With his political opponents making huge gains and the economy still faltering, it’s been a difficult time for Barack Obama. But the President has won one major battle – he has given up smoking, according to his wife Michelle. The First Lady says her husband has not smoked in almost a year, adding that she is very proud. Mrs Obama made the comments in an interview at the White House Tuesday, adding that the President has always wante ... Jump to full article >>

As President Obama toured a Mumbai classroom exhibit on ecological challenges, he heard a lecture about the dangers of smoking. The teenaged boy who delivered the lecture probably did not know that Mr. Obama is a longtime smoker. Using an earnest delivery he told the president, “Today about 1.3 billion people all over the world smoke. And when a person smokes he exhales harmful pollutants into the air. These pollutants add to the gases and ... Jump to full article >>

The Obama administration on Monday widened the scope of U.S. financial penalties against North Korea, escalating pressure on the Pyongyang regime to give up its nuclear weapons. The Treasury Department announced it is freezing the assets of several individuals, companies and organizations allegedly linked to Pyongyang’s nuclear program or to management of a vast network of illicit economic activities such as narcotics trafficking and money ... Jump to full article >>

WASHINGTON — The White House is quietly choreographing every aspect of Elena Kagan’s march toward a lifetime term on the Supreme Court. From working to dampen the impact of revelations about her stint in the Clinton White House to going out of their way to trumpet praise from conservative backers, members of President Barack Obama’s team are using every available tool to burnish Kagan’s image. Take the public release of tens ... Jump to full article >>

Another day, another political scandal and Stephen Byers has just referred himself to the standards watchdog. Oh dear. I had hoped to write about Barack Obama’s costly victory in the important battle to inject greater fairness and efficiency into the American healthcare system. Of course Obama’s win – and the boost it gives his battered presidency – is much more important than what Byers said to a young woman he thought represent ... Jump to full article >>

China has succumbed to hubris. It has mistaken the soft diplomacy of Barack Obama for weakness, mistaken the US credit crisis for decline, and mistaken its own mercantilist bubble for ascendancy. There are echoes of Anglo-German spats before the First World War, when Wilhelmine Berlin so badly misjudged the strategic balance of power and over-played its hand. Within a month the US Treasury must rule whether China is a “currency manipulator ... Jump to full article >>

So, in the least surprising news of the day, Time Magazine named Barack Obama its Person of the Year for 2008. Because, duh. Despite all the pageantry and pretense, no one in their right mind should have expected anything different. Sarah Palin makes America angry and Henry Paulson’s face is the terrifying visage of our financial apocalypse. Besides, Time’s Managing Editor Rick Stengel is no dummy. He understands that the only way to ... Jump to full article >>

For weeks, Democratic leaders gritted their teeth whenever Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell airily dismissed suggestions that Republicans would work to slow the health care debate. The Democrats thought they knew better. Under McConnell’s leadership during the 111th Congress, Republicans have attempted to filibuster – block legislation by defeating efforts to cut off debate – more than 30 times. To Democrats, out-strategi ... Jump to full article >>

Today, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand blogged about her unyielding support to repeal the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. We have to wonder, what happened to the too conservative Gillibrand that was once predicted? When Gov. Paterson tapped her from New York’s Republican-leaning 20th district, he angered and alienated just about every liberal dynasty and constituency possible: the Kennedys, the Cuomos, ... Jump to full article >>

WASHINGTON, Sept 9 (Reuters) – Corporate spending limits in U.S. political campaigns may be too broad and silence free-speech rights of small businesses like a local hairdresser, Supreme Court conservatives said on Wednesday. But the court’s four liberals, including new Justice Sonia Sotomayor, said more harm than good could be done by overturning precedents upholding the restrictions on corporations and labor unions. The comments ca ... Jump to full article >>