Sheesh can the Leader of the Free World and the Handmaiden to Vlad the Shirtless ever have a private conversation? In his visit to South Korea for an international summit, President Obama spoke to Russian President Dimitri Medvedev when he believed the microphones were off about the testy issue of a missile defense system the U.S. is planning on building in Europe. “On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this can be solved, but it’s important for him to give me space,” Obama says, referring to President-elect Putin. “This is my last election. After my election, I have more flexibility.” You hear that? If Barry's reelected he's gonna institute MANDATORY YOGA. more ›

Newt Gingrich makes a mistake during one of his 2003 speeches, but these days, his foreign policy is more dangerous than a little slip-up. more ›

A year ago, President Obama pushed the UN to reach an agreement that would create a soverign Palestinian state. Now, with Israel digging in against any such accord and Palestinians upset that the US has refused to support their bid for independence, Obama was forced to tread lightly and speak in sweeping generalities in today's speech [pdf] to the General Assembly. After acknowledging that he still supports an independent Palestine Obama said, "Ultimately, it is Israelis and Palestinians who must live side by side...It is Israelis and Palestinians—not us—who must reach agreement on the issues that divide them." more ›

The New Yorker was actually shut out, not garnering a single award for any of its nine nominations; it was the most-nominated publication in 2007. New York's five awards were for General Excellence (250,000 to 500,000 circulation), Profile Writing, Magazine Section, and Design. The magazine's online site nymag.com won an award for Interactive Feature. Other big winners last night were National Geographic and Vanity Fair, with two awards each. Rolling Stone, Wired, Foreign Policy, and Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists were other winners of General Excellence awards. If you'd like to judge for yourself, links to all of the nominated and winning articles are available here. more ›

It's pork barrel time. Earlier this week, the State Legislature made its $170 million in pet projects public, only after Hearst, which publishes the Times-Union in Albany, sued them and a state judge ruled the Legislature had to disclose spending. The Legislature spends on these projects without public approval, so in the recent past, your politicians were doling out money to places unknown. more ›