Congress

That "professional left" is what some might call "your base", Mr. President, and they think you should legalize marijuana. Washington political news outlet The Hill reports on the recent “professional left” remarks made by the Obama White House’s press secretary Robert Gibbs.  Gibbs was expressing frustration at progressive activists who are complaining that the president hasn’t lived up to campaign promises on a number of issues.

There are twelve USAID management jobs requiring Senate confirmation. To date, zero have been confirmed. Two of the twelve nominees have had confirmation hearings (hooray!) which means USAID might have confirmed assistant administrators for Latin America and Asia before the Senate recess begins on August 6. That leaves ten nominations, ten hearings, and ten confirmations before USAID Administrator Raj Shah will have a full management team in place.

Originally posted on Can I Get a Man with That? Name: Helena Andrews Status: Single, Head of Household Position: Authoress In her new memoir, ” Bitch Is the New Black “, Helena Andrews pokes fun at the stereotype that says “successful” and “bitch” are synonymous. With the help of “Grey’s Anatomy” creator Shonda Rhimes, her eccentric childhood as the kidnapped daughter of the town lesbian and subsequent roller coaster ride to single, overachiever approaching 30 is being adapted for film.

As a woman who wears three-inch high heels on a daily basis, often sprinting in them from one meeting to the next, I want a Senator who understands the issues facing working mothers. That’s why I’m voting for Ken Buck Tuesday. Colorado Democrats have had many reasons to smile in recent weeks, especially as Buck and his U.S. Senate primary opponent, Jane Norton, have duked it out over so-called gender issues. It could have been a real chance for Republicans to debate our party’s strategy for attracting female voters. It still can be. And it should.

The Shirley Sherrod debacle shows that Barack Obama’s White House pays a great deal of attention to Fox News and the right wing blogosphere. They refer to it as ‘the atmosphere’, as thought the right wing were a force of nature that can only be dealt with by panic and immediate surrender. Many have suggested that President Obama ignore the right wing but we all know that telling someone not to think of a red elephant only makes them think of it right away. The human brain abhors a vacuum. We need to focus on something.

ATLANTA — Dueling endorsements from Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich could help decide a crowded Republican primary for Georgia governor Tuesday. Palin’s nod to former Secretary of State Karen Handel has helped her surge to the top of the polls in recent days, while ex-congressman Nathan Deal could benefit from the backing of Gingrich. The two served together in the U.S. House. On the Democratic side, one-term former Gov. Roy Barnes is facing the first electoral test in his comeback bid.

By Sarah Audelo and Gregory Cendana We were surprised to learn from Gary Bauer (” Obama’s Anti-Youth Agenda ,” Politico, July 9) that Obama’s agenda has thus far failed young people in America. We were more surprised that Mr. Bauer, at age 63, considers himself a viable spokesperson for the millennial generation. Obama’s record on youth issues certainly worthy of examination, but it’s hardly the disaster portrayed by Mr. Bauer, who seems intent on cramming every conceivable right wing talking point into his critique.

Since we took last week off to write something patriotic for Independence Day weekend, we’ve got two weeks to cover today. Fortunately, every other week in Washington (or so it seems) is vacation time for Congress, meaning they were only in session (or “working”) for one week of that. Add to this the fact that Congress usually defines “a work week” as from noon on Tuesday to noon on Thursday (nice work if you can get it, eh?), and it puts it all in perspective.

The fracas over General McChrystal departing Afghanistan is a reminder that impressive fireworks exist year round in our nation’s capital. I’m hoping everyone got a good refresher on civil-military relations out of this experience because we, as a nation, really need it. And despite what you think of the situation, McChrystal has exited gracefully. A manner of departure which, in itself, is another credit to his public service. Something we Americans often forget is that our country is widely admired for the civilian dominance in our governing DNA.

When Darsi Ferrer, a Cuban dissident emerged from nearly a year’s confinement for buying black market construction materials, a reporter asked him who should get the credit for his release. He credited the Cuban Catholic Church. And then he said, “What should be the solution in Cuba? Dialogue. The dialogue of the Church and civil society; between the people and the government; between the Diaspora and Cuba; the dialogue between the European Union and the government.” Among those who could help the Cuban people, he never mentioned the United States.