Commentary
Obama’s own ‘Rendezvous With Destiny’
Franklin Roosevelt knew the Great Depression offered an opportunity to do more than rescue a sick economy. It was a unique chance to pursue a higher purpose for government — to make life less risky for future generations. If Roosevelt is the standard, Obama will be judged not just on how he deals with the economic crisis, but on how he uses it.
Obama and Congress: Up Close and Personal
The career of another senator-turned-president offers valuable lessons. Lyndon B. Johnson transformed the ties between the legislative and executive branches. ‘If it’s really going to work,’ LBJ said, ‘the relationship between the president and the Congress has got to be almost incestuous.’
A $50-Billion Warship Mystery
While costly, the ship was the linchpin in the sea service’s advanced strategy to patrol and fight in the most dangerous shallow sea lanes, known as littorals. Think Iraq’s national waters, where the country’s two oil terminals are located. But the Navy suddenly killed the weapon program. The explanation has pleased no one — especially Congress.
Faith and the Uniform
Two atheistic groups and a lawsuit call on Washington to end its sanction of religion in the military. Critics decry this as an attack on a venerable tradition. But the blend of martial and spiritual in the armed forces is largely the residue of the fight again communism in the late 1940s and 1950s. What will the Obama administration do?
Obama’s Chicago Boys
The political animals that roam Mayor Richard Daley’s City Hall are pragmatic deal-makers above all else, including ideology. They would rather win you over than roll you over. Power politics is a bipartisan affair in the Windy City.
Obama Fends Off Bush’s Embrace
In navigating the transition before his Jan. 20 Inauguration Day, President-elect Obama must avoid the pitfalls that have undermined presidents-elect past.
Palin Strikes Back
John McCain, Palin aides assert, has no idea of the location of the Tlingit Indian reservation, nor any idea how, when or why the Eagle Dance is performed.
Obama the Visionary Minimalist
The president-elect is something new in American politics. In showing unfailing respect for those with competing views, he attempts to produce solutions that will accommodate the defining commitments of his fellow citizens. But he also wants to transform the nation’s self-understanding.
The President-elect and The Chairman
Obama fuses JFK with RFK — the cool concealing the intense emotional message. It’s hard to think of a comparable figure on the American landscape. Well, there’s one. Sinatra.
Obama’s Delicate Balancing Act
The president-elect has raised the expectations for all of us, patriotic expectations, moral expectations, expectations of what it means to be a citizen. But as Obama raises expectations, he must also lower them. There are going to be sacrifices involved. That’s the trick.
