Bill Clinton's DNC Speech

Clinton got rave reviews for his 50 minute speech making the case for why people should vote for Obama and the Democrats over Romney and the Republicans.

Clinton is seen as one of our generations best political speakers for his ability to combine a mastery of issues and facts, and explain them in a "folksy" southern manner.  Some have called him a great "Explainer-in-Chief".

Here is a short segment of his speech:



The article on Clinton as Obama's Chief Defender can be found in the Christian Science Monitor.

Obama's Drone Program: Author of new book interviewed

The following interview of Dan Klaidman done by Jake Tapper of ABC News:

Video: Obama signs strategic agreement in Kabul

Video: Obama signs strategic agreement in Kabul:
During an unannounced trip to Afghanistan, President Barack Obama said the U.S. and Afghanistan are now committed to replacing war with peace. The new Strategic Partnership Agreement establishes a framework for U.S. involvement in Afghanistan from 2014 to 2024, and pledges economic and security resources from the U.S. NBC’s Chuck Todd reports. (Nightly News)

Evaluating 2011 for Obama' - and Congress

The conservative Washington Times criticizes Obama for making America weaker in 2011.

On the other hand, National Public Radio ran a story yesterday claiming After A Year of Struggles, Obama Finds His Footing.  One note in his favor after a very hard year is that his poll numbers have risen a bit since the battle with House Republicans over the bill to extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits for another two months.  Gallup: Obama's approval rating at 5-month high

Obama has been putting a lot of the blame on Congress - more specifically Republicans in Congress for not being willing to compromise.  As the New York Times reports this morning, running against Congress will be a part of his election year strategy.

Was Congress that bad?  Well, I might be biased, but I think the polls showing the approval rating for Congress at about 12% tell us a lot.  NPR also ran a very interesting story asking experts to evaluate the job Congress has done in the past year.  This Year In Congress: Much Drama, Little To Show

How would you evaluate the job the President and Congress have done?