US Politics Videos: Political Blog & US Politics Videos // Current

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4 hours ago

$36 Billion Rainforest Protection Plan Agreed to by 35 Nations - Now Who Will Pay For It?

A group of 35 nations have agreed to a plan that aims to reduce global deforestation by 25% by 2015, The Guardian reports. The... more

pjacobs51
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6 hours ago

Is this the end for human space flight?

SO WE won't be going to Mars, not in my lifetime anyway. And not back to the moon either, not for decades. Buzz Lightyear fantasies are dashed. Don't believe the spin - the dream is over.

OK, the Augustine panel's review of NASA's human space-flight plans outlines several options. Mars may be out, but the moon is still in with a shout, and plans to go to the Lagrange points and even the asteroids are mooted. Technically, all this is probably doable. But it won't happen, and here's why.

The problem is not money: the US can afford an extra $3 billion a year. It is psychological. NASA, the only game in town, has no idea what space is for, and no audacity.

There certainly was audacity in 1961, when John F. Kennedy made his lunar pledge. The key line was not the crazy bit about landing a man on the moon, it was the hubristic promise to do so by 1970. If Wernher Von Braun had insisted the moon was unreachable before 1975, they probably would never have gone. Why? Because by 1975 Kennedy's presidency would be ancient history. Some other guy would get all the glory as Old Glory was hammered into the lunar regolith.

Of course that happened anyway, but Kennedy's reasoning must have been that, even in 1969, he would be able to bask in the glory of a successful moon shot.

It may simply be that space exploration is incompatible with US democracy. A Mars shot would take four presidential terms at least. No president will ask taxpayers to fund something he won't be around to take credit for.

Another big problem is the legacy of some terrible decisions that left NASA with the expensive, dangerous space shuttle and a white-elephant space station that manages the feat of making space seem as dull as cardboard. The whole thing is a mess.

So where now? Probably nowhere. Expect the Augustine report to be quietly forgotten. After all, we've been here before. In 1989 George Bush Snr promised the moon and Mars too, and that came to naught. The problem with these visions is that they are too sane. Human space exploration requires a tinge of madness - that theatrical Kennedy hubris - to work.

They'll probably keep the International Space Station going out of bloody-mindedness. The shuttles will fly a few more times. There will be some vague plans, more studies. Robots, of course, but no concerted attempt to look for alien life, the most compelling raison d'être for space exploration. But as to the moon, Mars, infinity and beyond, I'm afraid, in all likelihood, Buzz Lightyear will just have to wait.

Continued at link . . .

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427355.700-is-this-the-end-for-human-space-flight.htmlSO WE won't be going to Mars, not in my lifetime anyway. And not back to the moon either, not for decades. Buzz Lightyear... more

pjacobs51
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2 comments

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11 hours ago

Robotic Spy Planes Go Green

"Robot spy planes are harnessing alternative energy to make them more covert and longer lasting than ever. Such drones... more

DeliaTheArtist
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12 hours ago

Tax havens & currency speculation

Kapoor: Tax currency speculation, close off-shore tax havens and raise tax on unearned income

therealnewsnetwork
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22 hours ago

Steven Weber: Republicans are pussies.

Republicans are pussies. From the congressional chicken hawks to the half-baked Alaskan Sarah Palin; from the wild-eyed... more

slarabee
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42 comments

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23 hours ago

Beck lies again; claims that under the Senate health care bill, "You don't get a single benefit until 2014".

During his November 19 Fox News program, Glenn Beck falsely claimed that under the Senate health care bill, "All of the... more

slarabee
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4 comments

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1 day ago

Spare Sarah Palin the self-righteousness

WASHINGTON - Sarah Palin hardly needs defending.

She prides herself on being a supportive hockey mom, but she can lace on skates and deliver hard checks into the glass with the best of them.

Still, while watching and listening to a lot of the media discussion of the rollout of her book, I can't help noting that some of the coverage is more than a little selective, and hypocritical..........

.......Still, the widespread suggestion in some of the media commentary that she simply isn’t qualified enough to be considered a viable presidential candidate is ridiculous.

For male politicians, it’s always been a rule of thumb in politics and the media that once you were on a presidential ticket, you were automatically elevated onto the short list of contenders for future races.

If George H.W. Bush had lost in 1988, does anyone think Dan Quayle would not have been talked about as a potential candidate for 1992, even with all the political flaws he revealed in that race? Would the media have taken John Edwards as seriously in 2008 if he hadn’t been John Kerry’s running mate in 2004?

Call it sexism or what you will, but why should the media only compare ambitious women to impressive men, when so many ambitious but underwhelming men get so far in this world?

Media debate about why Palin is getting all this attention is also pretty laughable. Cable and network news producers cover her on television to boost ratings, print editors put her on their front pages and magazine covers to sell newsstand copies, and then everyone turns around and tsk-tsk’s: “What’s all the fuss? Is she good for the GOP? Is she good for America?”

At least in the having-it-both-ways department, Palin is a good match for the media. She is milking all the attention for book sales and political exposure while simultaneously using it to appeal to her base of rural, working-class Americans who feel neglected and disrespected by media elites.

---more at link---

This article is very fair and raises a lot of important points . Some points that people totally ignore on this site. They focus too much on what their party tells them to focus on.WASHINGTON - Sarah Palin hardly needs defending. She prides herself on being a supportive hockey mom, but she can lace on... more

J_Jammer
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18 comments

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1 day ago

Inhofe: "I proudly declare 2009 as the 'Year of the Skeptic'"

Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma has always been a thorn in the side of environmentalists, especially when it comes to climate... more

pjacobs51
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1 day ago

Quick Fact: Limbaugh falsely claims undocumented immigrants are covered under House health care bill

On his November 19 radio show, Rush Limbaugh falsely claimed that undocumented immigrants "are covered" under the... more

slarabee
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1 day ago

Lou Dobbs - Jon Stewart hits issues out of the park . . .

Jon Stewart, my new favorite news show . . .... more

Chique
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13 comments

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1 day ago

Fox News' year in apologies: fake videos, false info, cutting and pasting from GOP

On November 19, co-host Jane Skinner apologized for Happening Now "mistakenly" airing a fake video of Sarah Palin's... more

slarabee
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21 comments

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1 day ago

Jon Stewart on Sarah Palin

Palin derangement syndrome . . . ? http://www.hulu.com/watch/109820/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-wed-nov-18-2009

Chique
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1 day ago

Fox Misleading its Viewers... Again

For the second time in just over a week Fox misrepresented the number of people who came out to support a conservative... more

lucasives
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2 comments

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1 day ago

Hateful and Stupid

~y2009m11d10-Pat-Robertson-Islam-not-a-religion-but-violent-political-system-Video Pat Robertson called Islam a violent... more

lucasives
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1 day ago

President Obama’s Responses to Yoani Sanchez’s Questions

[President Obama responds to 7 questions posed to him by Yoani Sanchez from her blog in Cuba]
http://www.desdecuba.com/generationy/?p=1179

Thank you for this opportunity to exchange views with you and your readers in Cuba and around the world and congratulations on receiving the Maria Moore Cabot Prize award from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism for coverage of Latin America that furthers inter-American understanding. You richly deserve the award. I was disappointed you were denied the ability to travel to receive the award in person.

Your blog provides the world a unique window into the realities of daily life in Cuba. It is telling that the Internet has provided you and other courageous Cuban bloggers with an outlet to express yourself so freely, and I applaud your collective efforts to empower fellow Cubans to express themselves through the use of technology. The government and people of the United States join all of you in looking forward to the day all Cubans can freely express themselves in public without fear and without reprisals.

QUESTION #1. FOR YEARS, CUBA HAS BEEN A U.S. FOREIGN POLICY ISSUE AS WELL AS A DOMESTIC ONE, IN PARTICULAR BECAUSE OF THE LARGE CUBAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY. FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, IN WHICH OF THE TWO CATEGORIES SHOULD THE CUBAN ISSUE FIT?

All foreign policy issues involve domestic components, especially issues concerning neighbors like Cuba from which the United States has a large immigrant population and with which we have a long history of relations. Our commitment to protect and support free speech, human rights, and democratic governance at home and around the world also cuts across the foreign policy/domestic policy divide. Also, many of the challenges shared by our two countries, including migration, drug trafficking, and economic issues, involve traditional domestic and foreign policy concerns. Thus, U.S. relations with Cuba are rightly seen in both a foreign and domestic policy context.

QUESTION 2: SHOULD YOUR ADMINISTRATION BE WILLING TO PUT AN END TO THIS DISPUTE, WOULD IT RECOGNIZE THE LEGITIMACY OF THE RAUL CASTRO GOVERNMENT AS THE ONLY VALID INTERLOCUTOR IN THE EVENTUAL TALKS?

As I have said before, I am prepared to have my administration engage with the Cuban government on a range of issues of mutual interest as we have already done in the migration and direct mail talks. It is also my intent to facilitate greater contact with the Cuban people, especially among divided Cuban families, which I have done by removing U.S. restrictions on family visits and remittances.

We seek to engage with Cubans outside of government as we do elsewhere around the world, as the government, of course, is not the only voice that matters in Cuba. We take every opportunity to interact with the full range of Cuban society and look forward to the day when the government reflects the freely expressed will of the Cuban people.

QUESTION 3: HAS THE U.S. GOVERNMENT RENOUNCED THE USE OF MILITARY FORCE AS THE WAY TO END THE DISPUTE?

The United States has no intention of using military force in Cuba. The United States supports increased respect for human rights and for political and economic freedoms in Cuba, and hopes that the Cuban government will respond to the desire of the Cuban people to enjoy the benefits of democracy and be able to freely determine Cuba’s future. Only the Cuban people can bring about positive change in Cuba and it is our hope that they will soon be able to exercise their full potential.

[rest of questions provided below][President Obama responds to 7 questions posed to him by Yoani Sanchez from her blog in Cuba]... more

UrbanGypsy
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1 day ago

Landrieu leans to voting yes on debating health bill

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) said Friday night that she’s “leaning towards” voting to start debate on the health... more

current89
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40 comments

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1 day ago

Fox News AGAIN accused of airing misleading video

For the second time in just over a week, Fox News is coming under fire for misusing old news footage. The latest flap is leading... more

WakeUpPeople
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46 comments

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1 day ago

How the Senate Health Care Bill stacks up with the House Health Care Bill

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) unveiled his comprehensive health reform legislation, which the CBO projects would extend... more

Future_America
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1 day ago

Liberals, conservatives, agree: Timothy Geithner must go

What does it mean when a conservative Republican and a liberal Democrat both call for Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner to be fired?... more

Future_America
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1 day ago

Geithner Prods Congress on Financial Reform

WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner is pushing Congress to move quickly in overhauling the nation’s badly flawed financial rules, which he says is essential for the health of the economy.

Both the House and Senate are making progress toward revamping the current regulations, but Mr. Geithner said a rapid conclusion is needed to keep the economic recovery on track.

“To ensure the vitality, the strength and the stability of our economy going forward, we must bring our system of financial regulation into the 21st century,” Mr. Geithner said in remarks prepared for an appearance Thursday before the Joint Economic Committee.

Both the House Financial Services Committee and the Senate Banking Committee are working on their own versions of sweeping overhaul plans. But the two panels are taking sharply divergent approaches in some areas.

Both proposals also face sharp opposition from major sectors in the financial industry, casting doubt on how quickly Congress will be able to reach agreement and send a finished bill to the White House.

Mr. Geithner said a crucial principle the administration wants to see adopted is ensuring that firms not be able to escape or avoid oversight by shopping for the most lenient regulator, a situation critics say contributed to the worst financial market crisis in seven decades.

“The fact that investment banks like Bear Stearns or Lehman Brothers or other large firms like A.I.G. could escape meaningful consolidated federal supervision simply by virtue of their legal form should be considered unthinkable from now on,” Mr. Geithner said.

Another crucial principle the administration wants to see approved by Congress is to make sure the financial system as a whole is more capable of absorbing shocks and coping with failures. Mr. Geithner said this will require putting a greater focus on the quality of capital that firms are allowed to hold.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/business/economy/20treasury.html?hpwWASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner is pushing Congress to move quickly in overhauling the... more