Magic? Who believes in the magic? I believe in grind-it-out one inch at a time progress, like throughout most of history, and I think the admin is doing a fine job in the insanely difficult environment into which it was thrust. I wish somebody would name an administration that didn't make mistakes.

You're a 180 from my own assessment re: the admin and this last month, and a 180 from polls, which have started to show a significant bounce post SOTU.

Now, your assessment is correct, IMO, if it's applied to both parties in Congress, however.

I think you spend too much time inside the beltway. Your thinking often reminds me of the insider-think about Bill Clinton re: his Presidency and his own SOTU's, which were widely derided in DC. The chatter would be about how disconnected he was, all the mistakes he was making. Then he'd get large SOTU viewership, and aside from a little personal affair issue, remained very popular throughout most of his Presidency. I will predict a similar pattern for Obama, without the affairs.

Whether or not the congress is courageous enough to enact major legislation has little to do with Obama. But I think he will be fine regardless.

corrupt system.... obama can't be blamed for that, but he's responsible for helping to continue it...he appears to excel at this....

A local employer includes the largest tubing provider for the oil and gas industry in North America.

That provider's main subservice provider also owns a steel factory in Alabama.

Perhaps the good Sen. doesn't see the big picture very well....

Shelby will be viewed as a hero by the wingnuts - for preventing all of Obama's "socialist" judges from being seated. The earmarks are just an excuse for blocking the appointments.

This is a Right-Wing war for the heart of the judicial system.

From 2002 to 2004, not a single one of Bush's judicial appointments went through. The Democrats threatened to filibuster, the first time filibusters had been threatened for this use. I don't think the Democrats have a lot of room to seize the moral high ground in this one. What goes around comes around.

The serious abuse of holds and delays on federal judicial nominees began with the repubs under the Clinton regime, and the repubs have taken it to new heights. the system is broken by both parties at this point. time to change it.

http://www.ou.edu/special/albertctr/extensions/spring2004/Goldman.html

Nadine, your take here as well as the previous post indicate a strong repub bias. Do we now start referring to you as the zionist neocon republican? Would that accurate description please you?

On the edge of my seat waiting for St McCain to condemn Shelby's pork.

Obama should invite Shelby and McCain to view the Super BoActually wl with him and discuss the matter during half-time with TV cameras running.

Then if Shelby is reasonable, Obama can send him chocolates next week for Valentine's Day!

Somehow part of my sentence got cut off above. It should read:

Obama should invite Shelby and McCain to view the Super Bowl with him and discuss the matter during half-time with TV cameras running.

Then if Shelby is reasonable, Obama can send him chocolates next week for Valentine's Day!

I've never been particularly impressed with the Hon. Sen. Shelby,
but when I heard this my first thought was that he'd done some
back-room deal with the Majority leader to give Senate rules
reform a jump start (although this still leaves up in the air what he
would get in return). Honestly, what does the Senator expect to
come of this? If he were trying to become a Tbagger hero, why
would he need to make up some earmark hooey?

There is a factual inaccuracy here. First I post that this contract is about mid-air refueling tankers for the airforce (ie airplanes), and the original language stated that it was about "oil tankers".

The moderator deleted that post and adjusted the words in Steve's post to now say its about "alabama's production of aging tankers", presumably an attempt at a correction.

The new statement is also inaccurate. Alabama hopes to win the NEW contract to build NEW planes. they do not currently build these, nor does anyone else. All current mid-air refueling tankers were built years ago and production has long since stopped.

Finlay -- thanks much for the correction. The original item that I wrote was based on a news alert from Reuters which noted that the hold was in part for contracts related to Mobil. After seeing your note, I saw that most of the reported news dealt with these tankers -- but the contract that Shelby wanted for "new" tankers as you point out is to replace a fleet of aging tankers. Thanks for your notes on this -- but wanted to also note that my early reporting on this was related to news alerts that highlighted a number of contracts...and admittedly, that reporting, and my re-reporting was fuzzier than I liked. all best, steve clemons