On the rather surreal occasion of the opening of something solemnly called the George W. Bush “Library,” I was inexorably drawn not to my personal Bush Library of 92 infuriating volumes, but the somewhat smaller 60 or so in the Nixon section.  As I listened to snippets of Village homilies and President Obama predictably joshing chummily about the “clubhouse,”  I was reminded of Jonathan Schell’s masterful recounting of the Watergate era, The Time of Illusion. 

Now that Kentucky has become the latest state to embrace industrial hemp President Obama should seize the moment to endorse the concept. It would be a bipartisan move to improve the country.

The federal government continued opposition to allowing American farmers to grow industrial hemp is an illogical and outdated relic from our insane drug war. The sole reason hemp is prohibited is that it technically is the same species as marijuana, but only in the way a gray wolf is technically the same species as a Shih Tzu. Hemp can’t get people high. It is purely a useful agricultural product that serves as a source of fiber, food and oil.

The single biggest driving force behind trying to cut your Social Security in Washington is President Obama. At every turn Obama has worked hard to keep the idea alive despite it is a horrible idea that is incredibly unpopular. This is not something Obama is being forced to accept, it is what he has been pushing for.

Daniel Hernandez does a remarkable job of taking us inside that day his boss, Rep. Gabby Giffords was shot, a day none of us would hope to be inside of, ever. He recalls his specific feelings and frustrations at being at the absolute center of the event, but knowing little about its outcome. And then, in an avalanche of media attention, he describes how he undertook an overwhelming 215 interviews by the day of the memorial service in Tucson. There he met President Obama and the First Lady. There his iconic media status was cemented by that hug from the President, who said to him, moments after announcing to a cheering crowd that he had just come from Gabby Giffords’ hospital bedside, where she’d opened her eyes for the first time: “And, Daniel, I’m sorry, you may deny it, but we’ve decided you are a hero, because you ran through the chaos to minister to your boss and tended to her wounds and helped keep her alive.”

Thus began the journey of a young man who became an icon for so many: a gay, Hispanic student intern who ran toward danger to save a Congresswoman shot in the line of duty and ended up sitting with the First Lady at the State of the Union

We get five statements this time that are actually believed by significant numbers of people, and that for the most part are actually false. There are still elephants in the room, which I’ll get to, but for the moment I’ll give DC’s paper of record its due.

I’ve said it once and I will say it again. Once the religious right finds a factoid or meme to use against the lgbt community, they will continue to repeat it even though the factoid or meme has been refuted.

I’m very glad that during the President’s press conference on the sequester Jessica Yellin asked, “Couldn’t you just have them down here and refuse to let them leave the room until you have a deal?” because it encapsulates this idiotic strand of thinking which is currently very popular among many pundits.

There seems to be this belief that if only Obama gave Boehner a hug or Pelosi spent more time complimenting McConnell on his ties we would get more bipartisan legislation. They act as if Congress is just a bunch of teenagers at summer camp, and if only they would do a series of trust falls they would all work so much better together.

President Obama’s national campaign to blame the Republicans for the sequester cuts taking place has only partly succeeded so far. A new Washington Post poll finds 44 percent of voters would blame the Congressional Republicans more for failing to reach a deal.

It was a relief to hear more than a passing reference to climate change in President Obama’s State of the Union Speech, including promises of more support for wind and solar power. But the oil industry heard nothing to even cause even a smidgen of concern.

President Obama has weighed in on the Boy Scouts and his opinion is on the side of right.