Tag Archives: Barack Obama

The Value of an Anniversary

3/19/2009 – 8:06 pm

Thirty years ago today was a Monday. After track practice, Dan O’ Hara and I went to Al Oliver’s house to help kill what was left of a keg of Molson’s Golden Ale from Al’s St. Patrick’s Day party the previous Saturday. It was warm, flat and skunky, but we pushed through, as returning a […]

By floegel | Posted in Commentary, Economy, Energy, Iraq Invasion, Oil | Also tagged , | Comments (0)

Stupid Political Games

2/19/2009 – 11:42 am

Some people don’t like politics because it often seems so stupid and immature. Strike that – people don’t like politics because it often is stupid and immature. In the month since Barack Obama’s inauguration, we’ve been (mis)treated to some of the worst displays of puerile politics in recent memory, which might be amusing, if the […]

By floegel | Posted in Commentary, Electoral Politics | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

The Arrogance Virus

2/5/2009 – 10:37 am

This time last week, Barack Obama was calling Wall Street bankers “shameful” for taking huge bonuses a) in the midst of an economic crisis that b) they caused and c) using taxpayer money that was meant to stabilize their banks. How could these guys be so clueless and out of touch? Sure, they shuttle between […]

By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Also tagged , | Comments (0)

Miracle on the Potomac

1/22/2009 – 8:37 am

Inauguration Day in Washington, DC was cold. Not Vermont cold, but around 30 degrees, cold enough when standing in one place for several hours on end. The sun poured from a clear sky and warmed my face. Adrienne and I were on the national mall Tuesday, proud to swell the ranks even if we represented […]

By floegel | Posted in Civil Liberty, Commentary, Electoral Politics | Also tagged , , | Comments (0)

Smart is Not Enough

1/15/2009 – 11:07 am

I’m in Washington, DC this week and the town reels already with inauguration fever, even as the temperature plunges. As I type, a flatbed truck bearing 12 port-o-sans drives past the window, headed for the National Mall, there to await the expected millions next Tuesday. At least this week, the capital’s homeless will find a […]

By floegel | Posted in Commentary, Electoral Politics | Also tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Headed for Trouble

12/11/2008 – 11:36 am

Shortly after he was nominated as Barack Obama’s running mate, reporters overheard Joe Biden speaking with a National Guardsman. “If I had your hair, I’d be president, you know what I mean?” Mr. Biden said. “I wouldn’t be screwing around with this job.” Mr. Biden, long known for working the border between candor and too […]

By floegel | Posted in Commentary, Electoral Politics | Also tagged , , | Comments (0)

Where Things Used to Be

11/20/2008 – 11:35 am

I’ve been driving around southern Louisiana this week. It’s my first visit in three years, since I was here in the weeks after Hurricane Katrina. Life has changed here. I’m not sure if Louisianans live in the future while the rest of us live in the present or if they live in the present while […]

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