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Hillary Clinton Brings Change to the State Department
Tweet Share on Facebook January 23, 2009 Comment (18)By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
Things aren't only changing at the White House. Harper's Magazine reports there's a whole new tone at the State Department:
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Economic Recession May Be Finally Drawing to a Close
Tweet Share on Facebook January 22, 2009 Comment (3)By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
Has the economy gone as low as it's going to go? Who the heck knows, even though everyone has an opinion. Most people I talk to say they think the worst is anything but behind us, and we have quite a way to go before we hit bottom.
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Caroline Kennedy Drops Bid to Replace Hillary Clinton in Senate; Paterson Should Select a Woman
Tweet Share on Facebook January 22, 2009 Comment (9)By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
So much for Caroline Kennedy. The New York Times reports she's withdrawn her bid to replace now-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the U.S. Senate.
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On Obama, God, and the Religious Right
Tweet Share on Facebook January 21, 2009 Comment (12)By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
What is the Obama administration's attitude toward God? Clearly, President Obama is a deeply religious man and not afraid to show it in public. He is smart politically, trying to woo the evangelical community away from the GOP fold and into the Democratic camp. That inaugural invocation by Rick Warren, however, characterizing the nation as Christian (excluding deeply patriotic Americans who are not) was more divisive than inclusive.
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On Obama's Inaugural Speech: He's a Man, Not a God
Tweet Share on Facebook January 21, 2009 Comment (14)By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
Like my colleague Robert Schlesinger at Thomas Jefferson Street, I, too, was fascinated by President Obama's speech. I was looking for that "there is nothing to fear but fear itself" or "ask not what your country can do for you"-type line and never heard it.
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Barack Obama Will Spend His Precious Time Managing Expectations
Tweet Share on Facebook January 20, 2009 Comment (7)By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog.
On the financial side, expectations for President Obama's performance have been driven to a point beyond limerence.
As defined at Reference.com:
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Barack Obama Isn't Superman, and It's Divisive to Think So
Tweet Share on Facebook January 20, 2009 Comment (16)By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
Can we get back to normal now? Can we get down to addressing the myriad problems that plague us? Can our feet touch the ground and our minds grasp reality?
Being in Washington this past week has been like living in a dream world where everyone's excited, happy, rich, starry-eyed, star-studded, and fancy free. This is nothing like the real United States, where stocks have lost trillions of dollars in value, credit is ridiculously tight, unemployment is at record highs, houses are being ripped out from under defaulting owners, and jobs do not exist.
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Jonah Goldberg: Death Beats Irrelevance
Tweet Share on Facebook January 16, 2009 Comment (9)By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
Jonah Goldberg referring to my post on why Bush should be prosecuted:
Me: No, I didn't know Erbe was still alive either. Self-parody keeps you young, I suppose.
Death beats irrelevance. The uber-right apparently didn't notice that in the last election it lost.
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On the Bush Farewell Address: He Couldn’t Defend the Country or His Record
Tweet Share on Facebook January 16, 2009 Comment (50)By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog.
Outgoing (thank God!) President Bush told any Americans who were listening last night that his legacy will be having kept America safe. Ha! Read this ditty from the Associated Press and make up your own mind:
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Barack Obama Administration Should Cut Billions From Faith-Based Initiatives
Tweet Share on Facebook January 16, 2009 Comment (97)By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
Since Congress and the White House are promoting astronomical spending, there's got to be somewhere to cut the budget. Otherwise, as I've blogged before, the result will be an overstimulated economy and hyperinflation. I have an idea where the Obama administration could easily secure $15 billion in spending cuts in an area where the Bush administration spent wantonly and without any proof of success—faith-based programs:
"According to White House tallies, nonprofit groups received $15.3 billion in competitive grants in fiscal year 2007, an increase of 3.9% over the previous year. That figure included $2.2 billion to faith-based nonprofits, which have received federal grants of more than $10.6 billion since the initiative got underway in 2002."
Any other ideas out there? Post your thoughts in the comments section.
Bonnie Erbe
Bonnie Erbe is a contributing editor at U.S. News & World Report and hosts PBS's weekly news analysis program, To the Contrary with Bonnie Erbe. She also writes a weekly syndicated newspaper column for Scripps Howard News Service.
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