Still not king of the Hill: In his first term, Obama never learned how to manage Congress

Being president is a daily, even hourly, character test. Every decision from approving a drone attack in Yemen to framing the State of the Union address is fraught with real-world consequences that can shape a president’s legacy. Of course, political survival plays a role in these calculations. That is why the six weeks since the election are so potentially revealing about Barack Obama, who remains...

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I’m dreaming of a Spotify Christmas

This Christmas, I’m not going to wreck the holiday like a petulant teenager. I’m not going to build up weird expectations and then explode in disappointment. I’m not going to drive everyone nuts.I’ll admit it: I’ve been a Christmas-ruiner in my time. But I’ve seen the Ghost of Christmas Future—I’m a batty, carping grandma in unwashed tartans, alone under dusty Ikea mistletoe—and I must change my ways.My...

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The courage of Boehner and McConnell: No, they’re not Lincolns. But they did something good.

If John Kennedy had not written “Profiles in Courage,” today we might have a more realistic understanding of political valor. But JFK’s 1957 Pulitzer Prize-winning book so raised the bar for bravery in public life that it now seems obvious that no modern figure can measure up. Who in the 21st century could possibly match Daniel Webster’s oratory as he heroically struggled to save the Union? Or replicate...

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The Republicans -- After Dunkirk

At the Potsdam conference with Harry Truman and Josef Stalin, Winston Churchill learned that the voters of the nation he had led for five years through World War II had just voted to throw him out of office."It may well be a blessing in disguise," said his wife Clementine."At the moment, it seems quite effectively disguised," replied Churchill.Republicans must feel that way today. For they have survived...

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Obama vows to press ahead on fiscal cliff solution

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says he'll press ahead with Congress to prevent across-the-board tax increases set to strike taxpayers Jan. 1 after House GOP leaders unexpectedly put off a vote on legislation calling for higher rates on million-dollar earners was abruptly scrapped Thursday evening.The measure "did not have sufficient support from our members to pass," House Speaker John Boehner,...

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NRA returns to public debate, to meet with media

WASHINGTON (AP) — One week after the mass shootings that killed 26 people at a Connecticut elementary school — 20 of them children — the nation's largest gun-rights lobby is returning to the spotlight as Congress prepares to consider tighter restrictions on firearms in the new year.The 4.3 million-member National Rifle Association largely disappeared from public debate after the shootings in Newtown,...

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Washington Saying Goodbye to Inouye at Memorial

Admirers will bid farewell to Democratic Sen. Daniel Inouye at a memorial service before a final trip home to his native Hawaii.President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden were to be among those offering tributes during the ceremony Friday at Washington National Cathedral, along with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki.Biden also spoke at...

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Soccer-Scottish Premier League fixtures

Dec 21 (Infostrada Sports) - Fixtures from the Scottish Premier League matches on FridayFriday, December 21 (GMT)St. Mirren v Motherwell (1945)Saturday, December 22 (GMT)Aberdeen v St. Johnstone (1500)Celtic v Ross County (1500)Inverness Caledonian Thistle v Dundee (1500)Sunday, December 23 (GMT)Kilmarnock v Hibernian (1500)Hearts v Dundee United (16...

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