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It's ONN & ONN Like Breaking Dawn
What's up, everyone? THTBAW here, and I hope your Sundays have gone well. No, that wasn't a jab at the K-Stew gossip soup that's swirled through the media drain this past week. Okay, maybe it is, but I mostly just wanted something salient with which to rhyme against "ONN". But thank goodness the Olympics put a stop to all that vampire hand-wringing! Here we go...
Today's topics beneath the olympic squiddly-doo-dah-squiddly-yay:
1. Romney Attempts a Do Over...
2. ...but He Fans the Flames of War...
3. ...While Michelle Obama Hugs Entire US Olympics Basketball Team...
4. ...and Race Relations Under Obama's Tenure (Improve)
Romney Attempts a Do Over...
As you know, the Brits really tore into Romney on Thursday and Friday after his series of embarrassing foibles and debacles, but Romney's since headed over to Israel to attempt a "do-over". Meanwhile, check out the upcoming Newsweek cover:
Who knew that asking for newspaper retractions, demanding apologies, not releasing your taxes for fear of what the opposition might do with that info, and rolling with the Donald would lead to some quite humiliating blowback? :)
...but He Fans the Flames of War...
From the main headline over at Google News tonight: Romney takes aim at Iran during trip to Israel via USATODAY:
With the backdrop of Jerusalem's Old City behind him, Romney sought to strike an aggressive tone and vowed to "stay together and stand together" with Israel as it faces threats from neighboring countries.
Romney's toughest talk was directed at Iran.
"We should employ any and all measures to dissuade the Iranian regime from its nuclear course, and it is our fervent hope that diplomatic and economic measures will do so," Romney said. "In the final analysis, of course, no option should be excluded. We recognize Israel's right to defend itself, and that it is right for America to stand with you."
Translation: "Alright, so I had a really terrible, no-good, very bad few days over in
Great Britain England. And back home, my face is about to get plastered next to the words WIMP. But listen here, Irsael (wouldn't put it past him, after 'Amercia'): I've got two words for youâmissiles. That's right, you have every right to defend yourself from Iranian nuclear weapons by launching missiles into Iran, because that will make them want nuclear weapons less if they don't already have them, and if they do already have them, then oh well, you started it. And I give you permission to do that."
As Michael Tomasky points out over on The Daily Beast alongside David Frum, the world's probably pretty war-weary at this point, so Romney stoking flames of war or sanctioning Israeli military intervention that we would get dragged into is the wrong foreign policy message to be sending right now, Mitt. I'm no pundit but as a common sense-following citizen, I can evaluate that the outcome of that scenario would not be good, and it's too bad that one of our ostensible two presidential candidates doesn't share a similar sense of common.
But let's move on to some better-feeling stuff for now.
...While Michelle Obama Hugs Entire US Olympics Basketball Team...
Days after showing up to London to spark larger interest in her ongoing Let's Move! fitness initiative, Michelle is continuing to live (and love) up to her role in leading the US delegation at the Olympics. The latest is
(obtained via Yahoo Sports in this article)
From Yahoo Sports:
What better way to celebrate a dominant opening to group play at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London than with a hug from the first lady of the United States?
After the final buzzer of their 98-71 win over France on Sunday, members of the U.S. men's national basketball team shook hands with their vanquished opposition, gathered at center court for a brief cheer, then walked off the court to a rousing ovation from the fans at the Basketball Arena in London. Before they headed back to the locker room, though, they took a quick left and headed straight for Michelle Obama — President Barack Obama's wife, who greeted the full U.S. athletic delegation on Friday — who was seated in the front row to take in the action.
Michelle Obama + Lebron James in earnest hugs? I'll take pictures and news like this every day over eye-rollers like "
Romney 'will not be watching' Ann's horse compete in Olympics". Especially since that damned horse, named
Rafalca, is worth more than my college loans + my take-away yearly salary combined. Sigh. At least some things are getting better, though:
...and Race Relations Under President Obama's Tenure (Improve)
The Christian Science Monitor has a lengthy piece titled "With Obama as president have race relations improved in America?", which is well worth a read.
So where are we now?
Four years after Obama smashed the nation's highest racial barrier, and less than four months before America will decide whether he deserves a second term, the nation is uncertain about the meaning of a black president.
Recently, Obama was asked in a Rolling Stone magazine interview if race relations were any different than when he took office.
"I never bought into the notion," Obama said, "that by electing me, somehow we were entering into a postracial period."
Have to agree with that, though the following words, uttered by Obama in a
recent Rolling Stone interview, are Orville Redenbacherly heart-warming and equally true:
When I travel around the country, a lot of people remark on how inspiring seeing an African-American president or an African-American first lady must be to black boys and girls, how it must raise their sense of what's possible in their own lives. That's hugely important – but you shouldn't also underestimate the fact that there are a whole bunch of little white girls and white boys all across the country who just take it for granted that there's an African-American president. That's the president they're growing up with, and that's changing attitudes.
Emphasis added is mine. Ughh.
HE GETS IT!!
And THAT, ladies and gents, is the kind of President we could ALL use FOUR MORE YEARS of!
Let's hit the comments and the donations!!