| America's moment of truth
George W Bush went up to Capitol Hill to deliver the eighth and final State of the Union address of a failed presidency already eclipsed by the intense contest to succeed him. His spinners might speak of Bush's final months as a 'sprint to the finish', but the ritual applause of Congress fooled no one, not even members of his own party. This is a deeply unpopular president hobbling into the sunset. All the Democrats can agree that he has been a disaster; all the Republicans can agree that they'd really rather not talk about him. The real excitement took place a few miles away, a few hours earlier, in a sports arena at Washington's American University. Before a young, multi-racial and delirious crowd, Barack Obama was being anointed as the new John F Kennedy. JFK was no saint, but a link to the legend can add lustre to any Democratic aspirant to the presidency.
REP. RON KLEIN REFUSES TO REMOVE KEITH ELLISON FROM ANTI-SEMITISM TASK ...
Both MAS and CAIR had recently been named by the U.S. government as being part of the Muslim Brotherhood, and CAIR had been linked by the FBI to Hamas. According to Kogen, Rep. Klein approached Ellison to ask him about the information he (Klein) received from his meeting with AAH, and Ellison told him that he had "publicly denounced" and would continue to publicly denounce the anti-Semitism from the groups (MAS and CAIR). Kogen told Kaufman that Rep. Klein was satisfied with Rep. Ellison's statements to him and that they were consistent with the principles of the anti-Semitism task force. However, Americans Against Hate points out that, to its knowledge, never has Keith Ellison publicly denounced any of the organizations in question. He has never denounced the anti-Semitism from the groups nor any of the terrorist connections of the groups.
For Carmakers, High Performance Equals High Profit
In March, Lexus is launching a high-performance division. Called the F—for "Flagship"—the first model will be the sporty, $56,765 Lexus IS F. Several more F models are in the pipeline, including a luxury sedan and an SUV-wagon crossover. This represents a radical departure for Lexus, which has enjoyed enormous success as Toyota's (TM) luxury brand, despite being often faulted by driving enthusiasts for making cars that are unexciting, albeit attractive, well-built, and competitively priced. Now obviously Toyota's top brass wants to change this impression—and that is something that should concern executives at the high-performance divisions of its luxury rivals, specifically Mercedes-Benz (DAI), BMW (BMWG), and, increasingly, Audi (NSUG). Mercedes offers an AMG version of nearly every model it sells, including light trucks.
McCain: One of Us!
How is any Newsweek reader going to understand "Why the Right Hates McCain" if the magazine rewrites recent history to make him look more reasonable? ... Nor is it clear he's really retreated. ... P.S.--The Wimp Factor! Now that McCain's the near-certain nominee, mags like Newsweek really need easy access to his aides, no? Just saying! Presidential candidates have retaliated by cutting off Newsweek's access before. ... 9:35 P.M. ___________________________ Friday, February 15, 2008 I'm a day behind, and I feel the crushing weight of every minute, but isn't this kind of brilliant? ... 6:55 P.M. ___________________________ 'Sorry Charlie, you just didn't meet your numbers this quarter': Let me get this straight--Clinton strategist Mark Penn is McCain strategist Charlie Black's boss?...
District's Measure 'E' Sets Sights on Expansion
It's another day at Cathedral City High School. Students arrive in the morning to prepare for a day of learning. But once first period ends, it's a shoulder-to-shoulder race to get to the next class. The droves of students are not unusual at Cathedral City High. For a school built for 1,800, over 3,000 kids crowd the hallways each school day. The overcrowding is something the school has to endure. But it's not just there where teachers and students deal with inadequate space. It's becoming a district-wide issue throughout Palm Springs Unified. And this Super Tuesday, administrators and teachers hope that a $516 million bond will pass to remedy the overcrowding problem. Measure ‘E' will allow for the building of new schools and the improvement of existing schools.
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