Obama's Secret Wish

Journalist Fred Barnes suggests in a recent article that President Obama is secretly hoping the Republicans take control of Congress in the November midterm elections, thereby allowing him to benefit politically from a "long-awaited pivot to the center" that a GOP majority would surely force. Though Obama has arguably made a number of attempts to appease Republicans during his first year in office (such as his willingness to explore offshore oil drilling on the East Coast, his buildup of troops in Afghanistan, and his inclusion of Republican proposals in healthcare reform legislation), there is much to like about Barnes' vision of divided government. He cites spending figures that show that the presidents most effective at holding down discretionary federal outlays have been those who faced Congresses controlled by the other party. According to Barnes, "Republicans could be the answer to [Obama's] political prayers."

Catholic Cardinal Calls for Reform

"The primary thing to consider should not be the sin, but people’s striving to live according to the commandments… Instead of a morality based on duty, we should work towards a morality based on happiness."

-Austrian Cristoph Cardinal Schönborn, on his view that the Catholic Church is “urgently in need of reform” with regard to its positions on remarriage after divorce and homosexual relationships