THE WEEK IN EDITORIAL CARTOONS
This weekly diary takes a look at the past week's important news stories from the perspective of our leading editorial cartoonists (including a few foreign ones) with analysis and commentary added in by me.
When evaluating a cartoon, ask yourself these questions:
- Does a cartoon add to my existing knowledge base and help crystallize my thinking about the issue depicted?
- Does the cartoonist have any obvious biases that distort reality?
- Is the cartoonist reflecting prevailing public opinion or trying to shape it?
The answers will help determine the effectiveness of the cartoonist's message.
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The Broadcasts Will Continue Until Morale Improves
Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press
Important
As happens so often when you use between 500-1,000 HTML codes, you end up making one tiny error and spend a great deal of time finding it.
This diary has 17 sections plus the diary poll and I will post them in piecemeal fashion so as to zero in on the error. Please bear with me as it may take a few minutes to post the complete diary.
Thanks.
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Update #1
I'm just going to post this diary as is. I don't think there is any error (not that I can find) and will post the rest of this diary perhaps tomorrow.
I'm just too tired to fix this after trying for several hours.
I think Kos needs to consider a different HTML system which pinpoints the error in red or something. This is ridiculous!
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Update #2
I've added a few more cartoons. I cannot seem to post large chunks. So, I'll try some more to see if I can get the rest posted too.
Thanks again for your patience.
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Update #3
I think I finally succeeded in posting 98% of the cartoons except a few I'd saved on Image Shack as opposed to Photobucket. I'd never had problems with those before though.
Hope you like the diary in its final form. :)
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R.I.P. Senator Edward Moore Kennedy (1932-2009)
John Sherffius, Boulder Daily Camera
Paul Szep, Huffington Post
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As I mention down below, I wrote this diary honoring Senator Kennedy a few days ago. If you missed it, here's an excerpt
Senator Edward Moore Kennedy was a man of incredible decency and good manners. Always true to his political convictions and beliefs, he, nonetheless, treated opponents in the same considerate and graceful manner as he did his friends, staff, and allies.
The youngest of nine children and born into privilege, Senator Kennedy had what his mother Rose called the "9th child sense" of trying to survive and thrive in a large family. It was perhaps in that environment that he mastered the art of reconciliation, a trait that would serve him exceptionally well throughout his remarkable and long legislative career.
Jeff Stahler, Columbus Dispatch
Rob Rogers, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Bruce Beattie, Daytona News-Journal
Matt Davies, New York Journal News
Mike Keefe, Denver Post
Bruce Beattie, Daytona News-Journal
Gary Markstein, Copley News Service
Dwane Powell, Raleigh News and Observer
Paul Szep, Huffington Post
Bruce Plante, Tulsa World
Scott Stantis, Birmingham News
Jeff Koterba, Omaha World Herald
John Deering, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Cal Grondahl, Utah Standard Examiner
Ed Stein, edsteinink.com
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Stein writes in his blog
There could be be no more fitting way to remember the man whose lifelong passion was providing universal health care for the American people. Perhaps his death will shame those whose distortions, misrepresentations and outright lies threaten to derail reform into doing the right thing. One can hope.
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You can watch this past Friday's Memorial Service in full at the Kennedy Family website and also read dozens of tributes to Senator Kennedy by leading political and societal figures from around the world.
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Introduction
The death of Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) this past Wednesday, August 26th resulted in an outpouring of sympathy for and tributes to the legendary senator. Within a day, dozens of editorial cartoonists celebrated his life as well as his many accomplishments affecting the lives of millions of average, working-class Americans. Several of them also remembered his links to the 1960's political era that came to be known as "Camelot" and he was hailed as one of the greatest legislators in U.S. history. Later that evening, I paid my tributes in this diary -- A Special Tribute by Editorial Cartoonists: 'The Dream Lives On' -- which received dozens of poignant and heartfelt comments.
The announcement by Attorney General Eric Holder that he was appointing a Special Prosecutor to investigate torture abuse cases by the C.I.A. also received a lot of play although there was a great deal of skepticism expressed if the higher ups (Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld et al) would ever be prosecuted even if evidence of criminal wrongdoing pointed in their direction. Republicans continued to be severely criticized for their obstructionist and destructive ways in the healthcare debate. Democratic leaders too weren't spared criticism for lacking guts and principles to do what is necessary. Reactions to the release of the only man ever convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie Bombing remained negative.
Ben Sargent, Universal Press Syndicate
It was a rather sad week with Senator Kennedy's passing but there was hope expressed that his legacy will endure and that Democrats will honor him by passing the real focus of his life's work, healthcare reform.
Let's hope it does happen.
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1. CARTOONS OF THE WEEK
Mike Peters, Dayton Daily News
Kevin Kallaugher (KAL), The Economist (U.K.)
Over the past month, the vague illusion of "bipartisanship" has collided with the harsh reality of strident obstructionism. The Republican Party never had any interest in and intention of cooperating with the Democratic Party in enacting meaningful healthcare reform other than to water down its provisions so as to render any reform meaningless. As Bill Moyers pointed out in this excellent interview with Bill Maher, why should they? There is no earthly reason, Moyers contended, for the G.O.P to hand the Democrats their biggest domestic achievement since Lyndon Johnson injected a measure of compassion in American life through his Great Society programs in the mid-1960's.
Over the past two elections, the country entrusted the Democrats first with both legislative chambers in 2006 and, then in 2008, with the White House through Barack Obama's historic election. Clearly, there was wide-spread dissatisfaction with and anger at the Republicans to guide this country. The time has come for President Obama and Congressional Democrats to demonstrate leadership and push healthcare reforms through and, if necessary, go it alone. Given large legislative majorities in both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives and historical trends indicating an erosion in this advantage over time, will there ever be a better time to do so? And what exactly does the Democratic Party think it would lose were it to so choose this legislative path?
What new approach should the Democratic Party adopt in pushing this most important of national priorities? Several years ago, I watched Economist John Kenneth Galbraith explain in a C-SPAN interview that the great achievement of liberal intellectuals and politicians in the 1930's was to take complex economic ideas and distill them to the public in simple, easy-to-understand language widely understood by most of the country, where even today almost three out four adults do not have a four-year college degree. The problem with many Democratic leaders today -- having moved to national prominence through our system of meritocracy and admirable as that might be in a country that values excellence and achievement -- is that, after having done so, this upward mobility also brings with it a certain aloofness, insularity, and perhaps an inability to talk to those not so fortunate and left behind. Contrast this with Democratic politicians of the past -- and patricians no less -- like Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy who were wildly popular with the traditional working classes, whose cause the Democratic Party has historically championed and still pretends to represent.
Jeff Stahler, Columbus Dispatch
It wouldn't be too much of an exaggeration to say that most Democrats are children of the Enlightenment. They pride themselves in relying upon rational discourse and reason as means to appeal to people's intellects. In our present toxic political climate, where the opposition is immune to such logical persuasiveness, what we have learned is this logical approach may also be a fatal flaw in our arsenal of ideas.
I believe what we need, instead, is a little less Enlightenment and a whole lot more Romanticism. For the Democratic Party to regain the upper hand in the politics of heathcare reform, using intuition, imagination, and emotion to explain the moral imperative of healthcare reform can be an effective approach in communicating our superior policy ideas to the public. As Professor George Lakoff recently suggested on these pages, we need to shed the sterile, technocratic language of public policy and adopt a simpler approach in framing issues that the public can not only understand but get behind in a supportive fashion.
After all, the Republicans have used a powerful negative emotion (fear of the unknown) -- coupled with a high-profile campaign of disinformation -- to sow sufficient doubts amongst the public and dilute support for reform. Cloaking themselves in faux patriotism, they've engaged in the worst kind of fear-mongering, race-baiting, intimidation, and boorish behavior. And our party's elected leaders want to politically compromise with these people?
Tony Auth, Philadelphia Inquirer
The Ouija Board
Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press, see reader comments in response to this cartoon by Bennett
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Jeff Danziger, New York Times Syndicate
Many of you will recall the classic 'Saturday Night Live' episode in late 1988 in which Jon Lovitz played the role of the 1988 Democratic Nominee, Governor Michael Dukakis (D-MA). A good and decent man, Dukakis was perhaps incapable of displaying any emotion even when confronted with an inflammatory question in one of the presidential debates and one that would have enraged most people. In that SNL skit, Lovitz shows frustration when incumbent Vice President George H.W. Bush (played by Dana Carvey) responds to questions in his trademark incoherent fashion. In exasperation, Lovitz mutters to himself, "I can't believe I'm losing to this guy!"
The time has come for our leaders -- and, yes, that includes President Obama -- to stop coddling Republicans and healthcare industry lobbists for they do not have either the Democratic Party's or the country's best interest at heart. We don't want to say months or years from now that we lost to "these guys."
I think the the time has come for a go-it-alone approach to healthcare reform as I believe that it is the only way anything will get done this year.
David Horsey, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Tom Toles, Washington Post
The Cowardly Lion, Tin Man, and Scarecrow
R.J. Matson, St. Louis Post Dispatch
Paul Szep, Huffington Post
Matt Bors, Idiot Box
Tom Toles, Washington Post
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2. What Do Guns Have to Do With Debating Healthcare Reform?
Matt Bors, Idiot Box
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Altie Cartoonist Matt Bors gets to the heart of the matter in discussing the presence of guns near town hall meetings
There have already been two shootings by right-wing lunatics since Obama's election and it will only be a matter of time until another, perhaps more devastating, attack will occur from a racist hillbilly christian nationalist with PTSD and a copy of The Turner Diaries. How could it not? Conservative commentators and members of congress openly promote the idea that Obama is an illegitimate Kenyan turning the country into a socialist state. The climate of paranoia and hostility on the right has reached a fever pitch. Obama still talks of working with them.
Many black men in America can't "open carry" their wallet near police without being shot 50 times. Anti-government extremists, meanwhile, brandish assault rifles outside of a presidential rally -- implicitly threatening violence -- and it's their sacred right. An armed society is a polite society, they say, so there should be no better way to calm the raucous town halls than for all the attendees to have loaded assault rifles.
Jim Morin, Miami Herald
David Fitzsimmons, Arizona Star
Jimmy Margulies, New Jersey Record
Ted Rall, Universal Press Syndicate
oel Pett, Lexington Herald-Leader
Lloyd Dangle, Troubletown
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Dangle explains in his blog entry as to how he got the idea for this cartoon
I don't know what's going on in politics and the news except for the fact that health care is, maybe, fucked? And people keep showing up to political rallies with guns? I dreamed this solution last night. What can I say? It came from my unconscious.
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3. Town Howlers: Is the Worst Over?
David Horsey, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
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By ceding ground this summer to Congressional Democrats in the healthcare debate and having them lead on this issue, President Obama proved that legislators are largely incapable of assuming a national leadership role. I wrote this diary early last year in which I cited historical trends that barring a few exceptions, why it is so difficult for legislators to ascend to positions of higher leadership. There are certain things that only a President can do
- Lack of executive, managerial, and leadership experience. It may help to be a former governor. But simply being a governor is not sufficient.
- Inability to speak in plain English and instead resorting to 'Legislativese,' i.e., excessive use of acronyms or obscure terms holding little or no meaning for many, if not, most of the voters.
- Inability to effectively defend their legislative record.
- Inability to compete with the lure (and myth) of the incorruptible outsider (governor or military general) riding into town to rescue the country's political system.
David Fitzsimmons, Arizona Daily Star
Drew Sheneman, Newark Star-Ledger
Bill Schorr, Cagle Cartoons
Lee Judge, Kansas City Star
David Cohen, main.nc.us/cartoons
Matt Wuerker, Politico
Steve Benson, Arizona Republic
Dana Summers, Orlando Sentinel
Drew Sheneman, Newark Star-Ledger
Tom Toles, Washington Post
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4. Healthcare Reform: It is Almost Crunch Time
Tim Eagan, Deep Cover
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In recent weeks, lots of legitimate questions have been raised about the strategies employed by Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats. On the other hand, there are signs that a final push may indeed work for the Democrats to ensure passage this fall
Reform supporters are planning to hold more than 500 events between Wednesday and when lawmakers return to Washington Sept. 8, ranging from neighborhood organized phone banks to professionally staffed rallies with hundreds of people.
The Democratic National Committee and its grassroots arm, Organizing for America, are helping to organize the effort along with the Health Care for America Now, a group pushing to create government-run insurance plan.
Steve Sack, Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Mike Keefe, Denver Post
Tony Auth, Philadelphia Inquirer
Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Vic Harville, Stephens Media Group (Little Rock, AR)
Matt Wuerker, Politico
Lee Judge, Kansas City Star
Richard Crowson, Wichita Eagle
Joel Pett, Lexington Herald-Leader
Rainer Hachfeld, Neues Deutschland (Germany)
Theo Moudakis, Toronto Star
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-State of Delusion)
Taylor Jones, Politicalcartoons.com
Dwayne Booth, Mr. Fish
Dana Summers, Orlando Sentinel
Monte Wolverton, Cagle Cartoons
"Name That Plan!"
Slowpoke, Jen Sorensen
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Altie Cartoonist Jen Sorenson lends a helping hand to Democrats to try to regain the initiative in the healthcare debate
After posting this cartoon, I came across a quote by Bill Maher suggesting that the public option "sounds like a toilet at the train station." I would like to note that I arrived at my restroom interpretation independently...
A couple other minor details: I have always empathized with John Hodgman in those PC-vs.-Mac commercials, so I'm not entirely sure this marketing campaign would work. But it's worth a try. Also, after I drew the tough guy in the last panel, it occurred to me that he looks like an Evan Dorkin character.
Tom Toles, Washington Post
Matt Wuerker, Politico
Randy Bish, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Jen Sorensen, Slowpoke. Sorensen based this cartoon using a handy timeline on the New York Times website showing the history of U.S. health care reform efforts
Mark Streeter, Savannah Morning News
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5. The G.O.P: A Party Adrift?
Walt Handelsman, Newsday
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Consider this sports analogy to understand the state of the two major political parties in this country: if Democrats are in the 4th quarter of a close-fought football game (read healthcare debate) holding on to a tenuous 20-17 lead after having fumbled the ball twice and thrown a few interceptions, the Republican Party is simply in godawful shape. Trailing 28-7, they have no chance of winning the game they are in.
An article in the Wall Street Journal implies that no real or perceived weakness in the Democratic Party will revive the fortunes of the Republican Party. That will not happen unless they put forth a positive policy agenda
In this August of Democratic difficulty, here's something that Republicans ought to keep in mind: Politics isn't a zero sum game.
That is, just because one party is down doesn't automatically mean the other party is up. That's an underlying principle of American politics, but it's remarkable how often it's forgotten.
In this case, it means that even as Democrats hit rough seas, Republicans shouldn't forget that they still face significant deficiencies and structural problems of their own -- problems that just a few months ago seemed almost insurmountable. The danger for Republicans right now, in fact, is that they become so entranced by the recent decline in President Barack Obama's fortunes that they lose sight of their own problems.
Bruce Beattie, Daytona Beach News-Journal
Henry Payne, Detroit News
Jim Day, Las Vegas Review-Journal
Robert Ariail, robertariail.com
R.J. Matson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Coming Soon: Texas Bloodbath between Rick Perry and Kay Bailey Hutchison
Ben Sargent, Universal Press Syndicate
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6. C.I.A. Torture Investigation: How Far Will it Go?
Rob Rogers, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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Michael Tomasky calls the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate torture abuses by the Central Intelligence Agency a surprising bold move by the Obama Administration.
Rob Rogers, editorial cartoonist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, offers his thoughts on the inquiry
CIA torture meets town hall meeting. With all the fuss over the investigation into the CIA interrogation techniques, I tried to picture the worst kind of torture imaginable. For some reason I kept picturing those town hall meetings. What would happen to the war on terror if the CIA had a weapon like the anti-government wacko who verbally assaulted Arlen Specter? Maybe we'd have bin Laden by now.
Dick Cheney, a man who believes in waterboarding, is mad about the Justice Department probe into alleged abusive interrogation techniques by CIA agents. Cheney called the investigation an "outrageous political act." That must mean we are on the right track.
Pat Oliphant, Universal Press Syndicate
Circle Of Accountability
R.J. Matson, St. Louis Post Dispatch
Bruce Plante, Tulsa World
Matt Wuerker, Politico
Bob Englehart, Hartford Courant, see reader comments in the newspaper in response to this cartoon by Englehart
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Editorial Cartoonist Bob Englehart of the Hartford Courant knows the reputation of the Special Prosecutor, John Durham
Oh boy, here we go. Just when you think that health care reform will dominate the discussion this fall, we get this new issue heaped on our plate. Fact is, all fingers point to W. Bush, Deadeye Dick Cheney and Alberto Gonzales, although don't expect any satisfying resolution. Ultimately, probably only a couple lawyers will go to jail if any laws were broken.
Of course Eric Holder won't be doing the dirty work. He's assigned prosecutor John Durham to look into the CIA. For those of you living in other parts of the so-called civilized world, the guy is a living legend in New England. Durham was the prosecutor who uncovered the corrupt FBI agent and the corrupt Massachusetts state trooper the movie "The Departed" was based on. Durham played a key roll in putting about a third of the Patriarca crime family in jail and later, he directed prosecutions that put former governor John Rowland in the slammer. Whew. If there's evidence of a crime, he'll find it.
Redacted
Pat Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune
Tom Toles, Washington Post
Chris Britt, State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL)
Stuart Carlson, Universal Press Syndicate
Ben Sargent, Universal Press Syndicate
Chan Lowe, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, see reader comments in the newspaper in response to this cartoon by Lowe
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Editorial Cartoonist Chan Lowe of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel isn't sure if there will be any high-level prosecutions or convictions but still thinks the investigation is necessary
An investigation of alleged illegal acts is probably a good thing for the republic. Obama has made it clear that those who were only following orders will not be prosecuted (that argument didn’t fly when it was made with a German accent, but this is the national security of the American homeland we’re talking about now, folks).
That leaves...whom? Probably nobody, because going after the principals of the Bush administration who set the policy would distract everyone from Obama’s priorities, not to mention possibly derail his presidency.
In any case, if we don’t at least examine the excesses of our behavior and do a little public self-reflection, then our already-battered worldwide reputation as a nation of laws will suffer even further.
And the terrorists—while not exactly winning—will have achieved a tactical victory in the battle for hearts and minds.
Paresh Nath, Khaleej Times, (UAE)
Terry Mosher (Aislin), Montreal Gazette
Steve Sack, Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Vic Harville, Stephens Media Group ( Little Rock, AR)
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7. Barack Obama Facing Crushing Problems at Home and Abroad: Who'd Wanna Be in His Shoes?
Jack Ohman, Portland Oregonian
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Does Barack Obama need a little bit of Harry Truman in order to ensure healthcare reform ends up as he had envisioned at the debate's start?
What is at stake in the debate over health care is more than the mere crafting of policy. The issue is now the identity of the Democratic Party.
By now we know that Democrats can bail out traditional Republican constituencies like Wall Street, but it remains to be seen whether they can enact a convincing version of their own signature issue, health-care reform.
As health-care debates always have done, this one has pushed to the fore all the big questions about the rightful role of government, and too many Democrats have sought to avoid them with mushy appeals to consensus and bipartisanship. The war is on and if Democrats want to win they need to start fighting.
Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Kirk Walters, Toledo Blade
Mark Streeter, Savannah Morning News
Robert Ariail, robertariail.com
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8. Why Doesn't Obama Get Credit for Stabilizing the Economy?
Matt Bors, Idiot Box, see blog comment by Bors on why he drew this cartoon
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According to an 'Economist/YouGov poll,' more Americans (24%) think that the economy is getting better than did in February 2009. However, E.J. Dionne of the Washington Post points out in an excellent article that President Obama is getting no credit for preventing what could have been a catatrophic economic situation
The hardest slogan to sell in politics is: "Things could have been a whole lot worse." No wonder President Obama is having trouble defending his stimulus plan...
But because the cataclysm was avoided, this is an invisible achievement. Many whose bacon was saved, particularly in the banking and corporate sectors, do not want to admit how important the actions of government were. Anti-government ideologues try to pretend that no serious intervention was required.
So everyone goes back to complaining about high deficits and the shortcomings of government as if nothing had happened. This is now creating problems for Obama on health care.
Mike Peters, Dayton Daily News
Tom Toles, Washington Post
Tony Auth, Philadelphia Inquirer
Ed Stein, edsteinink.com, see blog entry by Stein when drawing this cartoon
Mike Peters, Dayton Daily News
Joe Heller, Green Bay Press-Gazette
Signe Wilkinson, Philadelphia Daily News
Gary Varvel, Indianapolis Star-News
Mike Thompson, Detroit Free Press, see the large number of reader comments in response to this cartoon by Thompson
Arcadio Esquivel, La Prensa (Panama)
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9. External Concerns: Whither Afghanistan?
R.J. Matson, St. Louis Post Dispatch
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An article in the New York Times puts things in perspective in Afghanistan
The darker currents that have undercut the American-led war in this country have surfaced often over the past eight years, but rarely have so many come into view all at once.
In the space of a single week, a string of disturbing military and political events revealed not just the extraordinary burdens that lie ahead for the Americans and Afghans toiling to create a stable nation, but the fragility of the very enterprise itself.
Drew Sheneman, Newark Star-Ledger
Taylor Jones, Politicalcartoons.com
Jeff Danziger, Creators and Writers Syndicate
David Horsey, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
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10 Social Security Annual Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA's)
Chan Lowe, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
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Lowe writes that Congress may not able to withstand the pressure from seniors who will not be receiving benefit increases for the first time in three decades
So Social Security recipients are going to want to know, in no uncertain terms, why they didn't get their annual raise. It will be amusing, to say the least, to hear members of congress carefully explain the above rationale about inflation to someone for whom a couple of dollars may dictate whether they have to miss a meal this month or not.
My guess is they won't be able to take the heat.
Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press, see reader comments in response to this cartoon by Bennett
Jim Day, Las Vegas Review-Journal
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11. The Lockerbie Bomber Controversy
Steve Benson, Arizona Republic
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The release of the Lockerbie Bomber continues to be controversial according to the Financial Times
The rumbling after the release of Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, the Libyan convicted of the Lockerbie bombing, has turned into thunder.
There was a storm in the Scottish parliament, where everything from the sanctimonious grandstanding of Kenny MacAskill, the justice secretary who freed Mr Megrahi, to the hero’s reception featuring Scottish flags at Tripoli airport, came under attack. The silence of Gordon Brown and evasions of his ministers are being parsed with condemnation while, across the Atlantic, everyone from President Barack Obama to FBI director Robert Mueller is outraged. "Your action makes a mockery of the rule of law," Mr Mueller wrote.
Joe Heller, Green Bay Press-Gazette
Chris Britt, State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL)
Jim Morin, Miami Herald
Nate Beeler, Washington Examiner
Chip Bok, Akron Beacon Journal
Peter Broelman, broelman.com.au (Australia)
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12. School Reopenings
Dave Granlund, Politicalcartoons.com
Dana Summers, Orlando Sentinel
Charlie Daniel, Knoxville News Sentinel
Joe Heller, Green Bay Press-Gazette
Public School Fees
Dave Granlund, Politicalcartoons.com
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13. Sports Talk: Of Cheerleaders and Football
Bob Englehart, Hartford Courant
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Bob Englehart of the Hartford Courant is not happy that the University of Connecticut decided to do away with cheerleaders
Spirit squad? What, are we going to sing "Kumbaya" when our Huskies score a touchdown? Hugs all around? Trust falls in the beer line? Oh, wait. I get it. I was thinking cheerfulness, that they were going to be cheerfulnessleaders.
Now I see the plan. I was thinking of the wrong kind of spirit. They're going to go around handing out shots of vodka when UConn scores a touchdown. Maybe a little Scotch after an extra point. A little gin for a forced turnover. Jello shots for a field goal. Now THAT'S the spirit!
Gary Markstein, Copley News Service
Phil Hands, Wisconsin State Journal
Vic Harville, Stephens Media Group (Little Rock, AR)
Drew Litton, drewlitton.com
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14. Hurricane Katrina: 4th Anniversary
Dave Granlund, Politicalcartoons.com
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This past week was the 4th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina
U.S. President Barack Obama is marking the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which destroyed much of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana and devastated the nation's Gulf Coast.
Four years after Katrina left more than 1,000 people dead and more than one million homeless, President Obama is recalling the horror Americans felt when watching the tragedy.
"None of us can forget how we felt when those winds battered the shore, the floodwaters began to rise, and Americans were stranded on rooftops and in stadiums," he said.
With parts of New Orleans and other Gulf Coast cities still in ruins, Mr. Obama says he has been focusing on efforts to rebuild communities and lives.
Jim Day, Las Vegas Review-Journal
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15. Final Thoughts
Finally, is smoking marijuana any worse than smoking cigarettes or drinking heavily? How many annual deaths are caused by people who smoke dope either for recreational purposes or out of medical necessity?
John Sherffius, Boulder Daily Camera
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A Note About the Diary Poll
Andy Thomas, Poker Playing Democratic Presidents, pictured (left to right): Jimmy Carter, John Kennedy (standing), Franklin Roosevelt, Bill Clinton, Andrew Jackson, Woodrow Wilson, Lyndon Johnson (standing), and Harry Truman
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Two articles from late last year detailed the enormous international and domestic challenges facing Barack Obama even before he had been inaugurated as President of the United States. These problems were more severe than those faced by any Democratic President except FDR in the past century.
The Economist magazine summarized what awaited Obama on the international front
BLISS it is in this dawn to be alive. That will be the reaction of many people around the world to America’s election of a thrilling new president -- young, black, with political and intellectual gifts well above the ordinary. But the world that will face Barack Obama when he moves into the White House in January is not very heaven. It is, in fact, a mess.
On the domestic side, the list was as long if not longer
The list of domestic problems facing the President-elect is a daunting one: high unemployment, increasing child poverty, growing numbers of Americans without health insurance, rising rates of homelessness due to mortgage foreclosures, a lack of affordable child care, disappointing educational outcomes, and the coming pressure on provisions for the elderly, to name just a few.
As you ponder your choices in the poll -- given that there has been intense focus on healthcare reform the past few weeks -- keep in mind that there are numerous other issues that the Obama Administration has to contend with. Yes, he needs our constructive criticism but, more importantly, also our constant support in resolving these issues given to him as a gift by his predecessor.
As many of you know, I never give the 'All of the Above' choice in my polls. So, you'll just have to choose one issue.