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You are here: Home / 2009 / Archives for January 2009

Archives for January 2009

The “historic” inauguration of Barack Obama

Saturday, January 17, 2009 at 6:52 AM
Written by Anthony L. Hall

It figures that, just as a brother becomes president of the United States, the country is facing such dire economic straits (including the worst global financal crisis since the Great Depression) that he will have to be twice as good as any other president to be considered successful. Can Obama do it…? Yes he can…!  (I just hope these issues don’t stretch… Read more.

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Filed Under: General Tagged With: Barack Obama, inauguration

“Miracle on the Hudson”… indeed!

Friday, January 16, 2009 at 7:37 AM
Written by Anthony L. Hall

Reports are that, in remarkable symmetry, birds flew into both engines of a US Airways flight departing New York’s LaGuardia Airport yesterday, causing them both to blowout immediately.  Then, performing an even more remarkable feat, the pilot managed to land the plane on the Hudson River with such ease and in tact that all 155 people on board… Read more.

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Filed Under: General Tagged With: Hudson River, US Airways

Roland Burris to be sworn in as Senator … finally!

Thursday, January 15, 2009 at 5:33 AM
Written by Anthony L. Hall

To hear Democratic leaders in the US Senate hailing today’s scheduled swearing in of Roland Burris as the junior senator from Illinois you’d never know that these are the very senators who only a week ago were swearing that he would never set foot on the Senate floor. By way of reminder, however, here’s the public… Read more.

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Filed Under: General Tagged With: Roland Burris

Wannabe Scarlet O’Haras have no place in Obama’s inauguration parade

Wednesday, January 14, 2009 at 5:14 AM
Written by Anthony L. Hall

Of course, I appreciate not only the from-slavery-to-the-White House theme but also the Illinois connection this commemoration is intended to reflect.  But I hope the organizers have the presence of mind to pay homage to the 80th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s birth as well. [Obama’s inauguration…, The iPINIONS Journal, November 8, 2008] When I read that the… Read more.

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Filed Under: General

Now that he’s sold us on hope, it’s time for Obama to manage our expectations…

Tuesday, January 13, 2009 at 5:07 AM
Written by Anthony L. Hall

President-elect Obama has been sounding just like a typical politician lately, trying to explain why America’s worsening economic crisis will prevent him from fulfilling some of his campaign promises in a timely fashion, and others perhaps not at all.  And I gather that many of you are becoming disllusioned by this … change. But keep hope alive. Because he’s just doing what any prudent and pragmatic politician… Read more.

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Filed Under: General Tagged With: Barack Obama

Ignoring UN ceasefire resolution, Israel escalates battle in Gaza

Monday, January 12, 2009 at 5:29 AM
Written by Anthony L. Hall

On Thursday the UN passed a resolution calling for: … an immediate, durable and fully respected cease-fire, leading to the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. Instead of honoring this resolution, however, Israel escalated its ground offensive over the weekend, demonstrating not only its determination to end this latest battle on its own terms… Read more.

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Filed Under: General

The security surrounding Obama’s inauguration makes it seem like the coronation of a despised monarch

Saturday, January 10, 2009 at 7:01 AM
Written by Anthony L. Hall

Unfortunately, given the number of wackos who’d love to assassinate him, and the number of terrorists who’d love to kill thousands of Americans in the most symbolic and spectacular way possible, it’s all very necessary. But just in case, I think I’ll stay home and watch this historic event unfold on TV.  Just kidding, I’m sure it’ll… Read more.

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Filed Under: General Tagged With: inauguration

More (much-ado-about-nothing) political drama in the TCI

Friday, January 9, 2009 at 5:36 AM
Written by Anthony L. Hall

No doubt you recall that the British governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), HE Gordon Wetherell, suspended the House of Assembly, indefinitely, a few weeks ago. And perhaps you recall that, in a commentary published here just hours before the Governor announced his decision, I dismissed the political drama unfolding in our beloved… Read more.

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Filed Under: General Tagged With: Turks and Caicos Islands

Obama’s taps a politician, Leon Panetta, to head the CIA…? That’s inspired!

Thursday, January 8, 2009 at 7:45 AM
Written by Anthony L. Hall

Alas, the same people who insisted that Barack Obama was too passive, naive and inexperienced to defeat the ruthless team of Bill and Hillary Clinton (or the war-hero John McCain) are the ones now insisting that his choice to head the CIA, Leon Panetta, is too passive, naive and inexperienced to lead this agency “in a time of… Read more.

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Filed Under: General Tagged With: CIA, Leon Panetta

Cold War over gas supplies leaves millions of Europeans out in the cold

Wednesday, January 7, 2009 at 12:55 PM
Written by Anthony L. Hall

Russian President Vladimir Putin made Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko an offer he could not refuse: he told Yushchenko that if Ukraine’s 47 million “orange revolutionaries” wanted to continue receiving gas from Russia to cook their food, heat their homes and drive their cars, they would have to pay four times as much for it. When… Read more.

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Filed Under: General Tagged With: gas, Gazprom, Russia, Ukraine

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Anthony L. Hall is the founding columnist of The iPINIONS Journal, where he’s published sharp, independent commentary on global affairs since 2005. Read more.

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