President Obama Steps Forward (NYT)

you lie

The president’s rhetorically powerful speech must be only the start of a sustained campaign to get health care reform legislation passed.

The Prince of Dispassion (NYT)

insufficient facts noted

by Charles M Blow
In debates, and particularly in the health care debate, facts are not sufficient. President Obama needs to move Americans with passion, conviction and faith.

For New York City Council (NYT)

affordable housing to continue

The editorial board endorses candidates in several of the most competitive districts where winning the Democratic primary usually means capturing the seat.

Respect Your Children (NYT)

speech of lies recommended

It is ridiculous that the American right on talk radio and the Web are trying to stop children from hearing the president’s education speech because, they say, that it is socialist propaganda.

Where the Jobs Aren’t (NYT)

Or you could ignore NYT advice and zero cap gains and business taxes.

With the job market severely wounded, and with consumer spending expected to be weak for a very long time, it could easily take until 2014 for employment to recover.

The Guns of August (NYT)

pandhandlers around the NYT building

by Frank Rich
The simmering undertone of violence in our politics seems to be getting darker.

Connecting Nature’s Dots (NYT)

partial differential equations called for

by Thomas L. Friedman
Policy solutions for climate change, poverty, food security and biodiversity need to be as integrated as nature itself.

The Uninsured (NYT)

obese burger eaters lamented

There are tens of millions of people without insurance, often for extended periods, and there is good evidence that lack of insurance is harmful to their health.

More Business as Usual (NYT)

NYT options plummet

Bank employee pay guidelines must be accompanied by reforms ensuring that banks can no longer profit from primarily speculative activities or other excessively risky transactions.

The Climate and National Security (NYT)

sacrifice goat

The way to address the grave threats posed by climate change is with sacrifice now, and an apolitical catalyst may come from recognizing the role that the environment plays in our security.

Intel’s Human Rights (NYT)

usefulness deplored as economic principle

Regulators should not be fooled by Intel’s appeal of the European Commission decision that the company violated antitrust law.

The View From the Bottom (NYT)

do the opposite, is always good advice

Policy makers may need to expand relief efforts to ensure the downturn is not followed by a long spell of very weak economic growth.

The Massachusetts Model (NYT)

glass half full

Calling Massachusetts’s experiment in near universal health care coverage a fiscal disaster is an egregious misread, and while imperfect, it may provide a road map for national health care reform.

Resistors on Trial in Iran (Drudge)

Next week, capacitors.

Bad Actors, Bad Concrete (NYT)

organized crime turf war threatened

New York City’s Buildings Department says it has set new standards for testing the durability and safety of concrete, but further trouble may lead to a municipal testing operation.

America’s Not-So-Fast Trains (NYT)

convert bike paths

If President Obama and Congress are going to delay a major transportation system overhaul, it is vital to spend money now on projects like high-speed rail corridors across the nation.

Detained and Abused (NYT)

Bush at fault, more leftism needed

President Obama did not create the sprawling immigration detention system in which monitoring violations are rampant, but his administration must soon try to fix it.

Trying to Recover (NYT)

no bad economics overlooked on the left

While the stimulus package is cushioning the worst effects of the downturn, new policies on foreclosures and lending must also be part of the plan for economic recovery.

President Obama, Professor Gates and the Cambridge Police (NYT)

supreme court packed

By BRENT STAPLES
President Obama has never played down the significance of racial discrimination, despite the American obsession that he has transcended race.

The Right Way to Register Voters (NYT)

the Chicago model

America should follow the lead of nations that have put in place the right systems to bring eligible voters into the electorate.

Where the Jobs Are (NYT)

economic reasoning applied

With low-wage work expected to be the most plentiful in the years to come, raising the minimum wage and growth opportunities should be a priority of the White House.

Costs and Benefits (NYT)

next reasoning plateau: perverse side effects.

Pending bills do an excellent job of providing health insurance for uninsured Americans, but Congress must also address the rising cost of health care itself.

Secretary Clinton Goes to India (NYT)

bread cast upon the waters

The United States and India can do a lot to deepen their relationship, but for that to happen India needs to take a more active roll in trade talks and stabilizing the region.

The Census Gets a Leader (NYT)

spin called for

The bipartisan support for Robert M. Groves as director of the Census Bureau must not end with his confirmation; lawmakers also need to get behind effort to build public confidence in the census.

Illegal, and Pointless (NYT)

enemies list

A full investigation of the many laws that were evaded in the name of national security during the Bush administration is the only way to ensure these abuses don’t happen again.

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Promises to Keep (NYT)

elections are the trouble

Having done his damage to a severely damaged campaign finance system, President Obama now has a clear responsibility to fix it.

Fair Pay for Caregivers (NYT)

market justice called for

Further delay in rescinding a measure that denies caregivers fair pay raises the danger that their plight will get mired in the broader debate over health care costs.

The Governor’s Mr. Fix-It (NYT)

Blind leading the blind.

The lawyers will start dueling about Gov. David Paterson’s legal right to appoint a lieutenant, but first he should be applauded for his wisdom and assertiveness.

Palin

Palin is doing a Ross Perot.

An Advocate for Women (NYT)

islam will not come up

We welcome President Obama’s decision to create a new post, White House adviser on violence against women, and his appointment of a seasoned advocate for victims to fill it.

Climate in the Senate (NYT)

iou based economy

The Senate needs to resist calls to weaken the House’s bill capping greenhouse gases and instead make it even better and approve it.

Firefighters and Race (NYT)

close analysis

In ruling against New Haven, the Supreme Court dealt a blow to diversity in the American workplace.

The House and Global Warming (NYT)

editorial science

The House should pass a bill that puts a price on carbon emissions, the first step toward averting the worst damage from climate change.

What We Need to Know (NYT)

democrats at fault

Until all the events that precipitated the financial crisis are known, some reforms of the financial regulatory system should be put on hold.

Jump-Start the New York Senate (NYT)

skill disparaged

The political acrobatics in the New York State Senate this week have done an excellent job of cementing Albany’s reputation as government by circus.

Of Fish and Flexibility (NYT)

objectivity praised

The new Magnuson-Stevens rules, which give impartial scientists, not self-interested fishermen, a greater say in fishing limits, deserve a chance to work.

Politics of the Gun (NYT)

emotion expressed

It is shameful that Congress caved in to the gun lobby and abandoned the effort to grant the District of Columbia a voting representative in the House.

Gene by Gene (NYT)

science creates NYT reader

An experiment that created a strain of mouse with the human gene critical for communication explores what humanness really is and how little is understood.

Intel and Competition (NYT)

low prices must be stopped

The slow investigation into Intel’s predatory business practices is evidence that Washington must pursue monopolies more vigorously and foster competition.

The Real Path to Security (NYT)

you can have neither

President Obama was exactly right when he said Americans do not have to choose between security and their democratic values.

Safer Credit Cards (NYT)

only bears will have guns

The House should reject an amendment to the much needed credit card reform bill that allows loaded firearms to be carried into national parks.

The Earth Wins One (NYT)

back on road will be phased out

New emissions standards will put America back on the road toward energy independence. But the biggest winner could be the atmosphere.

So Far So Good (NYT)

union in charge

It looks as if Chrysler will emerge from its restructuring a more sensible company. But still looming is the fate of General Motors.

36 Percent Is High Enough (NYT)

not about income tax rates

Congress should restore consumer protections by setting a reasonable federal ceiling on interest rates and allowing states to adopt stricter limits if they want to.

Cheney, Master of Pain (NYT)

bush not moved past

The question of what Nancy Pelosi knew or didn’t, or when she did or didn’t know, is irrelevant to how W. and Dick Cheney broke the law and authorized torture.

Obama Can’t Turn the Page on Bush (NYT)

bush attacked

by Frank Rich
Until there is true transparency, revelations of the unresolved eight-year nightmare will keep raining down drip by drip.

Chemical Plant Safety (NYT)

don't forget to add congressional oversight

A major explosion last year provided more evidence that the nation needs Congress to pass a tougher chemical plant security law.

Building a Better Census Bureau (NYT)

strong overcounts needed

The confirmation of Robert Groves to head the Census Bureau is a good start, but Congress must do more to revitalize the weak agency.

Computer Program to Take On ‘Jeopardy!’ (NYT)

it's ``who''

The new bid is based on three years of work by a team that has grown to 20 experts in fields like natural language processing, machine learning and information retrieval.

...
Mr. Friedman added that they were also thinking about whom the human contestants should be and were considering inviting Ken Jennings, the “Jeopardy!” contestant who won 74 consecutive times and collected $2.52 million in 2004.

Selling Obesity at School (NYT)

newspaper vending machines recommended

The place to start fighting the childhood obesity epidemic is the schools where junk foods are sold outside the healthy federal meals programs.

Try Some Quid Pro Nil (NYT)

government power not seen as problem

Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s ethics agenda should include legislation to bar lawmakers from taking contributions from anyone who benefits from their budget earmarks.

60 Miles From Islamabad (NYT)

strongly worded letter

Washington can not waste more time enabling Pakistan’s denial of the mortal threat that the Taliban poses to the country’s fragile democracy.

Elections Have Consequences (WSJ)

literary turn of phrase meets cleft kitchen sink sentence

It's hard to reconcile the man who nearly boarded the Obama express with the tough-minded Republican senator who sat across from The Wall Street Journal's editorial board at our offices earlier this week.

Reclaiming America’s Soul (NYT)

krugman news fantasy channel

by PAUL KRUGMAN
The only way for the nation to regain its moral compass is to investigate how the government’s interrogation abuses happened, and, if necessary, to prosecute those responsible.

Barbershop (NYT)

rural life in the Times office building

By VERLYN KLINKENBORG
Sitting down in a shop on 43rd Street is as much about grooming as the spontaneous moment of confidentiality with the man in the mirror.

Morning-After Pills (NYT)

16 year olds left in lurch

The Food and Drug Administration has wisely agreed to let 17-year-olds have access to emergency contraceptive pills without a doctor’s prescription.

Horrors! A Handshake! (NYT)

a few games of 3-card monte on the street would be good too.

President Obama has pledged to mend relations with Latin America; the handshake with President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela was a good start.

Holding Up the Housing Recovery (NYT)

the new cause and effect: anything goes with anything.

Republican senators need to understand that a vote against bankruptcy reform is a vote against economic recovery.

Building in a Vacuum (NYT)

copy editor at work

By COLIN BRODERICK
Having witnessed the economy floundering from Belfast to the Bronx, the guillotine has yet to drop in New York.

Israel Cries Wolf (NYT)

sand-into-glass solution rejected out of hand

Barack Obama should view Benjamin Netanyahu’s fear-mongering over Iran’s nuclear ambitions with skepticism, rein him in and pursue Washington’s opening toward Tehran.

Medically Assisted Torture (NYT)

grammatical ambiguity nearly suggests investigating terrorists

A full-scale investigation should be conducted into the abusive practices against terrorism suspects and the medical personnel that facilitated the torture.

Hold the Line on School Reform (NYT)

more recesses less homework

Education Secretary Arne Duncan needs to tighten the preliminary eligibility guidelines for schools to receive federal stimulus money.

Columbine Plus 10 (NYT)

government fears citizens

The massacre in Binghamton, N.Y., is yet another reminder of America’s terrible gun problem and a summons to lawmakers to insist on common-sense gun laws.

Listen (NYT)

indifference anticipated

By VERLYN KLINKENBORG

Perhaps there is no recovering those emotions one feels when hearing the Beatles for the first time, but hopefully the release of the revitalized Beatles catalogue will come close.

Bubbles Sparked

Today's WSJ asks the financial question: ``What sparks bubbles?''

Stopping ‘Stop-Loss’ (NYT)

it's in the contract, and it's a volunteer army.

but a weaker military is always good.

The stop-loss program, which forces soldiers to remain in the military after their enlistments end, should only be used in unique circumstances.

Mr. Obama and the Rule of Law (NYT)

NYT salaries set

Some of the Obama administration’s statements on issues like state secrets and detainees sound a bit too close for comfort to the Bush team’s benighted ideas.

Fresh Food for Urban Deserts (NYT)

vegetable stamps

Michelle Obama should add her powerful voice to local efforts aimed at bringing fresh groceries into poorer neighborhoods.

While Mr. Perry and Mr. Jindal Fiddle (NYT)

refusing and putting deplored

Republican governors who refuse federal aid rather than expand state unemployment insurance programs are putting ideology ahead of the needs of their constituents.

The Fed Does Battle, Again (NYT)

competence overlooked

This crisis is unlikely to turn around until President Obama is more forthright about the depth of the banking system’s problems and follows through on his housing plan.

The Whale Road Nearby (NYT)

mammal budget threatened

Budget cuts on a program to listen to endangered whales in New York waters mean a loss of valuable research data and the possibility of putting the mammals in harm’s way.

It’s the Regulations, Not the Regulator (NYT)

zeal deplored

The financial crisis is not just the result of a missing regulator, but also deregulatory zeal that eclipsed rules and regulations — and the very will to regulate.

The Grievance Committee (NYT)

grammar crisis

by Gail Collins
Anger is in. Hope’s so January. And saying your mad doesn’t count, President Obama. Nor does constructively channeled anger. It’s like diet pizza.

Dangers of the D-Word (NYT)

d is for democrat

By EDUARDO PORTER
We might want to number the Great Depressions, as we do our Great Wars, or we might need some new scary words.

The Treasures of Joe Bruno (NYT)

the loose canon legal theory

New York’s attorney general should immediately start investigating whether public funds were spent illegally while the Republicans controlled Albany.

‘We’ll Take It’ (NYT)

district 99% democrat figures strongly in NYT constitional reasoning

Congress should pass a bill that would give the District of Columbia a voting member in the House of Representatives.

Dangerous Food (NYT)

seat belts on toilets

Congress and the Obama administration must finally make food safety a serious priority.

People of Color

The reason ``people of color'' is inoffensive is that it's in a special register reserved for showing the speaker's intention not to offend.

``Why this odd phrasing? Ah, to be sure. It's the inoffending register.''

The oddness is needed as a mark.

More Annals of Global Greed Inc. (NYT)

paid off wrong leftists

Halliburton’s $579 million settlement in a Nigerian bribery case is hardly encouraging and should compel tighter scrutiny of the company’s Iraq failures.

Helping Workers in Hard Times (NYT)

multiplier effect

Forcing companies that are receiving money from the stimulus package to file employment verification for all workers lacks common sense.

A Record of Sacrifice (NYT)

make them into tools of the left

If President Obama’s commitment to greater transparency in government has any meaning, he will quickly reverse a policy that dishonors dead solders.

Sow Those Seeds! (NYT)

sow is a porkulus allusion

By VERLYN KLINKENBORG
Perhaps in this moment of crisis it is time for another national home gardening movement.

Counting the Walking Wounded (NYT)

it's vice versa day

By LAWRENCE M. WEIN
The military estimates of the mental damage from war are too low because the method used to determine the count is flawed.

Troubled Minds and Purple Hearts (NYT)

the jimmy carter medal of freedom

By TYLER E. BOUDREAU
A new decoration, a new medal, should be awarded to those whose minds and souls have been sundered by war.

The Moment for National Service (NYT)

the pet bunny school of economics

A prompt approval of the Serve America Act would create tens of thousands of meaningful new positions for people ready to work hard for the public good.

From Here to Retirement (NYT)

Zero out the corporate tax rate and the capital gains tax rate.

Money is not wealth to a nation. Capital is.

Saving does not save if everybody does it.

The wipeout in 401(k)’s has made it clear that there needs to be a better way to ensure that a lifetime of savings can’t be undone by forces beyond one’s control.

President Obama (NYT)

hundred cliches

In his Inaugural Address, President Obama gave Americans the clarity and the respect for which they have hungered.

Closing Guantánamo (NYT)

black man's legal burden

Though it will be hard enough to shut down Guantánamo Bay as Barack Obama has vowed to do, the legal burdens that President Bush is dumping on his successor will be much greater.

Return of the Natives (NYT)

firewater consumed

By TIMOTHY EGAN
Native Americans have never been more excited about a new president.

How F.D.R. Made the Presidency Matter (NYT)

constitution improved

By JEAN EDWARD SMITH
Franklin D. Roosevelt's first 100 days in office were the most productive in American legislative history.

Zimbabwe Is Dying (NYT)

pro-capitalist narrative opportunity mysteriously overlooked

by Bob Herbert
The world is ignoring the brutality of Robert Mugabe’s reign of Zimbabwe, which was once a prosperous and medically advanced nation.

Imagining the Inaugural (NYT)

play with the dog

by Gail Collins
Some advice about where to celebrate Barack Obama’s inauguration as 44th president of the United States.

Not So Reasonable and Customary (NYT)

free medical care

More big insurers should adopt a fairer and more transparent system for determining out-of-network reimbursements.

But Who Will Drive Them? (NYT)

predator drones patrolling highways

If the Obama administration is serious about boosting the fuel efficiency of the American fleet, it must do more than just tighten fuel-economy standards to steer drivers to the new cars.

‘They Want Us to Be Stupid Things’ (NYT)

terror defined

Anyone who questions that the real front in the war against Al Qaeda is not in Afghanistan should be made aware of how women and young girls in school are being terrorized there.

Fighting Off Depression (NYT)

words not minced

by Paul Krugman
Let’s not mince words: This looks an awful lot like the beginning of a second Great Depression. Will we “act swiftly and boldly” enough to stop that from happening?

The Principal’s Office First (NYT)

three needs night (3)

Connecticut and other states need to issue public reports of school-based arrests and take steps to ensure that they are not racially motivated.

A Pitch for Mass Transit (NYT)

three needs night (2)

Barack Obama needs to give mass transit the priority it deserves and the full financial and technological help it needs.

No Mugs, but What About Those Fees? (NYT)

three needs night (1)

Congress needs to pass legislation that would force drug companies to report payments to doctors through a national registry so that all conflicts are known.