Osama bin Laden
"Zero Dark Thirty" Has All the Depth of a John Wayne Movie
May I suggest an amendment to the Constitution? It should be as illegal as it is misleading to open a movie with any statement about its being “based on fact.” That very assertion precedes Zero Dark Thirty, the new picture by Kathryn Bigelow, which has already won several critics’ awards and must be in the running for the Best Picture Oscar. READ MORE >>
After Abbottabad: Navy SEALs and American Security
No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission that Killed Osama Bin Laden By Mark Owen, with Kevin Maurer (Dutton Adult, 301 pp., $26.95) I. READ MORE >>
The Real and the Exaggerated in Biden’s Speech (Literally)
CHARLOTTE— “Osama Bin Laden is dead and General Motors is alive.” That line has been part of Biden's stump speech for months. He thinks those two episodes are the best arguments for Obama's reelection. I don't know much about the bin Laden raid, but I do know a lot about GM. And I think Biden has got a point. READ MORE >>
Is Bain The Game Changer? Maybe, But Not Yet
Last week’s health care decision is poised to join a long list of supposed game changers that failed to fundamentally reshape the race—from the death of Osama Bin Laden to Obama’s support for same-sex marriage. READ MORE >>
Who's Keeping the Race Close? Obama or Romney?
After a supposedly disastrous month of anemic jobs growth and unforced errors, Obama appears to maintain his slight advantage over Romney in national polls. The stability of the race has surprised many, particularly those invested in the daily beat of the news cycle. TNR’s own Alec MacGillis thinks that “a huge part of it must have to do with [Obama’s] lackluster opposition.” I'm not sure the numbers bear that out. READ MORE >>
Newt Gingrich Is an Author of Alternative Histories. What If He Wrote an Alternative History of Himself?
Before he was the frontrunner for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination, Newt Gingrich had gained acclaim as the author of a number of “alternate histories,” a genre of literature that speculates how important events in the past might have turned out differently. A high-brow genre this is not. One could say that “alternate history” is to “history” what “science-fiction” is to actual “science.” READ MORE >>
Defending Romneycare, Cont'd
As you may have heard, Mitt Romney will be giving a health care speech from my backyard today. OK, he's not literally speaking from my backyard. He's speaking at the University of Michigan medical campus, which is about a mile from my house. READ MORE >>
How Conservative Humor Works
[Guest post by Isaac Chotiner] In his item below, Jon speculates on why liberals dominate political satire. It's a good question, but it should not obscure the fact that conservatives have their own brand of humor. Take Dennis Miller, who regularly appears on Fox News, and who last night made an appearance on Fox's biggest show, The O'Reilly Factor, to reflect on the death of Osama Bin Laden. READ MORE >>
