barack-obama

Donald Rumsfeld Is More Transparent Than Barack Obama

John Cook · 08/15/11 03:05PM

After retiring from evil, former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld went about writing his memoir, Known and Unknown. As part of that effort, he asked the Obama Administration to declassify a bunch of secret documents from his tenure so he could write about them and publish them on his voluminous online library. Obama said no.

The Worst Part of Last Night's Awful Republican Debate

Jim Newell · 08/12/11 01:36PM

There were too many terrible parts of last night's Republican debate in Iowa. For example: Any time Tim Pawlenty did anything. But the worst, and definitely most dangerous, was when all eight contenders joined forces to be terrible together and promise to never raise taxes one cent, even if it came in a deal that gave them everything they wanted.

The Obama Reelection Strategy: Make Fun of Mitt Romney

Jim Newell · 08/09/11 01:39PM

The folks at Team Obama, like many, see Mitt Romney as the likely Republican nominee for president, and they're already plotting how to "destroy" him, limb by limb. How will they do it? Essentially, Obama will point at Mitt Romney, look to the audience, and whisper, "Just look at this fuckin' weird loser over here, amirite?"

Obama Tries to Cheer Up Nation While Markets Collapse

Jim Newell · 08/08/11 03:19PM

President Obama addressed the S&P — or as he put it, "some agency" — credit downgrade of U.S. sovereign debt, among other things, during a brief White House speech today. He even promised that America, despite everything, will "always be a AAA country." That's sweet of you to say, Dad.

Tea Partiers Celebrating U.S. Credit Rating Downgrade

Lauri Apple · 08/07/11 10:33PM

Obama adviser David Axelrod has started calling Standard & Poor's major diss of America's credit rating the "Tea Party downgrade," which certainly sounds like an insult against the Tea Party. Yet the Partiers themselves seem to be embracing Axelrod's wannabe-pejorative as a compliment.

Tim Geithner Sticking Around for Another Year

Max Read · 08/07/11 01:50PM

Despite rumors to the contrary, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner will stay in his post through the campaign season. Not because he's good at his job, so much as because confirming anyone else would be a huge pain. [Politico]

Standard and Poor's Threatens to Downgrade U.S. Again

Max Read · 08/07/11 12:25PM

It's only been one day since ratings agency Standard & Poor's downgraded the U.S. Government's credit rating from AAA to AA+, and already I've been forced to kill two people who tried to steal my food. And it could get worse! The agency says there's a one-in-three chance the U.S. will be downgraded again.

U.S. Credit Rating Downgraded for First Time

Max Read · 08/06/11 08:48AM

When you woke up this morning, did everything seem a little less... reliable? It did, didn't it? That's because credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's no longer regards the U.S. as a risk-free borrower, despite a $2 trillion error in its initial accounting.

David Letterman Guesses How President Obama Celebrated His Birthday

Matt Cherette · 08/05/11 01:09AM

President Obama turned 50 on Thursday and the stock market responded by crashing, so it's safe to say that any birthday celebrations at the White House today were probably a bit subdued. But what did Obama do to mark the occasion? On tonight's Late Show, David Letterman ventured some guesses as part of his Top 10 list. Video of the segment is above.

Mitch McConnell Brags About 'Ransoming' the President

Jim Newell · 08/03/11 01:29PM

Sen. Mitch McConnell, the evil procedural genius who somehow always manages to be the most powerful person in Washington from his lowly perch as Senate minority leader, doesn't take offense when people call him and his party "hostage-takers." He rather fancies the title! But he does want to clear up the details of how and why he loves taking legislative hostages.

Obama to Ride Bus Around Midwest, Yelling 'Jobs'

Jim Newell · 08/03/11 11:37AM

Don't fret, Sarah Palin! Stay home in Arizona or Alaska, wherever you summer. Because President Obama has decided to do the Midwestern second leg of your bus tour for you. That's right: Obama will ride around on a bus, too, as part of the great White House "pivot" to a focus on jobs, which no longer exist.

Jon Stewart: Obama Got Screwed in Debt Ceiling Deal

Matt Cherette · 08/01/11 10:48PM

On tonight's Daily Show, Jon Stewart opened with a segment about the last minute deal to raise the nation's debt ceiling and avert an economic crisis. But while some in Washington celebrated the compromise today, Stewart took aim at President Obama for the concessions he made to get the deal done.

'Barack Obama' Is Tweeting Like a Monster

Jim Newell · 07/29/11 03:53PM

President Obama still wants you, the citizen in a Republican district, to get in touch with your congressional representative and relay the White House's fierce warrior cry of "compromise!" And today, his campaign Twitter account has been tweeting the handle of each Republican every few minutes for many hours.