This is a continuation of the discussion I started with my column Athens on Fire: Why More Than Just Archaeologists Should Be Paying Attention. Droughts have long afflicted the driest regions of Eastern Africa but now, as Jeffrey Gettleman of the New York describes, “the sun somehow feels closer here, more intense, more personal.” Droughts [...]

Are health care “co-ops” a “public option” dressed up in more centrist terminology? Will they have enough teeth to compete with insurance companies; enough strength to hold them accountable? Will they ultimately help lower costs? This will be the topic of an upcoming column. Please send us any articles or thoughts in the comments section [...]

Sometimes we are critical of President Obama here at the Song, but he really stepped up here — masterfully weaving together personal stories of how our current health care system has failed many Americans, unambiguous policy detail, and clear answers to opponents and skeptics. Thank you Mr. President.

Sometimes we are critical of President Obama here at the Song, but he really stepped up here — masterfully weaving together personal stories of how our current health care system has failed many Americans, unambiguous policy detail, and clear answers to opponents and skeptics. Thank you Mr. President.

Lesson from Michael Jackson:
“I’m Starting With The Man In The Mirror. I’m Asking Him To Change His Ways. And No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer. If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place, Take A Look At Yourself, And Then Make A Change”
-  Lyrics from“Man in the Mirror”
At this particular and unique moment, [...]

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(1) Report: Obama will not demand public option from lawmakers.
Wow. What ever happened to Obama willing to be a one-term president in order to enact REAL health care reform? Remember my most recent column about mission not so accomplished in which I asked: Is the whole ideal of Obama’s presidency over? This is literally [...]

(2) WSJ: U.S. Economy Gets Lift From Stimulus
Win another one for Keynesian economics. With so much skepticism about the proposed increase in the government’s role in health care, maybe more people should be paying attention to good government intervention in the market. The good that government has been doing lately doesn’t stop with the stimulus [...]

(3) Obama Weighing Afghanistan Conundrum
This isn’t the first time a great empire hasn’t been able to subdue Afghanistan’s “fiercely independent tribes” — Britain had its go at that as well. In fact, if history is any indication of what lies ahead, Obama has potentially got a different Waterloo to deal with that than posed by [...]