As seen from the left, both in the United States and in Europe, Barack Obama's recent trip was a signal failure.

What, it may be asked, did the left expect of him?

They expected a clear repudiation of President George Bush's war policy. But Obama is subtle, and it is too much - especially in the midst of a presidential campaign - to expect clarity of him. The left has already chosen sides:

Buried in the housing bill that was passed by both the House and Senate is a provision dealing with the required reporting to the IRS of credit card transactions and third party payments from intermediaries like PayPal.

The wording of the bill has both the media and elected officials who voted on it confused. Unclear is whether all transactions will be reported, whether the transactions have to

At the present moment -- remembering that there is nothing more changeable than a moment -- Hanna Strange reports from Timesonline, these are the positions of Sen. Barack Obama on the war in Iraq.

As the moment passes, Obama will begin to sound more and more like John McCain, if not President George Bush, the Teddy Roosevelt of the 21st century.

Further modifications (revisions) in Obama's views

The gas crisis borders on the same type of affect that passage of the Amnesty bill would have had on this nation. Now on center stage is the gas crisis, which threatens to cripple our economy because our nation's leaders have failed to move America toward energy independence. Furthermore, it threatens our national security. We could be held captive by the same nations that harbor, support and

It's the end of July, and once again the state of California does not have a budget. California's strict 2/3 legislative voting requirement is largely responsible for the impasse, and with the 14 - 17 billion dollar projected state deficit, it looks like we're in for a protracted battle.

So what does our esteemed governor think is the solution? Governor Schwarzenegger is expected to comment next

The American right has something in common with the extreme left. Both chose to ignore that little something called the social market economy; both seem ignorant of the fact that there can be a kind, gentle capitalism with a social conscience.

Let's look back to when Castro assumed office. Che, for example, had seen the plight of the poor and excesses of the rich. He was (rightfully) enraged by

It’s ironic that in an election year highlighted by the contest between a black man and a white man for blue and red states, the determining factor should be which of these men is better able to deal with the grey area in which much of today’s world resides.

There have always been questions and musings about issues and ideas that didn’t have clear cut answers. Today however, with the acceleration

The WSJ does not hesitate to name the sinners. Here is a rundown of previous postings by the Journal warning of the dangers of what one of my acquaintances in the business world calls "fascism lite."

Among the sinners are U.S. senators Charles Shumer, Barney Frank (truly a citizen of the world) and former presidential candidate Chris Dodd.

On Fannie, Freddie, Saints and Sinners

blog: Connecticut

 Barack Obama's trip abroad is one whale of a marketing job.

To say he is getting presidential treatment from the TV networks is an understatement. Few presidents get such a boost (for free, please note) and that only after some outstanding achievement, like winning a war. But the honors to Barack from the media are not just presidential. There is a whiff of the imperial, of what used to be

According to the China Aid Association, Pastor Zhang Zhongxin has been sentenced to two years in a Chinese labor camp by Shandong Province authorities for participation in cultic activities.  To American ears, such allegations bring to mind images of passing around poisoned Kool-Aid or of adolescent brides forced to wed lecherous old men; however, in this case this pastor engaged in religious