Topic: Barack Obama

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Playing the IRS card: Six presidents who used the IRS to bash political foes

Since the advent of the federal income tax about a century ago, several presidents – or their zealous underlings – have directed the IRS to use its formidable police powers to harass or punish enemies, political rivals, and administration critics. Here are six infamous episodes.
Briefing
IRS 101: Seven questions about the tea party scandal

The Internal Revenue Service is under the microscope now, as revelations have emerged that the agency wrongly targeted conservative groups seeking nonprofit status. Here’s an accounting of what has happened, along with the ramifications.
3 priorities for Pakistan's new government

After 14 years, Nawaz Sharif is back at the helm in Pakistan. The nuclear-armed country faces a welter of problems, from terrorism to tensions with Afghanistan, India, and the United States. To move Pakistan forward, Mr. Sharif must focus on three priorities.
Five ways to improve Obama's pre-k plan

President Obama’s Preschool for All plan is well intentioned but includes features that are not justified by research and won’t help it pass in Congress. The plan must make the following five adjustments.
5 myths about amnesty for illegal immigrants in Senate bill

Under a bipartisan Senate immigration bill, immigrants who have come to the United States illegally are given a "path to citizenship." On close inspection, each of the following five claims about the requirements for illegal immigrants to earn amnesty are not what they seem.

All Content

Can government be trusted to steer a GM bankruptcy?

The Obama team is helping to push the automaker's debt holders, unions, and executives toward tough choices, but the risks of intervention are many.
Breaking news: Obama orders cheeseburgers (Biden not invited)
Obama bobblehead dolls released from captivity - no one harmed
A military answer to North Korea? Not likely.

Defense Secretary Gates, off to Singapore for a regional security summit, says US sees no 'crisis' in Pyongyang's 'very provocative' display of force this week.
Obama's strategy for countering cyber attacks

He will appoint a 'cyber czar' and bring government and industry together to work on the problem. But is cooperation possible?
The Monitor's View: What's in a name? Ask José and Muhammad

Demographic data confirm the world is changing, but in unexpected ways
Today's agenda: Cyberwar rising, GM bankruptcy outlook, German strikes
Economic Scene: Obama tax hikes would not hit US multinationals hard
ECONOMIC SCENE: Why the IMF should lighten up on the world’s poorest nations

The US is culpable for the plight of developing nations. Perhaps it should bear more of the financial burden for helping them.
President Obama: My campaign was hacked
US to spend $1 billion on embassy expansions in Pakistan, Afghanistan

Diplomatic presence on the scale of Iraq prompts concerns in Pakistan about American meddling
Britain terse over poetic verse

Oxford University's first female professor of poetry resigns. But nation's first female poet laureate is second only to Shakespeare in popularity.
Obama visit: Abbas brings Palestinian cause, but not support, to Washington

Not only are Fatah and Hamas deadlocked in a power struggle. Abbas’s own Fatah bloc has rejected his new government.
Israel rejects US call for settlement freeze

A spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said "natural growth" would continue in existing settlements after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for a complete halt.
Memo to Israel (and Abbas): Obama firm on settlements

On the eve of the Palestinian president's Oval Office visit, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday that the administration meant zero growth, period.
GM deal eases path through bankruptcy

The Treasury Department gives bondholders a better deal in order to move GM through its looming bankruptcy more quickly.
Burris tape stokes skepticism in Illinois

New recording raises fresh doubts about whether the senator used pay-for-play politics to get his seat.
Why Democrats relent on gun issues

They’ve allowed concealed-carry weapons in national parks, considered easing gun restrictions in the District of Columbia, and turned back a campaign pledge on gun-record transparency.
The marketing of Sonia Sotomayor

She hasn't ruled on hot-button issues, which puts her in a middle position - for now, anyway.
Is diplomacy with Iran futile?

Experts gathered to debate US policy toward Iran, and then let the audience decide.
Opinion: What will America stand for in 2050?

The US should think long and hard about the high number of Latino immigrants.
Opinion: Don't let Iran cross the nuclear threshold

In dealing with Tehran, none of Obama's options are pretty or risk-free.
The Monitor's View: Why Obama can't be soft on North Korea

Japan and South Korea already see him as eroding the US military posture in Asia.
Today's agenda: North Korea's capacity, Palestinian summit, rights in China
Is Bolden right for NASA?