President Obama checks to see if he still needs the umbrella held by a U.S. Marine during a joint news conference with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Rose Garden of the White House, May 16
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Text of remarks here
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First Lady Michelle Obama with Emine Erdoğan, wife of Turkish PM, May 16. Photo by Lawrence Jackson
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@PeteSouza: POTUS has dinner with PM Erdogan of Turkey in Red Room at WH
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It’s. The. Law. #ObamaCareInThreeWords, twitter.com/whitehouse/sta…
— The White House (@whitehouse) May 16, 2025
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@WhiteHouse
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#ObamacareInThreeWords Actually Pro Life.
— Jason Febery (@JasonFebery) May 16, 2025
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Washington Post: Since Republicans took control of the House of Representatives in 2011, the House has voted 36 times to repeal either all, or part, of President Obama’s health-care law.
On Thursday, the House is scheduled to do it again, taking up another bill that would repeal the health care law in full.
With number 37 on the way, here are the details of the first 36 votes….
Read here
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GOP to replace Obamacare with Benghazicare - a health plan based on belief that a fake scandal is the cure for everything.
— Frank Conniff (@FrankConniff) May 16, 2025
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Steve Benen: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) was asked yesterday about House Republicans, once again, voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act, even though House Republicans realize this is pointless. Noting the insanity of doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results, Reid said they have “truly lost their minds.”
That’s not an unfair assessment….
More here
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Fuck yeah Obamacare! #ObamaCareInThreeWords
— Imani ABL (@AngryBlackLady) May 16, 2025
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Did pigs just fly? Did a reporter just speak the truth…..
TPM: Wow, This is Pretty Epic
Generally, once partisan, tendentious sources leak information that turns out to be wrong, nothing’s ever done about it. That’s for many reasons, some good or somewhat understandable, mostly bad. But on CBS Evening News tonight, Major Garrett did something I don’t feel like I’ve seen in a really long time or maybe ever on a network news cast. He basically said straight out: Republicans told us these were the quotes, that wasn’t true….
More here
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Was this written as a ransom note? RT @jrubinblogger: WHite Ouse BAD, AWGUL, HORRIBLE week not over yet
— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) May 16, 2025
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Heritage letter to Republicans on Capitol Hill: don’t legislate, just scandalize Obama on.thegrio.com/16mXJEQ
— theGrio.com (@theGrio) May 16, 2025
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An interesting read or two on BuzzFeed - here and here
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@TheDailyEdge
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National Memo: Despite Lowest Deficit In Five Years, GOP Still Threatening More Debt-Limit Sabotage
Read here
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The real scandal is the state of our media immasmartypants.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-re… @smartypants32
— Smartypants (@Smartypants32) May 16, 2025
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Steve Benen: Watching a ‘scandal’ evaporate before our very eyes
Read here
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Best definition ever of the ‘news’?
Upworthy
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Line of the day?
Charles Pierce on Louie Gohmert: “Perhaps the dumbest mammal to enter a legislative chamber since Caligula’s horse.”
More here
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Steve Benen: There’s been an interesting trajectory to the IRS controversy over the last several days. Initially, the condemnations were just about universal — no one was prepared to defend a policy in which the tax agency treated some groups unfairly based solely on ideological grounds. The IRS has to be neutral and even-handed at all times, and anything short of that standard is scandalous.
But yesterday, I started noticing some pushback from credible observers wondering whether the story isn’t quite what it appeared to be at first blush. Jeffrey Toobin, for example, asked whether the IRS actually did anything wrong….
More here
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This video is called #WeTheGeeks - Dudette? Deep breaths:
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‘The Most Absurd Graphic That CNN Has Ever Featured: “Arias, Holder, Simpson On Hot Seats” businessinsider.com/cnn-coverage-e… twitter.com/TheObamaDiary/…
— TheObamaDiary.com (@TheObamaDiary) May 16, 2025
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Wayne Rooney hears about White House RTing a Chelsea fan:
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But wait:
:cool:
White House.gov
ObamaCareInThreeWords …He does care
Beauty.
hello
Evening TOD…Wonderful roundup Chips! My CPU went into matrix mode today…..now I get to catch up. Congrats on first Martz!
Been gone all day. Got go catch up with all the posts.
Hello Africaaaaaaaaa!
Bahahahahahahahaha….you wish Barack Obama tweeted that. The white house and Pres. Obama are true blue Chelsea fans.
‘Scuse me? Are you calling that a fake tweet????????
Hello Chips. Whew got to catch my breath on all the news today. Still not finished reading. I LOVE this little oasis.
Hello there!
Mighty Fine Law……Obamacareinthree words
Good article at CBS – we need to send them some love Scott Pelly’s speech about Journalism, Major Garrett’s comments and now this
Where is the Benghazi cover-up Republicans promised?
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57584907/where-is-the-benghazi-cover-up-republicans-promised/
Looks like we are on the same page Whatisworking……I like John Dickerson, CBS News Political director, he is an objective guy…..unlike his big headed colleague Chuck Todd, who has the same position at NBC, or Mark Preston at CNN.
Somebody follows TOD Chips….gonna love this lead ” Does Jon Karl Have The Juice To Survive Benghazi Email Controversy? ”
Many of you may have seen tweet I posted the other day…..if you have not worth a look at the video
Now this, from tonight’s evening news….
“”Journalists Are Getting Big Stories Wrong, Over & Over Again”
LP, the question is why are these people still employed as journalists? The poor schmucks at IRS, who may or may not have done anything wrong, are to be fired, whereas the journalists who are either lazy, or are deliberate propagandists, continue to publish and broadcast lies and exaggerations, yet none of them lose their jobs.
There is no accountability Nath…I mean these are the same idiots who were prognosticating about the election as well (just like the faulty pollsters they would base their who’s up/down narrative)….I expect it from Cable talking heads, but when it’s the actual networks….who is left?
Programming note: a musical night owl thread is waiting in the wings.
Any more poetry Billy Collins?
Not today. But last night’s foray has me itching to take up once more a book-length piece I started working on last year.
Hope you do. Perhaps that would be more Tennyson or Homer than Billy Collins…..????
It’s actually a story of love, death, and surviving both. What better themes for poetry?
Thank for the news Jovie - Gabby deserves each and every good thing that exists in the world.
Oh, this chokes me up. I know PBO is looking out for her. This will be very good for her on so many levels.
That’s wonderful news. So appropriate for our warrior hero, Gabby Giffords.
Great news! Thanks for sharing it, Jovie.
Excellent post, Ms. Chips.
FLOTUS looks absolutely beautiful. Mrs. Emine Ergodan looks lovely as well.
So proud of our First Family in every way.
I agree FLOTUS does look beautiful.
That rain just washed away the rising GOPeddleScandal nonsense.
And thank you again for a place of sanity, Chips.
It’s only sane sometimes, Almablanca, but thank you!!!
In comparison, sometimes feels like almost always here.
Chipsticks you have giving me the giggles this day!
GGail, I hope you’re not laughing about my pain over the UT re-tweet?
If not, well - excellent! :-)
Chipsticks, I’ve been laughing at you so much over your “pain” that I failed to congratulate UT on having her tweet picked up by the WH! Way to GO UT!!!!!
Ohhhhh My!
I’m certainly glad I ate my dinner before coming back here.
You scare me sometimes…
A few thoughts on PM Erdogan.
I remember quite clearly when his AKP party began its ascent to power that the elites both in Ankara and DC were sounding the alarm bells that he would usher in Sharia law and destroy the secular state.
The thing is, that these Turkish elites—which include the military—really didn’t care much for democracy, were corrupt, and were insulated from the problems of the mass of Turkish citizens. Civilian governments would give way to military coups; not exactly democratic.
What Erdogan has done is give real meaning to Turkish democracy. He hasn’t destroyed the secular state, but neither has he stifled the religious expression of his citizens. He has brought a balance between the secular and religious, and in so doing has made democracy stronger and more resilient. And, more importantly, he has shown that a party with roots in Islamism can be democratic and a defender of pluralism. And he’s on the verge of settling the Kurdish conflict, something which eluded all Turkish governments before him.
another transformative leader much as our own president obama?
He really has been. And he’s been the first Turkish PM to not cower before the military, and has gone to great lengths to bring it firmly under civilian control.
I have a number of friends who have visited Turkey recently - some are from there (or Bulgaria), so they’ve been visiting family, and others have just visited for vacation. To be honest, I never thought about visiting there until recently. From what I’ve heard, it’s extremely romantic, and very beautiful and open. I can’t wait to visit some time in the near future.
A confused outsider would like to know
WHO in the GOP world had access to the emails that were so misrepresented by Jon Karl? Not only should Karl be fired - but his source has some serious issues to address.
Great question but unfortunately the media probably won’t dig into it since it would make them look bad.
I notice that Bill Press, who usually is pro-Obama, is wild-eyed about the AP “scandal” and has said that President Obama needs to dismiss Holder because “he makes him look bad”. For some reason, Press is viewing the AP “scandal” as an all out assault on reporters/journalists (including himself, I guess).
Personally, I could care less what these media people think. They add nothing to society, and in many ways, they are the enablers of the harm that has happened to this country - over and over and over again. They whine, they are an entitled bunch and they are completely worthless. They take away value. If they’re unhappy - then, I’m thrilled.
Probably the Speaker of the House, members of the Senate and House intelligence committees and members of Darrell Issa’s Government Affairs committee, a.k.a. the House witch hunt Committee. My money is on the criminal Issa as the fabricator- leaker. The other possible leaker is Michelle Backman who is on the House intelligence committee.
Thanks for the replies from all
nathkatun - so presumably these were the committees that saw the emails originally (February?) - when the mentioned speaker of the House was too busy to attend the meeting about same? I shall try and watch if Issa runs any more open hearings on same.
all the non-scandal mania in “the news” is so weird to me. it’s not like the president and his press secretary were calling on a man by name, and smirking as if they knew him well, who was simultaneously working at some unknown/fake “news” operation with white house access and as a gay male prostitute at the same time. now if president obama was doing that, i can see this kind of mania in “the news” and IF that ever happened, i’m sure these same “reporters” would really “got to the bottom” of it then, right? so much so you’d think it would be the end of his presidency and ruin his reputation forever in the eyes of “the news,” right? oh wait…
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/03/16/957020/-Remembering-Jeff-Gannon-Guckert#
okay, okay. so that happened, but surely if the leader of the free world was supposedly knocked unconscious and bloody about the face from of all things….A PRETZEL (allegedly)…now THAT would surely require media scrutiny which would bring down a president and his reputation forever in the eyes of “the news,” right!?!? now that’s a scandal “the news” would never just sweep under the rug and act as if, “move along, nothing to see here…” oh c’mon…
“the news” is 100% republican propaganda, 100% of time.
A pretzel!
He was stupid half of the time My brain could not compute what he said nor did could my eyes tolerate watching him.
He embarassed me and this country so much we were numb.
A pretzel!
“chokes on a pretzel” should be in quotes. Probably was drinking again.
yes, we’ll never know, since “the news” didn’t think that was scandal worthy and in need of investigation. many of the same people who are going nuts right now about made-up non-troversies about president obama, mind you. they didn’t care then about a president getting literally knocked out and bloodied up. oh, to be a republican president…you literally cannot do anything wrong in the eyes of today’s “newspeople.”
So they build a lie bary to compensate for HIS dumbness and hope we all forget.
We may not ever see the real truth come out about this fool. I just hope that our young people are paying attention and be bold to set history straight. Never ever let a fool on the Hill like this one.
So true, but Boehner has already promised more waste of time repeal votes in the future. That’s all they have.
If his liver holds out….unless he knows Cheney’s organ donor. How many hearts is one person allowed any way?
Even they will benefit from Obamacare……ugh!
From WH
David Simas: “A gesture that means something”
Hi all —
Today, Republicans in the House of Representatives are going to come together, cast a vote, and try to repeal the Affordable Care Act just as they’ve done nearly 40 times before. Don’t expect much to come of it………
We’re asking people like you to speak out, to let us know if you’re one of the 85 percent of Americans who’ve already benefitted from the health care law, and make a public stand in support of Obamacare. Lend your name http://wh.gov/ScXE
For email updates http://www.whitehouse.gov/get-email-updates
Chips, alex withdrawal symptoms ?
She’s going to get a Fathead wall sticker of Sir Alex, if she hasn’t already.
I have seen a bronze bust of that fathead in her home.
How did you get in to my kitchen????
Yes. :cry: But still clinging to the hope he’ll un-retire.
How are you, home yet?
Not yet. Yesterday’s testing, was a great success. Leaving for my first home/factory today with the kenyans. More testing tomorrow and then back to aeroporto to drop the kenyans off and then I am really home (second) free.
Blimey - did you get home at all between your SA trip and now??
Just one friggin’ day. Wifey unit PPO. So bought some PO’s here. My P is empty ow.
(I’ll let you figger out all those P’s.)
Amk, I would have to Google for an hour to figure that out.
It’s kinda Morse-codish:
President Barack Obama will be here in Baltimore tomorrow! I’m so excited!
Wonderful. That’s about one hour from where I am. Nice.
I don’t know how close he’ll be to where I live.. but I’m going to try & find out.
West Wing Week already!
It’s a woman narrator!
Coincidental #wethegeeks was today?…..
#DoYourJobGOP is trending
Next time the press blows smoke about “what we should be doing in Syria” maybe they should look in the mirror….Ebarrassing, watch video:
I’m easily excited I guess. Um yeah, I just used my Galaxy s4 phone as a television remote for my tv & my ATT Uverse box!!!
Broke down and bought one yesterday. Still trying to learn all the features.
Their job is to scandalized PBO and make him a one term President.
They did not accomplish the latter. The first part they have to go back and get more instructions from the KKKoch Bros.,
Hold on to your seats….something else will be brewing since they are claiming this is the “worse week” for PBO.
John Edwards will be making a speech…..If Sanford can be re-elected why can’t Edwards start publicly make speeches?
Hmm?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/16/john-edwards-speech_n_3287668.html?utm_hp_ref=politics#comments
Forget that insignificant Sanford, the fraudulent, cowardly, opportunistic, self-enrichment-focused, war criminal, dissembler maggot-dick-cheney IS STILL GETIING ASKED WHAT HE THINKS. What HE thinks???? The Ripley’s Believe it or Not all time record holder for being FUCKING ALWAYS-WRONG AND DISENGUOUS?
I concur. I could not agree with you more magapie.
Illinois drivers may soon be taking trips on the Ray LaHood Highway, if an effort in the state’s legislature to rename a portion of a key interstate is successful.
A bill has been filed in the Illinois House of Representative to rename a part of Interstate 74 in Peoria after LaHood, who is retiring this year after serving four years as transportation secretary and 14 as a congressman from the city.
Despite his service in a Democratic administration, LaHood is a Republican. However, the bill to honor him with a highway designation is sponsored by a Democrat, Illinois state Rep. Jehan A. Gordon-Booth.
“Secretary LaHood has dedicated his career to improving Peoria and central Illinois,” the legislation honoring LaHood says. “He served as the chief planner for the Rock Island-based Bi-Metropolitan Commission, as an aid to Congressman Tom Railsback and Congressman Robert Michel, and as a member in the Illinois House of Representative from 1982 to 1983.”
Cool!
Follow the contracts and money.
Donna4Obama PowerBall is now at $550M AP reports now…….Hmm by Saturday…..No doubt over $600M.
Yeah Baby!!!!!
Hello TODers. Playing catch up again…
I see where the President is calling for Congress to fully fund his budget for diplomatic security. After all the cries of scandal from the GOP, there should be no problem; right?
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“Obama Calls on Congress to Fully Fund Diplomatic Security”
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-16/obama-calls-on-congress-to-fully-fund-diplomatic-security.html
President Barack Obama urged Congress to fully fund his budget requests for security at U.S. diplomatic missions as a way to “truly honor” the memories of the four Americans killed last year in Benghazi, Libya.
To make sure embassies and other missions are secure “we’re going to need Congress as a partner,” Obama said at a White House news conference with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.
Early education saves lives…
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
John Boehner.
John Boehner who?
John Boehner before.
This wa sent to me…..I that it was funny. A person with the monika, regulargul, posted it.
I Thought that was funny……oops.
Yet another all India PG medical entrance exams result came out.
Daughter scored 98.15% percentile. Ranked 1670 in a field of over 100,000 (Friggin’ 1669 ranks in a 1.85% percentile spread !!! Friggin’ unbelievable).
Methinks she’ll get into the top govt.colleges. Fingers and toes crossed.
Great start to the day. :)
My goodness amk…your kids are A-mazing. Congrats on your daughter’s outstanding performance on her medical entrance exam! :) Best of success in getting into top college of her choice.
Thanks hf. That’s my hope (and prayer) too.
God to amk - yeah, now believe in me…
Wonderful news! Congrats!
Please don’t say you asked, “what happened the other 1.85%?” :-)
Amazing - congratulations to your daughter, and to her mother for passing on those brains!
I almost did.
Mebbe, I should ?
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! :lol:
No ? Why not ?
LOL.
Congrats amk!! Wow.
Thanks africa.
An Apple doesn’t fall too far from a tree.
Parents in this case…….had a lot to do with it……Great News :) for your daughter and your son too for his achievements days ago.
Thanks Nena. We are very proud of them.
Awesome! Tell her we join you in being proud of her.
Thanks Judith. After a really long time, I could hear her happy voice today.
Way to go, oh brilliant daughter of AMK!
Thanks MP.
Congratulations, amk - this is simply fantastic news. You must be extremely proud, and deservedly so. :)
Congratulations!….I know your family is so proud of your daughter’s accomplishments…..fingers crossed in NC that she gets into the school of her choice…..You could always send her here to Duke, UNC, or Wake Forest….I would pop over and keep a check on her….
Thanks theo. Pass this on to vc, if you happen to ‘meet’ her’. :)
Thanks kathryn. I too hope she gets her choice of college. She has worked damned hard for it.
Fantastic, AMK!! This is a terrific achievement by your daughter. Any place that gets her will be fortunate.
Thanks jackie. Yes, she would make any college proud.
Congrats., Amk! You must be a very proud father.
RIDDLE: Here is a picture of Mark Knoller eating some donuts. *******************
* *
* *
* *
* *
* *
*******************
Please tell me where in the picture are:
1) The donuts
2) Mark
:???:
Em……
LOL..you’re half-way there. Don’t give up now….
Hopefruit, how am I half-way there, I have NO clue, I just see stars!
Ding..ding..ding..ding..ding..ding! :)
I got the right answer?? What was it? :???:
Okay here’s the answer:
You saw only stars because that’s all there is
1) Where are the donuts> Mark has eaten them all.
2) Where is Mark> He’s not foolish enough to stick around, watching an empty plate now is he? He’s gone too.
Aaaaaaaaaaaah! :lol: So I’m a genius???
You So are! :)
And most impressively, I got the answer-ish without actually knowing I did - that’s a very special talent!
That’s the beauty of my extra, extra-tough riddles. They’re so impossible that you get the answer and think you are wrong. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s installation of “HF2’s Toughest Riddles In The World….!”
Good! Maybe he’ll learn one day that parroting Greenwald is a turn-of - literally.
Karma.
Teabaggers came and protested at a Comcast annual meetings…..their biggest beef: Rev Al Sharpton?
SE Cupp and Hayes are dragging them down. Calgon please take them all away……..those who Lie…….
I’m pretty sure Jeff is punching his pillow at night over Chris Hayes and his “new show.” I don’t blame him!
I tweeted this to Bobfr, but thought others might be interested too:
Do it, DC!!
OH, yes.
Cool.
Jovie, thanks for these great Dept of Interior tweet/photos every day. This is great PR for them.
I’m one of the ones watching Rev. Al. And not watching Chris Hayes. I am fed up with Matthews, Maddow, specially Maddow. And in the daytime, I watch nothing on MSNBC, except Bashir.
FT requires a logon to view their articles; they offer a limited number (10?) of articles free/month.
“The divergence between the US and Europe is becoming wider by the week. The latest US budget numbers from the Congressional Budget Office, showing a more rapid than expected drop in the deficit, comes in glaring contrast to the picture in Europe, which remains mired in stubborn deficits and low or zero growth.
Continuing the #ObamacareInThreeWords twitter trend started by Darrell Issa, here are a couple of non-three word tweets that I think are worth sharing:
Reid-Cordray-nomination-will-get-vote-next-week :shock:
I hope so…..at DKos is reporting?
Responded to a couple tweets sent by MSM yesterday (my response was the same to both men) who are shamelessly promoting the OMG-SCANDALS narrative:
Dear Luke, how about this, to hell with what some two bit pundit or you have to said. I still have confidence in President Obama. What I don’t have confidence is those racists crazy ass Republicans, and the media.
CNN has confirmed that we may use special ops inside Libya very soon to eradicate the Terrorists that killed Amb Stevens.
Another leak?
SCANDAL!!!!!!!!!!
Please - no spoilers - those of us on the West Coast still have 2.5 hours of anticipation. :)
:) I wonder if the MSM/GOP realizes the amount of ill will they are building up among the public at large by trumpeting and promoting these fake scandals. The last time they acted this crazy was following PBO’s first debate with Romney. They act like any sign of imperfection by PBO will cause the American people to shun him. They think all Americans are as petty, shallow and biased as they are. Thank God they are wrong. I am heartened by the lack of “chicken little” panic on this site, PBO has proven once again that he can handle whatever nonsense these devils throw at him.
Just watch Jay. Good interview by LOD and Jay “Clark Kent” Carney. Well done Jay.
Ok, pretty much staying off of Twitter or #SCANDAL nerds will spoil it for me. And UT is the chief culprit.
Happy pre-birthday, Tally. Have a great one.
Thanks Jackie!
Happy birthday eve, Tally!
Thanks JOB!
The Benghazi e-mails touted by the repukes have been altered by them.
Jeff, can some Republican go to jail for that.
Jay Carney was OUTSTANDINGLY Fantastic on LOD just now. His eloquence and breadth of knowledge of the issues is outstanding. And he
denfended our President very well. It also helped that he was being interviewed by an intelligent person …LOD, as opposed to the bi-polar spitting machine Chris Matthews. TODers you should try to watch that section of Lawrence. Maybe Chips will post on FP tomorrow. It’s worth it.
New post: http://theobamadiary.com/2013/05/16/night-owl-chat-david-bowie-edition/