President Obama Says He's Not Dick Cheney

Image from NY Mag (source)

After all, he hasn't shot anyone in the face or inspired images of Darth Vader. Glad he cleared that up.

But seriously, since the NSA's spying program has been a-spying since the Bush Administration, President Obama has come under fire for not ending these policies that violate American's civil liberties. He went on PBS and talked to Charlie Rose where he said the NSA surveillance programs were transparent. (Even though they're authorized in secret, sez USA Today.)

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CNN: President Obama's Approval Rating Drops 7 Points

President Barack Obama holds a National Security Council meeting in the Situation Room of the White House, April 5, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)In a new CNN poll, President Obama is proving he's had the worst three months ever with his approval numbers dropping seven points in 100 days. CNN, of course, links this to the myriad of I-Can't-Believe-It's-A-Scandal! scandals that have popped up of late.

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Slavery? Not That Bad, Sez CPAC Attendee

Stay in school, kids. Or ... um, don't stay in school. They're probably teaching that unit on slavery wrong if you live in certain parts of the American South and Texas. (Source: Clutch)

GOP Performs Autopsy On Ailing Political Body

Head of the Republican National Committee, Reince Priebus talks about the GOP's report on CBS's "Face the Nation."In the new "autopsy" report, (called the "Growth and Opportunity Report) is out! Re-published by Politico, the GOP outlines what they need to do to get out of their rut of losing presidential elections. Highlights: endorsing comprehensive immigration reform, a $10 million outreach effort for minority communities, reforming its digital operations and making the GOP presidential primary process shorter and having their nominating convention sooner.

Because this report is long and you probably don't want to read it, I'm going to break it down for you with some highlights and commentary. Giving you only what you need to know about what the GOP thinks it's doing wrong to get your vote.

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Michelle Obama Covers Vogue Again, Looks Great

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First Lady Michelle Obama made the cover of Vogue Magazine for a second time, as well as for the second term of her husband's presidency. In the article "Leading By Example," Jonathan Van Meter chronicles the First Family and how they're influencing America.

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Don't Call It A Comeback: Are the Bushes Prepping to Restart Their Dynasty?

If 2016 is a race between the son and brother of a former president and the wife of a former president we may never be able to mock the British for their royal obsession ever again. (Image via The Daily Show)Jeb Bush, wannabe President 44, is in my newspapers and on my TV. Quotes from Poppy Bush, actual President 41, about Dubya, former President 43, is on my TV. Bushes are on my TV like it's 1999. Are Bushes the new Y2K scare, like the one we had in 1999? Because I think the Bushes are trying to come back ...

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Well, The Sequester Happened ... So When Is the Apocalypse Scheduled?

President Barack Obama talks with Congressional leaders prior to the Rosa Parks statue unveiling ceremony at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Feb. 27, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)The DNC has flooded my (and possibly your) inbox with sequestration facts since Friday afternoon. And if you're like most people you're either looking up from your meal of Top Ramen inside your cardboard box going "huh" or you've been dreading this day ever since you learned you would be directly affected by the $85 billion harsh cuts coming from this bullshit poison pill, crafted by Congress years ago, only to finally come to roost last Friday.

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The Root: On Jesse Jackson, Jr., Bipolar and Money

Jesse Jackson Jr. (Official portrait from Congress)In a post for The Root, I write about former House Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr. and how being bipolar both does and doesn't play a role in the kind of decision making that lead to Jackson's downfall. In it, I also write about my own failures in judgment, also often related to money when it comes to the disease. We don't choose this disease, it chooses us. Ultimately, the only thing we have any control over is if this pain will be self-inflicted or if we'll wear out our welcome in the world, putting it on others.

This story is about when we take it out on others, or in this case, our wallets.

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The New Republic Breaks Down How the GOP Doubled-Down on Whiteness

The best retort critics could come up with was "you do it too."

That was the slam after The New Republic published its piece "Original Sin: Why the GOP is and will continue to be the party of white people." Conservatives quickly googled Wikipedia, and pointed out how lacking in a tan The New Republic's staff is, failing to grasp that The New Republic (while could benefit from diversity) is not one of two national political parties that takes turns in writing, executing and judging our laws.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say the GOP might be a bit more important and powerful than a magazine. I can't think of the last time TNR did something that determined what military contracts we might purchase and how much interest the government will have in my womb year-to-year.

As Dylan Byers writes at Politico: "Should TNR diversify its offices? That's up to them. But for the GOP, it isn't a case of should or shouldn't. It's a case of must."

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