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Cuba responds
It became clear last year that Cuba is governed as much by nepotism as by socialism. And while the Cuban state may block citizens’ access to U.S. media, its leadership certainly pays close attention. This statement by Raul Castro seems to allude to the question that touched off the Clinton-Obama foreign policy dispute, which I discussed here: If the new
The dogs of war update
I’ve noted here that the Baghdad Diarist column in TNR, about a soldier running over dogs for fun with a Bradley, etc., has been called into question as a possible hoax. The author of the piece has written in, and he’s standing by his story. Some of the commenters aren’t buying it. TNR has pledged to recheck every detail and
Orrin Evans at Reuben’s Marc
Orrin Evans, the renowned pianist, is playing regularly at a new club in Mt. Airy, just outside Philly. It’s a new and interesting development in town. My story, in today’s Inquirer.
The Obama-Clinton dispute
The debate highlight I commented on here has become a major bone of contention between the Obama and Clinton campaigns. To recap quickly: The question concerned whether the candidates would be willing to meet with leaders of hostile countries without condition, in the first year of a new presidency. Obama said yes. HRC said no, and she’s now on the
A beautiful song
It’s by my friend, Jamie Leonhart, and it’s called “The Truth About Suffering.” Go to her MySpace page and listen.
On CNN (a debate postscript)
Beyond the debate, CNN seems worse than usual these days. One report on Sunday’s Turkish election carried the screen banner “Radical Islam Threat,” which paints a totally misleading picture of Turkish politics (the Islamic AK Party is doggedly pro-European Union, while the secular opposition is in some ways more hostile to democracy). I also note with mounting impatience the fact
The debate II
The YouTube debate format was certainly entertaining. But while there’s nothing wrong with levity, the instrusion of entertainment values into politics is a problem, and the YouTube concept seems to encourage it. Some of the questions were pure throwaways. At the risk of sounding humorless, this election is serious. Airtime is too precious to waste. Soliciting questions from ordinary citizens
The debate
I’m enthusiastic about Barack Obama and I think he did well in last night’s CNN-YouTube debate. But one exchange struck me in particular, and Hillary Clinton gave the better response. The question (transcript here): In 1982, Anwar Sadat traveled to Israel, a trip that resulted in a peace agreement that has lasted ever since. [An aside: Sadat was assassinated in