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Friends, in Need: Obama Faces Backlash on Jobs, Economy

Maybe health care is the easy part. Not quite easy, fine. But getting 60 votes on Saturday is, at the moment, among the least of the worries for an administration that's left on the lookout for its friends.

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November 20, 2009 in Afghanistan, Congress, Democratic party, Health Care, Obama Agenda, President Obama, Republican Party, Senate, Stimulus, The Note | Permalink | User Comments (124)

Story of Jobs: Administration Faces Credibility Gap, as Talk Grows of New Stimulus

The stimulus package, that early presidential victory that's cost so much, has provided President Obama with its own set of headaches at every step along the way.

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November 18, 2009 in The Note | Permalink | User Comments (62)

Palin Principles: Who’s (Not) Afraid of Sarah Palin?

No one -- up to and very much including John McCain -- quite knows what to make of Sarah Palin. No one better encapsulates the contradictions and absurdities of this era in American politics than the woman who was virtually unknown on the national stage 15 months ago.

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November 17, 2009 in The Note | Permalink | User Comments (85)

Rogue Nation: A Chance for a Palin Makeover -- If She Wants It

As a full week of Palin Mania begins -- with Oprah Monday, the book launch Tuesday, and Barbara Walters' interviews spread through the week, all as build-up for the most famous bus tour since, well, the Straight Talk Express -- we will learn much about the GOP and its relationship with its hardly reluctant superstar.

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November 16, 2009 in The Note | Permalink | User Comments (48)

The Din: Afghanistan Looms for Obama, but Palin Dominates Another News Cycle

Democrats, in November, are looking for new ideas to pay for health care... and Republicans are now warring over abortion, too... there's rumblings inside the top levels of the administration... a major Gitmo announcement is coming Friday... we're about to get in deeper in Afghanistan, but only if it brings us closer to the way out... George W. Bush wants smaller government...

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November 13, 2009 in The Note | Permalink | User Comments (37)

Baggage Handling: Obama leaves behind unfinished business as he leaves for Asia

Mostly, though, this one stands out because President Obama's most important work is staying behind while he's in Asia over the next week.

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November 12, 2009 in The Note | Permalink | User Comments (42)

Love to Hate: Democrats drive skepticism of health care reform

These have been dangerous times for reform efforts in the past, since they opened the news cycle up for introspection and recriminations. This one's no different -- and addition still looks like subtraction for the vote counters.

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November 11, 2009 in The Note | Permalink | User Comments (41)

Brushfires & Fantasies: How long before health care bill is too big to pass?

In a thousand-cuts kind of bill, some of the cuts are self-inflicted. The bleeding now, over abortion rights, adds to the long list of complications for Democrats who are balancing tricky math on the Hill.

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November 10, 2009 in The Note | Permalink | User Comments (52)

Everybody Wins? Little incentive for compromise, as both sides celebrate health care vote

The champagne in both clubhouses in the wake of this weekend's health care vote tells you everything you need to know about the polarization of politics these days -- and why health care reform is still a very long way from reality.

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November 9, 2009 in The Note | Permalink | User Comments (81)

The Toll: Tragedy freezes politics -- and starts new debates

The awful news out of Fort Hood, Texas, is a story that will consume all the political oxygen for a while.

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November 6, 2009 in The Note | Permalink | User Comments (40)