By Colin Campbell 4/15 6:48pm

Boston Bombing

President Barack Obama talks on the phone with FBI Director Robert Mueller to receive an update on the explosions that occurred in Boston, in the Oval Office, April 15, 2013. Seated with the President are Lisa Monaco, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, and Chief of Staff Denis McDonough. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

‘We Still Do Not Know Who Did This or Why’: President Obama Addresses America With Comfort, Not Answers

Earlier this evening, President Barack Obama addressed the nation about the deadly bombing of the Boston Marathon. And, while extending his condolences, the president urged the American public to avoid jumping to conclusions—terrorism, unmentioned by Mr. Obama, seemingly being the most obvious—as the devastation is investigated.

“We still do not know who did this or why and people shouldn’t jump to conclusions before we have all of the facts,” Mr. Obama explained. “But, make no mistake, we will get to the bottom of this. And we will find out who did this. We’ll find out why they did this. Any responsible individuals—any responsible groups—will feel the full weight of justice.” Read More

By Steve Kornacki 7/24/09 1:34pm

The Schumer Option: A Short-Term Winner

We still don’t know for sure what the final Senate health care plan will look like, but the most likely resolution to one of the stickiest issues has been obvious since early May. That’s when Chuck Schumer outlined his own compromise vision for an optional government-run insurance package. His proposal, a “level playing field” public Read More

By Steve Kornacki 7/23/09 2:11am

Change or Bust: In Prime Time, Obama Makes Things Stark

Near the top of his latest primetime news conference, President Obama acknowledged that “Congress is still working through a few key issues” as it seeks to produce a unified health care plan. That meant that there wasn’t any specific proposal for Obama to point to and rally support for. We still don’t know how whatever Read More

By Steve Kornacki 7/22/09 1:31pm

Why They Hated Clinton Then, Why They Hate Obama Now

“He is not an American citizen!” the Obama-hating Delaware woman rages in the latest viral YouTube video. “He is a citizen of Kenya. I am American…and I don’t want this flag to change. I want my country back!”
The entire rant is notable not just for the quivering hostility this unidentified woman expresses toward Read More

By Joe Conason 7/21/09 9:06pm

Blue Dog Math

“Fiscal conservative” is one of those terms used by politicians of all sorts to describe themselves, without any real justification. Parroted mindlessly from one news cycle to the next by major media outlets, that phrase is often used to mislead the public about the priorities and policies favored by those who claim to embody budgetary Read More

By Steve Kornacki 7/20/09 1:28am

Hold ‘Em Republicans

Asked on Sunday’s Meet the Press whether he believes there’s a need for Congress to pass some kind of health care reform, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell replied, “Oh, absolutely. I’m not in favor of doing nothing.”
Well, of course he’d say that. Voters have long ranked health care as one of their top Read More

By Jason Horowitz 7/17/09 4:55pm

Obama’s Speech, as Seen From The Bridges Bar at the Hilton

Not all the attendees of the NAACP’s national conference, held at the Hilton Hotel in midtown this week, got into the third floor ballroom to hear President Barack Obama’s highly anticipated speech last night.
By the northeast entrance of the Hilton’s lobby, across from a sign directing participants of the Korea Global Healthcare Conference to the Read More

By Steve Kornacki 7/17/09 4:02pm

A Warning About That Warning About Obama

Today’s Wall Street Journal features an op-ed from one Ted Van Dyk, who argues that Barack Obama has failed to live to up to the promise of his campaign, that his presidency is “stalling out,” and that he badly needs to hit “the reset button.”
Van Dyk is identified as a former Hubert Humphrey Read More

By Jason Horowitz 7/17/09 1:44pm

Thompson Delighted With Obama Mention

Barack Obama’s speech last night in honor of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the NAACP contained many memorable passages.
But for the largely unnoticed mayoral candidate, Comptroller Bill Thompson, the most significant by far was Obama’s halting mention of the comptroller’s study on the widening employment gap in the city between blacks Read More

By Steve Kornacki 7/17/09 1:22am

Obama’s Grim Choice on the Public Option

A moment of choosing is fast approaching for Barack Obama and his party’s congressional leaders: to sacrifice the public option that the Democratic base holds so dear, or to stick with it, damn the consequences. Their decision looms as the difference between (almost) sure-thing passage of a compromise health care plan and an ugly, protracted Read More