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Divorce by text?, Richardson drops out, Dowd covers Hillary campaign from Jerusalem?, Gates upping forces in Afghanistan, Media wrap-up |
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In line with sharia (Islamic law) men do not need to go to court to file for divorce. A unilateral declaration of divorce by a man, repeated three times, formally ends a marriage.
Does that make divorce by SMS acceptable?
After a fourth-place finish in the New Hampshire primary, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has decided to drop out of the presidential race.
Yesterday’s infamous Maureen Dowd column “Can Hillary Cry her Way Back to the White House” (number one on the New York Times’ most emailed articles today) has upset a variety of people, but to rub a little salt in the readers’ wounds, it turns out, she filed the column from Jerusalem. I wonder: did the unnamed assistant who did the reporting for the column also come up with its offensive title and premise?
Robert Gates is considering sending 3,000 more U.S. Marines to Afghanistan in anticipation of the Taliban’s Spring Offenses. I wish someone would clearly explain to me what exactly the United States is trying to accomplish in Afghanistan because whatever the plan is, it doesn’t seem to be work. In my book, violence begets violence, so which comes first: more troops or spring offenses?
Bill Barker, President and CEO of New York’s PBS station WNET Thirteen provides an excellent wrap-up of media reporting on the media.
I read Maureen Dowd’s article and came to an obvious conclusion: Dowd believes Hillary Clinton won the New Hampshire primary because of her gender. Based on what I’ve read and heard about Clinton’s roundtable tear-up, I’m almost tempted to agree with Dowd.
My question is this: so what? Perhaps Clinton is taking advantage of her feminist roots. Barack Obama has wasted no time comparing his campaign to the civil rights movement of the mid 20th century, and so far, it has worked. He won the Iowa primary, pushing Clinton back to a virtual tie with John Edwards. Why has Dowd not persecuted him for reminding voters of his most obvious–and most irrelevant–presidential qualification: his race?
Then of course there’s Mike Huckabee, whose faith “defines” him. Perhaps Dowd hasn’t seen the political ad in which Huckabee openly reaches out to the religious right in an effort to attract support. Otherwise, she might have written an article with “Can Mike Pray his Way to the White House?” as the headline. Oh, and what about John McCain, whose military experience will end the war he continues to support?
Then there’s Rudy Gulliani, who happened to be mayor of New York City on Sept. 11, 2001. I won’t even attempt to satarize the headline to an article Dowd might write about him.
Is Clinton using her gender to her advantage in this campaign? Perhaps. But before Dowd continues to persecute her, she needs to realize that Clinton is not just a woman; she’s a politician. Judging by the results of the New Hampshire primary, she must be a pretty damn good one.
It’s my personal opinion that the Hillary Tears media dustup is a bit overrated. I mean, I’m sure it influenced some people, but we’ve gotta put it in perspective a bit. Hillary has been leading in New Hampshire for well over a year. Her victory there really can’t be too much of a surprise.
As for gender, however, I think you’re right. These things can and are factors, and they can and will be used for political ends. So what, right? I personally can’t understand how people would choose their support like this, but it does happen.