinking, giving relief to businesses and consumers who a few weeks ago seemed about to face the highest fuel prices ever.

President Barack Obama's re-election prospects could also benefit, especially if prices keep falling as some analysts expect. A majority of Americans disapproved of Obama's handling of gas prices in an AP-GfK poll early this month. But that was before the full effect of the recent drop had reached drivers.

... The economy could gain, too. Consumers who spend less on fuel have more to spend on other purchases, from autos and furniture to appliances and vacations, that could help drive economic output and job growth.

The price drop will likely boost consumer confidence. It also comes at a timely moment: Ahead of the Memorial Day weekend, a busy one for travel and entertainment spending.

... The average national gasoline price is expected to fall as low as $3.50 a gallon this summer. It could even dip near $3 in some states.

... "People were prepared emotionally for $4.50 or $5 gasoline, so there's a sense of relief," (chief oil analyst at the Oil Price Information Service Tom) Kloza says.

... And Obama can look forward to further help this fall. After Labor Day, refiners can begin using cheaper ingredients to make gasoline because wintertime clean air rules are less stringent. That should push gasoline prices lower between Labor Day and Election Day, barring hurricanes that can disrupt supplies or other global events, says Kloza.

"History will be working on behalf of the Democrats," he said.

It's as if the post-Labor Day situation with altered gasoline blends has never, ever come up before in any other presidential election year. Zheesh.

The only trouble with the AP's take on gas prices is the reason why it now appears they will come down a bit during the summer: "expectations of lower demand as the global economy slows." It's as if any impact from that critical factor which might cause overall U.S. economic growth and therefore job growth to stay at their current mediocre levels won't matter. Sure, guys.

All in all, the report comes off as the kind of piece ordered up by AP management or expected of AP writers any time a development which really is a mixed bag can be spun as good news presents itself. That seems to be the Associated Press, aka the Administration's Press, mission in life any more.

Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.

Tanzina Vega of The New York Times reported Spanish-language broadcaster Univision took the opportunity during its upfront presentation Tuesday to do some gloating about its ratings gains against struggling NBC. (NBC has owned the other major Latino network, Telemundo, for the last ten years.) During the presentation – which included a dance number – the network’s top ad salesman David Lawenda took a few shots at NBC by pointing to how Univision had beaten NBC on 195 nights in prime time last year, including a slide that showed the network’s peacock symbol keeling over.

This is a sign of how the English-language networks can at times lose in the ratings to a popular Spanish-language show in America. To further drive home the point, Mr. Lawenda used a larger-than-life scale to urge advertisers to “balance your plan.”

On the side of the scale touching the ground were the major English-language networks (ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox) and on the other side was Univision. “Latinos don’t just consume Univision content,”  Mr. Lawenda said. “We’re part of their lives.”

He also brought on ABC "Modern Family" star Sofia Vergara to vouch for how she watches.

“I might work somewhere else but this is where I live,” Ms. Vergara said, echoing the network’s theme of the day, “Latinos Live Here.”

Ms. Vergara poked fun at Mr. Lawenda for not being Latino, to which he responded, “Me siento Latino en el corazón y en las caderas.” (“I feel Latino in my heart and in my hips.”)

NBC may have already counter-mocked Univision with its Manuel Ortiz Show skit (which has also featured Vergara).

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Filed under: Foreign Policy, Obama Administration, International, Barack Obama

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Filed under: Foreign Policy, Energy, Obama Administration, International, Middle East, White House, Economy, Barack Obama

President Obama has not ruled out tapping America's strategic oil reserves if oil prices continue to rise, but he added such a move would first require a "severe disruption of supply." Increasing gas prices, triggered by the unrest in the Middle East, were among the topics the president addressed at a Friday afternoon press conference that touched on the devastating Japanese earthquake, America's possible involvement in Libya, and the budget stalemate in Congress. Obama said the opening of the country's strategic oil reserves remains a possibility, but he declined to specify under what circumstances the reserves would be opened, other than to say it would take a major event -- one similar to 1970s OPEC crisis, or one that severely hobbled production capabilities, as when Hurricane Katrina shut down oil refineries in the Gulf. He added that opening the reserves could be done expediently -- that the process "was teed up" and would not require months or weeks of preparation. However, the president also maintained that now there is "no shortage of supply" in the global oil market and said the real problem is uncertainty. "We are confident about our ability to fill any potential gaps in supply," he said, noting that Libya in particular did not account for a significant portion of overall world production. With oil prices edging up in recent weeks, some analysts have called for increased domestic drilling. Obama shot down suggestions the White House has discouraged it, saying, "Any notion that my administration has shut down oil production might make for a good political soundbite, but it doesn't match up with reality." The proof, he said, is that the United States is "better prepared for supply disruptions" than in previous years, noting that "Today we use seven percent less oil than we did in 2005." The president attributed the decrease in part to more fuel-efficient cars. Last year, American domestic oil production reached its highest level since 2003, and that for the first time in over a decade, oil imports accounted for less than half of U.S. consumption, he added. The president insisted that comprehensive energy reform is the only way America can end its dependence on foreign oil. "We've been having this conversation for nearly four decades now," he said. Vowing not to hand reform off to the next administration, Obama said, "I think the American people are tired of that. They're tired of talk." Switching to Libya, Obama remained cautious regarding any military measures the U.S. was prepared to take, and instead offered that America had "an obligation to prevent" violence akin to the situations in Rwanda and Bosnia. But he was careful to say there's no evidence that violence on that scale is occuring in Libya."I'm not saying that's what happening," he clarified, "and [that] we're prepared to step in" right now. The president also addressed the budget war currently being fought in Congress, calling for both sides to come together and compromise. He opened the door to another potential two-week extension to continue funding the federal government, but criticized any temporary measures beyond that as "irresponsible." Obama placed some blame for the stalemate on Republican leaders, accusing them of filling their approved House budget with a raft of "political" riders -- ones he felt had no place in a budget bill. He further maintained that Democrats were going to "hold the line on critical programs" that he believed were key to America's future, including education funding and reform efforts. Regarding the recent earthquake in Japan, Obama said he was "heartbroken." He assured the public that the White House was coordinating with the Japanese government regarding security concerns, including possible nuclear containment from damaged reactors. American efforts to assist the Japanese government, he said, would likely be centered around "lift capacity" and cleanup efforts. Obama remained confident that the Japanese would rebound from the crisis, given the fact that the nation was "so resourceful, with such an advanced economy." Still, he said, the tragedy of the quake was being felt across the world: "Humanity is one," he said.

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Filed under: Foreign Policy, Obama Administration, Barack Obama

In the aftermath of Japan's massive earthquake, President Obama said the United States is "ready to help the Japanese people in this time of great trial." The president later spoke with Prime Minister Naoto Kan and offered assistance. Update: An explosion severely damaged a nuclear power plant in northern Japan on Saturday, blowing the roof off one building and forcing an evacuation of the surrounding area because of a radiation leak. The blast rocked the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station and smoke billowed up from a reactor, its containment vessel still protected by metal casing. At a news conference Friday, Obama said he was confident Japan would rebuild quickly, praising the strong economy and resourcefulness of the people. "It has dealt with (natural disasters) before and will deal with them again. And Japan, I'm sure, will come back stronger than ever -- hopefully with our help," he said. Obama was awakened at 4 a.m. by Chief of Staff William Daley, who informed him of the 8.9 magnitude quake, the largest in Japanese history, according to the Associated Press. The official death toll stood at 574 on Saturday, but a government spokesman said at least 1,000 had perished. Thousands more were missing following the earthquake, which triggered more than 70 aftershocks and a powerful tsunami that swept over cities and farmland in the northern part of the country. Obama got a mid-morning briefing from FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, and other senior officials who updated him on the evolving situation, including "actions being taken to assist U.S. states and territories that could be affected," the White House said. The quake damaged a nuclear plant about 170 miles northeast of Tokyo. The New York Times reported that thousands of residents in a six-mile radius of the facility were evacuated and the government declared a state of emergency. Experts estimated radiation levels were 1,000 times above normal in a reactor control room after the quake damaged the plant's cooling system. The president said he asked Energy Secretary Steven Chu to be prepared to assist with any breaches in Japan's nuclear power system, according to The Wall Street Journal. Three U.S. warships in southeast Asia were ordered out to sea to reposition themselves in case they are directed to provide assistance to Japan, an American 7th Fleet spokesman told the Times. The Pentagon said there were no reports of damage to American military facilities or naval vessels. The U.S. would "continue to closely monitor tsunamis around Japan and the Pacific going forward," Obama said. He instructed FEMA to be ready to assist areas that could be affected by the tidal surges. Waves as high as seven feet hit parts of Hawaii but little damage was reported. Powerful surges also reached the U.S. west coast, causing boats to sink in northern California. At least four people in California were swept out to sea and one was still missing. Watch video of the scene in Japan, courtesy the Associated Press.

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Four years after his failed presidential bid, Arizona Senator John McCain believes it’s time to shift the blame for years of federal failure to implement immigration reform to Democrats in Congress, and specifically President Obama.

Earlier this week, the federal government announced that the Air Force might be dispatching drones to a backyard near you. The stated purpose of these spies in the sky is to assist local police to find missing persons or kidnap victims, or to chase bad guys. 

Changes on the official White House website to the biographical narratives of past presidents reveal that we’ve never had a self-regarding narcissist quite like the Oval Office’s current occupant.  

The new medical reports in the George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin case tell us a lot. And it is not just for what they find, but also what they don’t find.

Sure I'm a Democrat and want President Obama to win re-election, but first and foremost I'm an American and I'd like the presidential candidates from both parties to be kind and decent human beings.

Wednesday the Alabama Senate will consider welcome reforms to that state's controversial immigration law.  Unfortunately the proposed changes will leave expensive economic regulations largely intact, impeding much needed job growth.

Did GM just pop the Facebook bubble? Though the announcement that the auto giant will pull its paid advertising from Facebook is unlikely to seriously undermine the latter’s upcoming IPO, it surely will cast a shadow over Friday's much-hyped event. 

Almost 200 years after it was founded, the Democratic party has become the opposite of what it once was. Now it is a party of special interests payouts that do not benefit the whole country, but rather certain privileged groups of citizens.

The left-leaning media is getting hysterical, launching over-the-top attacks on Mitt Romney and moving to protect President Obama as they see the public turning away from their man.

The free market (which, sadly, America doesn’t have) is fair. It also produces better outcomes. Even “losers” do pretty well.