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January 24, 2009

The Obama-Kennedy Connection By Michael Barone

Last Tuesday, for the 22nd time in 220 years, Americans saw the peaceful post-election transfer of power from one political party to another. In our great outdoor national ceremony, scheduled for some reason on a day that is as likely as any other to be the coldest of the year, Barack Obama took the oath as our 44thth president and spoke to the nation for 19 minutes in a speech that was far more somber than the mood of the crowd of 2 million on the Mall.

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January 23, 2009

Caroline's Exit By Susan Estrich

I do not know what ultimately persuaded Caroline Kennedy to withdraw her name from consideration for the U.S. Senate. Maybe it was something about taxes or a housekeeper, the two rumors that seem to have the most "juice" as I write this. To be honest, I don't care.

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January 22, 2009

What Bipartisan Means Now By Joe Conason

On the eve of Barack Obama's ascension to power, at candlelit dinners across Washington sponsored by the Presidential Inaugural Committee, the designated theme was bipartisanship. From the speeches delivered to the choice of honorees, which included Sen. John McCain, the former secretary of state Colin Powell, and the incoming vice president, Joe Biden, the new administration expressed its fond wish for a return to the respect and civility of a bygone era.

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January 22, 2009

Gilded Age for Institutions Also Over By Froma Harrop

Mark Twain was thinking big in 1874 when he moved into his new 19-room mansion in Hartford, Conn. The Missouri-born writer was not one to economize. Following the success of "Tom Sawyer" in 1881, he hired none other than Louis Comfort Tiffany to "do" the interior.

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January 22, 2009

The New Era of Responsibility By Debra J. Saunders

I keep waiting for that moment when Barack Obama -- President Obama -- tells the American people that there is a price to be paid for the many proposals he has offered. That moment has yet to come.

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January 22, 2009

The Honeymoon Begins By Larry J. Sabato

Almost every American recognizes January 20, 2009 as a red-letter date in U.S. history. No one who witnessed the swearing-in of President Barack Obama will ever forget it, and rarely has so much emotion been wrapped up in an inauguration.

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January 21, 2009

Teddy By Susan Estrich

I have been holding my breath for a while, sending out little messages, waiting for the updates on Sen. Kennedy.

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January 21, 2009

The Final Bush Pardons By Debra J. Saunders

On his way out of office, President Bush used his power of the pardon to commute the sentences of former U.S. Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, who had been sentenced to 11 years and 12 years respectively for shooting and wounding a fleeing drug smuggler in 2005 and then covering up the incident. It was the right move.

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January 21, 2009

Economic Crapshoot Ahead By Tony Blankley

Finding wisdom on the question of economic stimulus may be Washington's most important task in generations -- short of major war decisions. President Barack Obama currently is proposing to spend about $850 billion over two years that he asserts is intended to stimulate the economy and thereby add 3-4 million jobs that otherwise would not exist.

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January 20, 2009

Why Health Reform May Happen By Froma Harrop

Let the name-calling begin. A national health plan is again proposed, and its foes are trying to deal it death by unflattering labels. The old favorites include "socialized medicine" and "government takeover of health care."

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January 19, 2009

What Did Reagan’s Inaugural Say? By Lawrence Kudlow

On the eve of Barack Obama’s inaugural speech, with a tough economic downturn and the ongoing threat from global terrorism, perhaps it is useful to recall Ronald Reagan’s first inaugural address, delivered on January 20, 1981.

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January 18, 2009

Bush Showed U.S. Is No Paper Tiger By Debra J. Saunders

From the day President Bush took office, the long knives were out for him -- in ways they will not (and should not) be out for President-elect Barack Obama.

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January 17, 2009

Arnold's State of the State -- Not So Good By Debra J. Saunders

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's State of the State address on Thursday was a far cry from his first such speech in 2004.

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January 17, 2009

Is a Change in Migration Patterns at Hand? By Michael Barone

Evidence keeps accumulating that the tide of immigration is ebbing. Tough enforcement laws passed by states like Arizona and Oklahoma and localities like Prince William County, Va., have reportedly spurred Latino immigrants to move elsewhere.

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January 16, 2009

What the New President Will Need By Susan Estrich

President-elect Barack Obama will no doubt ask for many things in the coming weeks -- from Congress, from the states, from banks and businesses, and from the American people. He will ask for new legislation, new programs, new regulations, not to mention confirmation of all his new people.

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January 15, 2009

The Party of No Ideas By Joe Conason

Would it be rude to ask whether the Republicans have any new proposals to save the country from this worsening recession? The question arises not because anyone expects the minority party to burst forth with creative ideas, but because conservatives in Congress and the media seem so determined to thwart or stall the economic stimulus plans of President-elect Barack Obama.

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January 15, 2009

In Speech, Obama Won't Do an FDR By Froma Harrop

Even in this awful economy, the voters seem content to toggle between the two main political parties. If Republicans aren't doing the job, then let Democrats try. Barack Obama? He seems competent. There's little agitation for a radical third-party response.

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January 14, 2009

Respect By Susan Estrich

I don't hate George Bush. I never have. I voted against him twice. I disagree with him, sometimes passionately. I think the country is in worse shape now than it was eight years ago, and that history will not be kind to him.

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January 14, 2009

A Truncated Presidential Honeymoon? By Tony Blankley

It was fairly common chatter from congressional Democrats in Washington during the autumn months of the presidential campaign that while Barack Obama was almost certain to win, in 2009 policy would be driven from the House speaker's office.

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January 13, 2009

From Jack Bauer to Leon Panetta By Debra J. Saunders

Sunday's New York Times ran two columns that advocated for investigations into America's use of coercive interrogation techniques -- known to editorial writers as "torture" -- of enemy combatants, as well as one that opposed a show trial.

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