PostPartisan: January 16, 2011 - January 22, 2011

What President Obama is -- and isn't -- campaigning on

President Obama's reelection campaign is starting up. The White House announced that the president is moving political advisers back to Chicago, and that he has chosen who will run his campaign. Then on Thursday, Vice President Biden sent millions...

By Stephen Stromberg  | January 21, 2011; 6:19 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (7)
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Sy Hersh's loopy crusade

It's getting more attention than his previous rants, but there's really not much new in Seymour Hersh's diatribe against the "crusaders" who supposedly "hijacked" U.S. foreign policy during the Bush administration, with the purported intent, as Hersh put it...

By Charles Lane  | January 21, 2011; 5:10 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (40)
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Responsible plans vs. Republican Study Committee's plans

Discretionary spending, the part of the federal budget that is not on autopilot and is subject to annual appropriations, generally constitutes less than 40 percent of federal spending. Take out defense spending and that share drops to well under...

By Ruth Marcus  | January 21, 2011; 2:44 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (53)
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So pretty much everyone is a socialist?

Kevin D. Williamson nastily dismisses my criticism of his definition of socialism over at The Corner. One wonders why he had to resort to snark in claiming that I misapprehended his point -- probably to distract from the fact...

By Stephen Stromberg  | January 20, 2011; 2:36 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (36)
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Obama to Mubarak: Forget Tunisia

Tunisia's popular revolution should have been a wake-up call to the rotting autocracy of Egypt's Hosni Mubarak and his supporters in the Obama administration. Instead, Cairo is moving to retrench, with the tacit blessing of President Obama. Aged Tunisian...

By Jackson Diehl  | January 20, 2011; 9:16 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (45)
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After health-care reform repeal, Tea Party disappointment

The Tea Party has its sop. The new Republican House has passed a bill repealing President Obama's health-care law. The Democratic Senate won't. Now the Tea Party politics really begin. Not just between left and right. But between conservative...

By Stephen Stromberg  | January 19, 2011; 7:32 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (64)
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Obama is a socialist, right?

In the National Review, Kevin Williamson discusses the right's use of the term "socialist," and he dismisses those who protest that "that 'socialist' is being used as a mere smear word, empty of other content." But in 4,000 words,...

By Stephen Stromberg  | January 19, 2011; 4:33 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (23)
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Myths -- ahem -- lies about health-care reform

The Post, enamored of euphemisms, calls lies myths. Thus the headline on a terrific article by Glenn Kessler entitled "Debunking common myths about health-care reform." The first myth is that "This is a 'government takeover' of the health-care system."...

By Richard Cohen  | January 19, 2011; 11:41 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (110)
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Americans don't want health-care repeal

It is simply not true that "the American people" want President Obama's health-care reform law repealed. House Republicans should be aware that while conservative activists may support the action they're about to take, surveys indicate that the general public...

By Eugene Robinson  | January 18, 2011; 7:54 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (194)
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Palin bites back -- and won't let go

Last week, Sarah Palin bit back at those who claim that she has contributed to a nasty tone in American politics. She started with praise for vigorous, free and respectful debate. Then she accused her opponents of arguing in...

By Stephen Stromberg  | January 18, 2011; 4:25 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (73)
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Tom Toles's Cartoon Caption Contest

Everyone should check out Tom Toles's Cartoon Caption Contest, which started up today and runs through Jan. 24. The winner gets a signed print of the cartoon and excellent bragging rights. So take a peek here....

By Stephen Stromberg  | January 18, 2011; 3:20 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (5)
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When Teddy Roosevelt was shot

Since the Tucson killings, the country has been debating whether violent words spoken in politics can be fairly seen as pushing unstable people toward committing actual acts of violence against politicians. One historical figure who is widely respected by...

By E.J. Dionne  | January 18, 2011; 2:58 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (10)
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Thank God Dr. King didn't sneeze

On Sept. 20, 1958, Martin Luther King Jr. was signing copies of his first book, Stride Toward Freedom, at a Harlem bookstore when a deranged woman stabbed him in the chest. As King later recounted, "the tip of the...

By E.J. Dionne  | January 17, 2011; 12:22 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (41)
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