Predictable and nauseating.

"We have at times been disengaged, and at times we sought to dictate our terms," Obama said to loud applause. "But I pledge to you that we seek an equal partnership. There is no senior partner and junior partner in our relations."

And while promising not to dictate anymore (as if that's what really happened*) he promised to talk to, er, dictators.

"The United States seeks a new beginning with Cuba," Obama countered in his own speech. "I know there is a longer journey that must be traveled in overcoming decades of mistrust, but there are critical steps we can take toward a new day." Earlier this week, Obama lifted restrictions on travel to the island by Cuban Americans.

And of course there's his new buddy Hugo (see photo below) who gave him a book outlining how horrible Europeans and Americans have been to Latin America. I'm sure Obama will find much to agree with in it.

More: Just a reminder, Obama opposes the Colombian Free Trade Agreement. That's a position even the LA Times Editorial Board takes him to task for.

Obama's trade statement mentions setting "benchmarks" for Colombia and "conducting extensive outreach and discourse with the [American] public," which is beyond exasperating. Colombia has listened to labor concerns and implemented changes in its judicial system to address them. The country has earned this agreement; the United States should approve it.

All that capitalism and deals with democratically elected governments is just icky or something.

*Just to be clear, I took Obama to be talking about the evil Bush administration. If he was making a broader historical point, that's a different discussion but to date his mea culpas have been for the evils of the last 8 years.

Posted by: DrewM at 07:55 AM | Add Comment
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Check out this awesome shot from SHORPY. No handrails and you know it swung in the breeze:

Awesome. Gives me butterflies just thinking about it.

Click for the large version.

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 07:16 AM | Add Comment
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In a Newsweek article titled Journalism’s Savior? we have an interview with Steven Brill regarding his upcoming effort to single-handedly save journalism. You may vaguely recall his name from when he launched a massively hyped magazine in 1998 called ”Brill’s Content” which was intended to cover news media itself. A little more on that at the bottom.
But first, letÂ’s take a look at his current flash of brilliance:

”Steven Brill—the man who gave the world American Lawyer magazine, CourtTV and the Clear Card—is looking to do a little something for the ailing journalism industry. Brill announced this week that he and partners L. Gordon Crovitz, the former publisher of The Wall Street Journal, and Leo Hindery Jr., the former CEO of AT&T Broadband, have started Journalism Online LCC. The company plans to help publishers charge readers for online access to some stories as well as negotiate licensing fees with news aggregators and search engines that use their content.

(lots more giggles below the fold)
more...

Posted by: Open Blog at 05:52 PM | Add Comment
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Over half a million people. Tepid.

The left sure is ginning up a lot of contempt for something that fizzled so "tepidly."

Thanks to PJMomma.

Posted by: Ace at 04:25 PM | Add Comment
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At Stop the ACLU.

LGF's response here.

Posted by: Ace at 04:23 PM | Comments (24)
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These right-wing extremists and their bizarre notion that Obama might be some kind of socialist.

Thanks to Anti-Harkonen Freedom Fighter Geoff.

Posted by: Ace at 02:36 PM | Comments (1)
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...coinciding, coincidentally, with the national tea parties.

This is nasty stuff. Another entry in the What if Bush had done it? column. Painting all political opponents as extremists just to "win the media day."

And then shrieking when some political opponents overreact to the provocation, precisely as had always been the intent.

It's not fascism, but it does demonstrate a callow disregard for civility, fair play, and democracy.

Yes, democracy. Because at the heart of democracy is the idea that the state will not come after you simply because of your politics. Without this idea, there is no democracy; there is civil war. A people needs to be able to trust its government not to punish them for merely disagreeing in order for all to buy into democracy. No one is going to support a system which slits their own throats in an orderly, peaceful fashion.

This report goes right up to that line of suggesting, without saying, that "dangerous" political viewpoints will be subject to penalty.

Does Obama actually intend such a thing? No. But he sure seems nonchalant about suggesting it. And he seems to do so for the pettiest reasons imaginable -- to win a cycle in the media.

Posted by: Ace at 02:29 PM | Add Comment
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Came across this. For those of you wondering what hipsters are.

It's hard to know, exactly, because all hipsters deny being hipsters.

more...

Posted by: Ace at 01:53 PM | Comments (1)
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Since David Schuster and Anderson Cooper had so much fun tea bagging, perhaps the next time there is a protest movement it ought to feature gerbils. I'm just sayin'.

Posted by: Uncle Jimbo at 12:55 PM | Add Comment
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The media gets cute with the Obama-as-Messiah thing.

The headline doesn't even make sense. The Dead, for reasons unfathomable to me, hasn't ever been dead.

Posted by: Ace at 12:54 PM | Add Comment
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