Joshua Green

There's been so much talk of "balls and strikes" at today's Senate hearing that one could be forgiven for imagining that Sonia Sotomayor is auditioning to lead an umpiring crew for Major League Baseball, and not to join the Supreme Court. At his 2005 confirmation hearings, current chief justice John Roberts also talked a lot about "balls and strikes." What gives? And who's responsible for the annoying judges-as-umpires meme? The answer, I believe, is Karl Rove. As… More »

The publisher's email and invitation to one lawmaker show a different side of the story

It feels like 1977 all over again: economy in the doldrums, crisis in the Middle East, and a charismatic new Democrat in the White House preaching the gospel of clean energy. Can Obama succeed where Carter did not? Yes—but only if we’ve learned the lessons of three decades of failure.

In May, Christine Varney, the new antitrust chief at the Justice Department, promised to scrutinize high-tech mergers more closely than her Bush-era predecessors. In the early Obama administration, talk of a possible antitrust action has focused almost exclusively on Google. The latest example is this Sunday Times profile of the apple-cheeked Googler whose job it is to furiously spin decision makers on the idea that Google is not really so big after all. But that's… More »

It's not Google--DoJ's antitrust division now looks at Oracle More »

The headline over at Talking Points Memo right now is "60!" in reference to Al Franken's pending arrival in the Senate, reflecting the fact that Democrats now have 60 seats, a filibuster-proof majority. At least on paper. In reality, it's not quite so simple. A quiet concern in the White House is the logistical difficulty of getting Ted Kennedy and Robert Byrd, both of them long absent with serious health issues, to the Senate floor to cast a vote. This is putting… More »

As the House passes an historic bill, the three other critical ingredients to prevent climate change. More »

If you're a baseball fan, then you know that steroid-pumping quitter Manny Ramirez returned last night from a 50-game suspension, imposed for testing positive for drugs associated with a performance-enhancing cycle. Actually, Manny has not completed his suspension, but the rules allow him to begin his comeback in the minor leagues, so he suited up with the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate, the Albuquerque Isotopes (not to be confused with the Springfield Isotopes). The… More »

The Clintonism-is-Dead meme, gaining strength today after Terry McAuliffe's thumping in the Virginia governor's race, can draw some additional momentum from an item in today's First Read. Chuck Todd reports that UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown--who's staring at a McAuliffe-like thumping himself--has passed over Clinton pollster Mark Penn in favor of Joel Benenson and his firm Benenson Strategy Group. Benenson, of course, polls for Obama. Adding to the sting, all… More »

Today's explosive news that lazy Red Sox turncoat (and current LA Dodgers slugger) Manny Ramirez has been suspended for 50 games after violating Major League Baseball's drug policy is already tearing up talk radio--but unlike previous baseball stars who came under suspicion of steroid use, Ramirez is probably going to avoid a congressional subpoena. Though Congress has actively investigated baseball's drug culture, the locus of that activity--the House Oversight… More »

A hundred years from now, Barack Obama's first hundred days may be remembered more for his energy policy than for his bank bailouts-at least if things go according to plan. Without a great deal of fanfare or attention, Obama has made significant progress toward overhauling our national energy policy on a scale that's never before been attempted.For the last century or so, the government's approach to energy, especially electricity, has been to encourage its… More »

Assembling a hydro hut, buying a gun safe, cleaning up after neighborhood dogs—the ABC’s of opening a pot franchise

Don't know if this is a reflection of the Democratic Congress or simply a reflection of our popular culture, but Congress is simply teeming with celebrities today. On the House side alone, Josh Groban and Linda Ronstadt testified, and Martin Sheen, Bradley Whitford, and Richard Schiff all appeared for a press conference--and those are just the ones I happened to spot. The other day, well-traveled, tantrum-throwing wide receiver Terrell Owens testified. Nobody… More »

In his virtual town hall meeting today, President Obama went out of his way to emphasize that he did not think legalizing marijuana would be a good way to grow the economy. Apparently, lots of pot enthusiasts had pushed the question. Two quick thoughts. First, while reporting this piece in the current issue of The Atlantic on the business of selling medical marijuana, I was surprised at how many people in the "semi-legal community" (as the group calls itself) were… More »

I enjoyed Rick Santelli's rant as much as anyone. Financial news has found its Howard Beale. It's likewise amusing to see the White House snap back at Santelli, as Marc just wrote about. Leaving aside the obvious hypocrisy (Santelli didn't get worked up when his bank-exec neighbors got bailed out), here's a less obvious bit: The stimulus also contains a huge mortgage-related giveaway to wealthy types exactly like the pit traders in Santelli's audience. Buried on… More »

Double-Late-Breaking, Friday-Afternoon Analysis: I enjoyed Rick Santelli¹s rant as much as anyone. Financial news has found its Howard Beale . It¹s likewise amusing to see the White House snap back at Santelli, as Marc just wrote about. Leaving aside the obvious hypocrisy (Santelli didn¹t get worked up when his bank-exec neighbors got bailed out), here¹s a less obvious bit: The stimulus also contains a huge mortgage-related giveaway to wealthy types exactly… More »

Maybe this is a sign of just how bad things have gotten for Republicans: recent Colorado Senate candidate Bob Schaffer has become...(drum roll)...a margarita pitchman! For real. Specifically, he is hawking something called "Coyote Gold Premium Margarita Mix." (Which makes a lot of sense, because when people think "delicious margaritas" they naturally also think "Colorado.") Here's video to prove it. Look out Coors Light. You've got Rocky Mountain competition. More »

Monday's interview with Peter Gammons of ESPN was intended to answer, and in so doing quell, the explosive news that New York Yankees' slugger Alex Rodriguez tested positive for anabolic steroids in 2003. Yes, he did it, Rodriguez haltingly confessed. His admission had all the hallmarks of a professionally managed damage-control campaign: the intimate home setting, the soft sweater*, the furrowed look of concern, the cloying phraseology ("I was young and… More »

As with the banks, the real danger to Major League Baseball is not about the star players; it’s about what remains hidden.

Chuck Schumer, the brash New York senator, helped drive the Democrats’ recent rise to power with what he says is a critical insight about the American middle class—that it is more affluent, and wants different things from an activist government, than most policy makers think. If the new administration and Congress can strengthen the bond between government and the middle class as he defines it, Schumer believes, this new Democratic era could last for a generation or longer.