LARRY ELDER

McCain's 1st 50 days: How they'd report it
Thursday March 19, 2009 by Larry Elder -- Suppose Sen. John McCain, rather than Sen. Barack Obama, won the presidency but made the same decisions and pursued the same goals to turn around the economy. The following is a hypothetical front-page story: After more than 50 days in office, the new president, even to some o ...

Democrats wanted Bush to fail
Thursday March 12, 2009 by Larry Elder -- Three and a half years into the Iraq war, Fox News' Bill O'Reilly appeared on David Letterman's show. He asked Letterman, "Do you want the United States to win in Iraq?" Letterman gave a long-winded answer about the evolution of his thinking on the war. "Do you want the United States to ...

It's not the economy, stupid – it's Limbaugh
Thursday March 05, 2009 by Larry Elder -- "You can't just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done," the newly installed President Obama told Capitol Hill Republicans. Chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, just days ago, called the popular conservative radio talk show host "the voice and the intellectual force and energy behind the R ...

Obama's scattergun
Thursday February 26, 2009 by Larry Elder -- President Barack Obama, on Tuesday night, gave his first presidential address before Congress. He looked good, sounded great, and delivered his address with poise and confidence. He entered the Capitol and made his way through the applauding throng like a modern-day Moses slowly parting the Red S ...

Elgin Baylor: The hero and the race card
Thursday February 19, 2009 by Larry Elder -- Dear Elgin Baylor, I heard about your lawsuit against your last employer – whom you accuse of racism. I was a child who watched in awe and admiration when you starred with my hometown basketball team, the Los Angeles Lakers. You finished your first pro year with the then ...

7 unasked questions of Obama
Thursday February 12, 2009 by Larry Elder -- President Barack Obama this week conducted his first prime-time press conference. After blaming the "failed theories of the last eight years" for today's economic crisis, he pushed for massive, unprecedented government spending. Lefty radio talk show host Ed Schultz – who once cal ...

All economists agree?
Wednesday February 04, 2009 by Larry Elder -- "There is no disagreement," said then-President-elect Barack Obama Jan. 9, "that we need action by our government, a recovery plan that will help to jump-start the economy." No disagreement? During the last economic downturn – seven years ago – I interviewed econom ...

Obama's endless honeymoon
Thursday January 29, 2009 by Larry Elder -- "When," someone recently asked me, "does President Obama's media 'honeymoon' period end?" Answer: It won't. Oh, sure, every relationship experiences peaks and valleys. But the "mainstream media" wanted Obama to win, and helped him do so. If Obama were a stock, the media would ...

Obama begins – as does resurrection of Bush
Thursday January 22, 2009 by Larry Elder -- This week, Barack Obama became the 44th president of the United States. So now the governing begins – along with the resurrection of George W. Bush's reputation. Candidate Obama promised to pull all the troops from Iraq within the first year to 16 months of his administration. Pre ...

Does Iraq make Bush a 'failed president'?
Thursday January 15, 2009 by Larry Elder -- In his final press conference, President George W. Bush called failing to find WMD in Iraq a "disappointment." For many historians – not allowing a little history to pass before rendering judgment – this makes him a "failed president." In a 2006 survey of 744 history profess ..