When I was a teenager, I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up, but I knew that I didn't want to wear a suit to work and I didn't want to carry a brief case. Fast-forward . . . I ended up being a lawyer who…
When asked what Bush accomplished during his eight years in office, many people point out that he was responsible for putting together a comprehensive AIDS program for Africa. In an article called, "An Unlikely Champion," found in the January 15, 2009 edition of Nature (available only to subscribers online), the authors discuss the good and the not so good about the Bush AIDS program. That program was called the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief ("PEPFAR"). First of all, the good. PEPFAR put more than 2 million HIV-positive people on anti-retroviral treatments since the beginning of the program (in 2003). By 2008, PEPFAR prevented infection of 240,000 babies born to HIV-infected mothers. It also provided healthcare for 9.7 million people. On the other hand, PEPFAR "has also been highly controversial because of stipulations on how its funds should be spent."
Lofty rhetoric aside, after the election dust has settled, President Barack Obama seems to be giving us “Republican Lite” in his proposed economic stimulus package which may go over $850 billion. The package includes some $300 billion in tax cuts and $100 billion in givebacks to big business and other large business tax breaks long sought after by the US Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers. The plan seems to be a shill to allow for more Republican support in the US Senate where President Obama apparently fears a filibuster from a weakened GOP. GOP minority leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-TN.) has said the bill will likely be passed by mid-February. Former Senator Obama’s legislative centrist instincts have taken over.
Sam Club, which has no problem pumping out conservative books, including those written by Bill O'Reilly, has a problem with an employee who dared to wear a shirt bearing the likeness of the current President of the United States, Barack Obama. The problem was that Obama's image was potentially offensive to customers.
It was entirely predictable, of course. By undoing many of the Bush Administration policies regarding the treatment of prisoners of the so-called "War on Terror" and reducing the war rhetoric aimed at residents of the Middle East, Obama has done some significant damage to Al-Qaeda without the use of any physical weapons The Washington Post reports that Al-Qaeda is reeling these days, because it has lost its best recruiting tool: George W. Bush. Barack Obama's election has resulting in a strong barrage of words by Al-Qaeda, claiming that Obama has killed innocent Muslims and that he is even responsible for the violence in Gaza.