Oval office speech: Did Obama turn a corner?President Obama tried to do two things in his Oval Office speech tonight. He wanted to show he was in charge by describing all he and his administration is doing to stop the Gulf oil spill while repairing the damage it has caused. But he also tried to turn the crisis into an opportunity to make the case for a new energy policy and for government’s role in regulating the economy.My hunch is that on the first, opinion will be divided much as it was going in. Obama’s supporters will like the feel of the speech, its nice ending recalling his old emphasis on hope, and its moving invocation of the blessing of the fleet. Obama may not have much support from the religious right, but he is very effective at using religious language and has a rather sure liturgical sense.His critics will say that despite his use of tough war words (“battle plan,” “siege”) he wasn’t martial enough and he should have stuck with a consistent war metaphor rather than mixing it in with the epidemic idea. I bet there will be “great talk, no action” press releases pouring out from Republican Congressional offices.There is one line I wish he hadn’t used. After a perfectly noble declaration that “what has defined us as a nation since our founding is our capacity to shape our destiny -- our determination to fight for the America we want for our children,” Obama added: “Even if we're unsure exactly what that looks like. Even if we don't yet know precisely how to get there. We know we'll get there.” I don’t think it was a moment to say that we don’t know “exactly what that looks like” when it comes to the future. Most people want…

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   Obama doesn't need more friends He needs meaningful results – which is why he needs to strike a decisive tone on the world stage this week Comments (19)    Gary Younge guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 23 September 2009 Article history
There is limited truth to the notion that the American political agenda is so overwhelmed with healthcare reform that nothing of consequence will happen at the major international gatherings that Barack Obama will attend this week.It is certainly true that Congress has to give a clear green light for all international agreements before Obama can honour them and Congress is right now busy doing something else. So anything that he says about climate change or economic stimulation will be highly contingent on a political class that is both highly distracted and, in this moment, highly volatile.This is certainly frustrating European diplomats desperately trying to quicken the pace on climate change. "There is a global timetable and the US Senate is fully aware of it," says EU ambassador to the US, John Bruton. "The world cannot wait on the Senate's timetable."Sadly, for any conclusive decision it may have to. But that is not the same thing as claiming that what is going on in the foreign and domestic arenas are taking place in parallel universes. Neither the public nor politicians are truly able to separate the global from the local so completely, and to try rarely makes sense."The diplomatic historian traces foreign affairs as if domestic affairs were offstage disturbances," writes Walter Karp in The Politics of War"The historian of domestic politics treats the explosions of war as if they were offstage disturbances.…

  Once Spilled, Charlie Weis Can't Remove Carroll StainJohn Walters John Walters is a College Football Writer for FanHouse  SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- In coaching jargon, Charlie Weis used to define the term "explosives" as any pass play that went for 20 or more yards and any rushing play that went for 10 or more yards. The recently dismissed Notre Dame football coach redefined that term on Saturday when he dropped this bombshell of sorts during an exit interview with five hand-picked media members.

Q: Is it frustrating to Pete Carroll, for example, portrayed in one way...

CW: Let me ask you this question: You guys know about things that go on in different places. Was I living with a grad student in Malibu, or was I living with my wife in my house? You could bet that if I were living with a grad student here in South Bend, it would be national news. He's doing it in Malibu and it's not national news. What's the difference? I don't understand. Why is it okay for one guy to do things like that, but for for me, I'm scrutinized when I swear. I'm sorry for swearing; absolve my sins."

A few points:

1. For what it's worth, Pete Carroll does not own any property in Malibu, at least not under his name. Carroll owns one home each in the neighboring beachside communities of Rolling Hills, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach, Calif. It may be a triviality, but should Carroll choose to sue Weis for slander, such a factual error would only further erode Weis' credibility. Carroll, who was apprised of the accusation by Trojan sports information director Tim Tessalone, responded, "It's untrue. It's…

Young couple executed as Taliban tightens grip By Jerome Starkey in Kabul
Tuesday, 14 April 2009
  Bound and blindfolded, a young couple were shot at close range in southern Afghanistan – for daring to elope.
Abdul Aziz was 21 years old. The girl he ran off with was just 19. Her name, Gul Pecha, means flower. Officials said the pair were tried by a Taliban court, found guilty of "immoral acts" and sentenced to death. The Taliban denied involvement. Local administrators say the couple's parents were complicit in their fate. But that has not been confirmed. All that is certain is that yet another swath of Afghan countryside is in the hands of power-brokers whose concept of justice and the rule of law could hardly be further from the ideals that Nato, the international community and the Afghan government claim to support. Gul and Abdul were both from Lukhi village, in Nimroz province. Their home district borders Helmand, where most of Britain's troops are based. They were gunned down, together, on Monday. Witnesses said they were shot in front of a local mob by men with AK47 assault rifles. "They had fled their homes to the neighbouring village, because their parents refused to let them marry," said Nimroz's governor, Ghullam Dastagir Azad. "Their parents tracked them down and handed them over to the Taliban." Some officials claimed the couple hoped to flee across the border, to Iran. The provincial police chief, Jabar Pardeli, said they were held prisoner for four days in Lukhi, once their parents dragged them back, while a council of clerics argued about their fate in the local mosque. Once their case was settled, execution was swift and visible. Senior human rights workers said the trial suggested the…