Liberal Talk Radio

Obama detractors on Left and Right have both taken pains to paint him as a closet Muslim. The willing mix up of “Obama” with “Osama” is just the most egregious example of a pattern that’s emerged over and over in this campaign - point out Obama’s differences in an effort to marginalize him and [...]

Surprise, surprise… the military junta ruling Myanmar is a real bunch of a**holes.

Haiti’s recent food riots have caused several deaths and lots of pain and suffering. This is depressing, and a reminder of what happens when globalization and “free trade” is approached from the point of view of helping the U.S. at the expense of the rest of the world:
Thirty years ago, Haiti raised nearly [...]

Well, at least they’re talking again, even if it may not accomplish much:
Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at People’s University in Beijing, said the Chinese government does not want the talks to be “interpreted as a concession under duress.” He predicted that any discussions would be unlikely to bring meaningful breakthroughs.
“I doubt [...]

There’s something poetic about the news that India’s Tata Motors is buying the Land Rover and Jaguar brands from Ford. The Land Rover was the car that was used to conquer, colonize and maintain british control over India, and now it’s owned by an Indian company. We are truly in the post-colonial [...]

One hallmark of a developed country is a responsive government that can identify a social problem and take steps to correct it:
Whatever their reason might be, a passing hearse or simple discomfort, Italy’s highest court ruled that men may not touch their genitals in public. The ruling settled an appeal by a 42-year-old worker from [...]

The award for most stunningly understated paragraph of the day goes to Nicholas Kristof for this gem from today’s column about Kenyan tribal chaos:
Until he was circumcised with a machete in front of a jeering mob and then dragged off to be beheaded, Robert Ochieng had been a symbol of modern, post-tribal harmony in Kenya.
Bonus [...]

[cue Don LaFontaine]In a world where turbaned madmen ACTUALLY WANT TO KILL YOU … [/Don LaFontaine]
There’s something charming about the Russian’s insistence on pretending they’re still a world power.
Last night, an anonymous American general broke some possibly alarming news: Over the weekend, a Russian bomber flew directly over an American aircraft carrier in the Pacific [...]

Talking about Charlie Wilson’s War and America’s involvement in Afghanistan in the 1980s, Will writes:
Ultimately, I have to disagree with both parties, and with both non-interventionist Democrats and neo-conservative Republicans. America’s involvement in the world should be based on America’s national interest. All other considerations are less important. Was the covert war propagated by [...]

Good interview in Today’s NYT:
“If, as president, I travel to a poor country to talk to leaders there, they will know I have a grandmother in a small village in Africa without running water, devastated by malaria and AIDS,” he said. “What that allows me to do is talk honestly not only about our [...]