ooBdoo Government and Politics News

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iHaveNet.com

Political Commentary featuring Arianna Huffington, Andy Rooney, Chris Thomas and Others Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:50:04 +0100 Partisan Politics: O'Neill and Reagan - Model for Breaking Partisan Gridlock Bipartisanship in politics is never easy to find, even when the president has majorities in Congress as Obama does. Just ask allies of Ronald Reagan, who arrived with an Obama-size agenda and a split Congress. There were fights galore. House Speaker Tip O'Neill made sure of that. But there were also successful deals because the friendship Reagan and O'Neill built trumped partisanship Fri, 5 March 2010 Beware of 'Comprehensive' Anything Before envisioning dramatic change, the Roman emperor Augustus is said to have warned, 'Make haste slowly.' Augustus was eager for transformation, but also knew he had to deal with Roman tradition and special interests. President Obama should heed Augustus' advice. Rather than trying to tackle healthcare reform all at once, Obama would be better off advocating incremental changes Fri, 5 March 2010 President Obama Subjecting Himself to Questions in Variety of Ways President Obama finally held a news conference last week after a hiatus of seven months, the longest gap in a decade. But his aides say Obama is in no hurry to engage with the White House press corps again anytime soon. Actually, Obama isn't shielding himself from scrutiny; he is subjecting himself to more questions in a variety of ways to keep him in greater contact Fri, 5 March 2010 President Obama's Dangerous Game of Politics President Obama speaks to a country that is in a mood of pessimism and deflation. Gone is much of the hope and enthusiasm that greeted Obama in the early days of his presidency. The nation came together to derail a threatening Great Depression with strong support for the stimulus package. But Obama squandered this political momentum by pursuing agendas inconsistent with the country's focus Fri, 5 March 2010 President Obama's GOP Meeting President Obama's visit to the GOP meeting should be repeated. However, I'd like to see another way. Washington State publishes a voters' pamphlet with statements for each proposed action, statements against, then rebuttals of each. Our political climate is rife with statements and accusations without direct, point-by-point rebuttal Fri, 5 March 2010

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Security Debrief - a blog of homeland security news and analysis Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:06:07 +0100 Murder in Juarez — And Still no Leader at DEA, CBP, or ATF If this Administration were truly outraged by these drug-related murders and truly planned on working to bring justice to the border violence, it is doing so in an odd way: Practically the entire border security infrastructure of this Administration remains leaderless more than a year into Obama's tenure. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:06:07 +0000 It’s Time for TSA 2.0: Let General Harding Focus on Operations What the TSA needs now is a good makeover; hopefully Major General (retired) Robert Harding is going to be the one to bring in the new broom. TSA has languished for years under a cloud of mistakes, errors and just plain carelessness with respect to their public image and their overall effectiveness. Generals lead by implementing policies set down by their civilian leadership. It is long past time we let the professionals do their jobs and expect the politicos to do theirs. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:25:10 +0000 Airports deploy new security tactics — hand swabs I thought you might be interested in the story below regarding new security tactics being deployed at certain airports -- random hand swabs to check for explosive residue. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:20:14 +0000 Some travelers displeased about TSA body scanners Some travelers displeased about TSA body scanners - Government Executive The Electronic Privacy Information Center on Tuesday released a list of more than 40 complaints filed by air travelers about the use of whole-body imaging machines. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:36:35 +0000 LTG Russel Honore’s Candor on Communications In what was one of his typically colorful appearances, ret. US Army LTG Russel Honore, the famed “Ragin Cajun” of Hurricane Katrina fame did not disappoint the assembled audience of the 4th Annual DHS University Network Summit. Before a packed hotel ballroom of PhDs, graduate students, DHS S&T leaders, industry reps and more, Honore dropped one-liners and candid, colorful observations that literally had the audience roaring in laughter. Amidst the laughter though were some very frank observations about our nation’s preparedness and overall resilience posture. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:39:34 +0000