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Tag Archives: Donald Trump
A D-Day Speech
On June 5, 1944, General Dwight David Eisenhower carried a heavy burden. For four years, he had planned, prepared, and practiced for the invasion of Europe. He had done all he could to secure success, but he knew that “even … Continue reading
Debatable
There is something deliciously American about a politician treating preparation as probable cause. In MAGA-world, apparently, you shoot first, gather the facts later, and regard the person who brought notes as a possible criminal mastermind. Continue reading
MAGAnimity:
Donald Trump tried to bribe me this week.
Ninety dollars. Not ninety thousand. Not even nine hundred. Ninety bucks.
Apparently, that’s what presidential gratitude goes for these days. Meanwhile, the fortunes of Trump, his family, and certain Cabinet members have increased by billions.
I was offended. Not just by the attempted purchase of my affection, but by how little he thought it was worth.
My latest essay on MAGAnimity, Medicare, and the disappearing purchasing power of ninety dollars.
And for God’s sake, buy the popcorn. Continue reading
Kitten Karma
My wife is a cat person. I am a dog guy. Somehow, three kittens, one airport encounter, and a little “kitten karma” turned that difference into a lesson in love, politics, and keeping your blood pressure under control. Continue reading
Posted in opinion, Politics and Society, Trump cuts, Trump Opposition
Tagged American politics, animals, brazil, cat, Cat Lovers, Cats, Dog Lovers, Donald Trump, humor, Kittens, marriage, personal essay, Pet Adoption, pets, political satire, politics, travel
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E Pluribus Unum
Twenty-five years after 9/11, a reflection on leadership, unity, and the people who gave everything at Ground Zero—and on the difference between honoring courage and borrowing it for yourself. Continue reading
What We Gave Away
Twenty-five years after 9/11, America’s reservoir of global goodwill has badly eroded. This is a look back at the solidarity we once inspired—and a warning about what we may discover the next time we need the world to stand with us. Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 9/11, 9/11 Anniversary, America, American Allies, Canada, Diplomacy, Donald Trump, fitness, Global Goodwill, Ground Zero, half-marathon, International Relations, marathon, National Unity, NATO, New York City, Operation Yellow Ribbon, Patriotism, Pew Research, running, September 11, training, U.S. Foreign Policy, War on Terror
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Not America’s Mayor
Rudy Giuliani was once called “America’s Mayor.”
It was a fine title. Grand, flattering, patriotic—and, as it turned out, issued before anyone bothered to read the fine print.
On September 11, 2001, he was my mayor, and in that terrible moment he gave New Yorkers something we desperately needed: steadiness, visibility and hope.
Twenty-five years later, history has had time to clear the smoke.
My latest: Not America’s Mayor. Continue reading
Posted in opinion, personal essay, Politics and Society, Trump Opposition
Tagged 9/11, 9/11 Anniversary, Accountability, America’s Mayor, American history, books, democracy, Donald Trump, history, Leadership, Media Mythology, New York City, news, political commentary, politics, Public Memory, Rudy Giuliani, September 11, writing
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Trump Canal
Donald Trump’s proposal to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America” gets the history backward and the geography sideways. Ontario was named after the lake, while “America” comes from an Italian explorer who never saw the Great Lakes. If Trump is determined to rename something in upstate New York, though, Love Canal is waiting.
Welcome to Trump Canal. Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged adventure, American politics, Amerigo Vespucci, Canada, Donald Trump, Geography, Great Lakes, hiking, history, Lake America, Lake Ontario, Love Canal, Political Humor, political satire, travel, Trump Administration, Trump Canal, Upstate New York, US-Canada Relations
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Willie and Joe
With Stars and Stripes once again becoming a political target, I went back to Mauldin and wondered what Joe and Willie might make of today’s Pentagon.
Turns out, eighty years later, the material is still embarrassingly fresh. Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Donald Trump, fiction, history, news, pete-hegseth, political commentary, politics, trump
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Shoot, Ready, Aim
Conspiracy theories no longer require particularly good conspiracies. They merely require a wisp of information—a text message, a photograph, a name, the word “Hawks”—plus enough ideological enthusiasm to spin the pieces together into conspiratorial cotton candy before anybody asks whether it is worth getting your hands sticky. Continue reading →