Tag : Tom Squitieri
Wollman Rink or Plaza Hotel?
Presuming that at some point President Trump runs out of executive orders to issue – granted, that is an open question – he may get around to trying to fulfill some of his more concrete campaign promises. Pun intended. Atop that list is one thing where Trump and many Democrats and Republicans agree: the needRead moreBatman’s Lament
Batman’s lament © 2016/TomSquitieri This is her room I know her bed She has to come and pet my head This is her room I know her rug She likes when I sleep here and I wait for her hugs This is her room I know her smell Why isn’t she here? It makes meRead moreAfter rough 2016, making journalism great again
The White House looked lost in a late evening mist, as if a mere onlooker to the bleachers arising for the upcoming presidential inauguration. Off in the distance, early sounds of New Year’s revelry could be heard from the roof deck at the W Hotel, the buzzing crowd outside the Old Ebbitt Grill, and theRead moreIn a Trump world, McCain is poised for comeback
Few, if any, have compared Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to Frank Sinatra. Now is the time to do so. McCain, who in November won a tough reelection to grasp his sixth term as a U.S. senator, finds himself at a moment in political history where the quiet, somewhat downward arc of his recent career nowRead moreDemocrats miss warning signs, even in blue Maryland
A month before the November election, one of the top political thinkers in Maryland sat down for a lunch at a funky restaurant in Hyattsville and essentially outlined how the Democrats could lose the presidential election. They would not lose Maryland to the Republican presidential candidate — not this year, anyway — but the futureRead moreA field guide to third-party prospects
This was a prime year for a solid third-party run for the White House. Antipathy and disdain for the major party candidates are at historical high levels. Polls show that far more than half of Americans think a third party is needed. Do not hold out hope for a breakthrough. None of the “major” thirdRead moreIt’s Now the GOP’s moment in history, not Trump’s
To answer how did “this” happen, look no further than the bumper-sticker lines of each candidate. Donald Trump said he would “make American great again.” Hillary Clinton‘s was “I’m with her.” Voters did not want to be with a presidential candidate for his or her success. They wanted the presidential candidate to be with them,Read moreThis election, if you can’t defend your actions, just accuse others
For much of the four years I covered the conflict in Bosnia, the guys whom we caught burning down villages, looting, smacking around women and the elderly, and terrorizing children would always be furious when we showed up. “Why do you write about us?” they often spat, displaying a much wider and pointed fluency inRead moreSome tough debate questions for Clinton and Trump (really)
The advance word is that the first debate between the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates on Monday may set records for viewership. That makes sense. The potential for entertainment is high, while the fear and loathing of each candidate by voters is, according to most polls, also setting records. “Monday Night Football’s” action may paleRead moreTrump picks Clinton’s lock on the election
In the 1982 movie “Diner,” the character played by a young Mickey Rourke is struggling with paying off money owed to a bookie on past lost bets. He decides to place a wager on a college basketball game he believes is a sure winner as a way to clear the debt. An adult friend ofRead moreTrump and Clinton should un-rig the debates
Donald Trump has declared that the presidential election is likely to be rigged. Here is his chance to do something about it. As Washington turns inward to begin its all-important — some might say elitist — debate as to which media superstars get to referee the fall presidential debates, GOP nominee Trump has already voicedRead moreKey Questions Everyone Should Be Asking About Syria
President Obama is at a tricky and dangerous point regarding intervention in Syria. (U.S. News) During the Haiti coup of the early 1990s, the lines were unusually clear. On one side were the junta leaders and their supporters. There were the people who backed deposed president Jean-Bertrand Aristide. And then there were those who onlyRead more