http://wpblog.ohpinion.com Thoughtful commentary on the ideas, events, people and policies shaping our world Mon, 05 Jan 2009 07:47:45 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid should be whistling a happy tune and walking on air right now, finally able to advance the Democratic agenda with a working majority and, shortly, a Democrat in the White House. Instead, Reid is shooting himself and Senate Democrats in the foot by highhandedly ... http://wpblog.ohpinion.com/2009/01/04/reid-wrong-to-reject-burris/ James Carville waxes ominous in a curious column at CNN.com, hinting at yet-to-be revealed sex scandals in the Democratic camp. That kind of unseemly nonsense took a terrible toll on Bill Clinton's presidency and the whole country back in the '90's; it's the last thing Democrats trying to govern and the ... http://wpblog.ohpinion.com/2009/01/02/carville-sex-scandal-prediction-worrisome/ It's not surprising that teenagers who pledge abstinence from sex before marriage are no more likely to actually refrain than those who don't pledge, as findings of a new study make clear. "Taking a pledge doesn't seem to make any difference at all in any sexual behavior," said Janet ... http://wpblog.ohpinion.com/2008/12/29/teen-abstinence-pledges-made-to-be-broken/ To all our online friends and acquaintances, all the best of this holiday season. May your family and friends, whether near or far, be in touch and add to the enjoyment of your festivities. Please join us in praying, or keeping a good thought, for peace on Earth, goodwill to ... http://wpblog.ohpinion.com/2008/12/24/merry-christmas-to-all/ President-elect Barack Obama's transition team has released a report detailing a few contacts between two of his people, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, and in one instance a union official, concerning Obama's Senate replacement. No one should be surprised nothing in the internal report found any wrongdoing or even the appearance ... http://wpblog.ohpinion.com/2008/12/23/obama-team-report-reaction-predictable/ Remember the recent House and Senate hearings shown on C-SPAN in which Republicans, many with a Southern drawl, raked the CEO's of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler over the coals? Republicans tried to frame the bailout debate in terms of Detroit automakers being lumbering dinosaurs out of sync with ... http://wpblog.ohpinion.com/2008/12/22/toyota-projects-17-billion-loss-proving-republicans-wrong-again/ President Bush acted Friday to provide a desperately needed bridge loan for troubled automakers General Motors and Chrysler, effectively tiding them over until shortly after Barack Obama becomes president. The $13.4 billion loan money to be drawn from funds appropriated for the financial-industry bailout is, literally, about the least Bush ... http://wpblog.ohpinion.com/2008/12/21/bush-offers-automakers-small-loan-republicans-react-with-hissy-fit/ President-elect Barack Obama is making many good personnel selections as he prepares for the duties and responsibilities of the highest office in America, but naming Pastor Rick Warren to give his inaugural invocation is not one of them. The charismatic senior pastor of Saddleback Church in California is likable and ... http://wpblog.ohpinion.com/2008/12/17/obama-choice-of-warren-regrettable/ "It may be that General Motors, Chrysler and Ford are lumbering, Jurassic beasts that deserve their looming extinction. But only a free-market fundamentalist, a lunatic or a Senate Republican — perhaps that's redundant — would conclude that now is the moment to hasten Detroit's demise. "To recap: We're in the midst ... http://wpblog.ohpinion.com/2008/12/16/republicans-have-an-amazing-giftfor-making-bad-situations-worse/ Thanks to the union-busting attempt by several southern Republican senators with foreign-owned auto plants in their states, the fate of Chrysler, General Motors, Ford and their countless suppliers is now at the mercy of President Bush. The United Auto Workers union and jobs of 3.5 million to 5 million American workers ... http://wpblog.ohpinion.com/2008/12/14/bush-gets-big-last-chance-to-screw-the-country/