Sunday punditry! Take advantage...
Kathleen Parker:
Once a cause such as hate-crimes legislation becomes associated with something as emotionally devastating as the savage murder of Matthew Shepard in 1998, it becomes difficult to question the merits of the issue.
That is one lamentable fact.
Another is that too often those articulating the merits, or lack thereof, make many of us wish we could switch planets.
Frank Rich:
That the same crowd is over the top now in its praise says more about the news business than Obama. The journalism industry is fighting for its life. Obama is the one reliable product that moves the market for newspapers, magazines and television. No wonder so many special sections, special issues and special cable marathons have alighted on the 100 Days.
Maureen Dowd:
"By definition, if it was authorized by the president, it did not violate our obligations under the Conventions Against Torture," Ms. Rice said, almost quoting Nixon’s logic: "When the president does it, that means that it is not illegal."
Peggy Noonan:
He is subtle and likes to kill softly. As such, he is something new on the political scene, which means he will require something new from his opponents, including, first, patience.
I am wondering once again if Republicans in Washington fully understand what they are up against.
William Kristol: Don't despair, Republicans. We'll be back.
With 60 Democrats in the Senate, it's Obama's Congress now. Republican obstructionism goes away as an issue and as a political talking point.
Sure. And I have a bridge to sell you that'll take you to Brooklyn.
Nicholas Kristof:
The flu crisis should be a wake-up call, a reminder that one of our vulnerabilities to the possible pandemic is our deeply flawed medical system.
"From SARS to avian flu to the current escalating outbreaks of swine influenza, it has become increasingly clear that we are risking a major catastrophe unless we act to restore the safety net," noted Deborah Burger, the co-president of the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee.
George Will:
Under Arnold Schwarzenegger, the best governor the states contiguous to California have ever had, people and businesses have been relocating to those states.
The legacy of Prop 13 and Howard Jarvis lives on. To avoid discussing it, I will blame it on liberal orthodoxy.