WASHINGTON — By insisting Tuesday evening that "it's time to turn the page," President Obama was talking about more than the Iraq War, and doing much more than reviving one of his most effective slogans from the 2008 campaign.He was also trying to turn the page on a period in which he has found himself on the defensive, his party in a perilous position for November's elections, and his reputation for political mastery in doubt.Obama's Oval Office speech was resolutely nonpolitical in form but profoundly political in its implications. To rescue his party, Obama had…
from: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/09/02/can_obama_turn_page_on_his_troubles.html
If it were a crime to venture onto Capitol Hill to reveal yourself as a self-absorbed liar with an inability to admit mistakes, there would be tumbleweeds blowing through the vacant halls of Congress. Fortunately for members of the legislative branch, that is not a crime. Unless your name is Roger Clemens.The eccentric baseball legend is not one to let people disparage him without a forceful response, any more than he was one to let batters crowd the plate without retaliation. A couple of years ago, after being accused of using performance-enhancing drugs, he voluntarily appeared before a…
from: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/09/02/the_pointless_prosecution_of_roger_clemens_106973.html
Gallup is out this week with a new poll showing the generic Republican beating the generic Democrat in House contests by 10 points. The gap, Gallup points out, is the biggest one it has seen in midterm generic polls since it started doing them. It is substantially larger than the gap in 1994, when Republicans took control of the House in the first midterm election of the last Democratic president, Bill Clinton.Does that mean it's time for Republicans to start picking the drapes for their new leadership offices? Should Nancy Pelosi be packing up her gavel?Not so fast.In a choice…
from: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/09/02/democrats_doomed_not_so_fast_106986.html
