http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/michael-fullilove/ Michael Fullilove is the director of the global issues program at the Lowy Institute in Sydney and a nonresident senior fellow in foreign policy at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC. A lawyer and historian by training, Michael studied at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar and served as an adviser to Prime Minister Paul Keating. He writes widely on international politics in publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Financial Times, The Daily Beast and Foreign Affairs. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:00:46 +0000 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:00:46 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/yes-he-can-obama-claims-middle-ground-on-health/ In an effort to regain the momentum on health care reform, President Barack Obama gave a very good speech to the Congress yesterday. I liked three aspects of it in particular. First, it had passion. Obama made the moral case for universal health care that liberals have been waiting for. He quoted a letter from the late Senator Ted Kennedy that asserted that health care goes to ‘the character of our country’.  The president’s remarks contained good lines and moving stories, including that of the Illinois man who lost his health insurance coverage during chemotherapy because he hadn’t reported gallstones that he hadn’t known about. It is remarkable that the most powerful country in the world is also the only advanced democracy to leave so many citizens uninsured. Second, the speech showed strength. My principal criticism of Obama’s presidency so far has been his unwillingness to wade into debates, whether domestic or international, and use leverage and pressure to enforce his will. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Michael Fullilove) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/yes-he-can-obama-claims-middle-ground-on-health/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/yes-he-can-obama-claims-middle-ground-on-health/#item1184 Fri, 11 Sep 2009 04:42:28 +0000 Michael Fullilove | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/kev-and-obamas-friendship-bolsters-the-alliance/ The alliance between Australia and the United States is currently being managed by a Labor prime minister and a Democratic president – a situation that has not existed since the period 1993-1996, under Paul Keating and Bill Clinton. The relationship between John Howard and George Bush was famously close, however the replacement of these two leaders by Kevin Rudd and Barack Obama has turned out to good news for the alliance. Howard was wildly out of synch with the new Democratic rulers in Washington and his regrettable comment in February 2007 that Al-Qaeda in Iraq should pray for a victory by Obama and the Democrats might have presented us with real diplomatic difficulties had he been re-elected. Bush’s retirement has also benefitted the alliance. It is good news for Australia when our strategic ally is well-liked around the world rather than disliked. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Michael Fullilove) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/kev-and-obamas-friendship-bolsters-the-alliance/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/kev-and-obamas-friendship-bolsters-the-alliance/#item871 Mon, 10 Aug 2009 19:00:50 +0000 Michael Fullilove | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/obama-cairo-speech-that-could-make-world-safer-place/ In August 2007, Barack Obama promised that if he were elected president he would ‘travel to a major Islamic forum and deliver an address to redefine our struggle.’ His impressive speech in Cairo yesterday fulfilled that promise. Obama is the finest orator in a generation. His national political career was kicked off by a single speech: his keynote address to the Democratic National Convention in Boston in 2004. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Michael Fullilove) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/obama-cairo-speech-that-could-make-world-safer-place/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/obama-cairo-speech-that-could-make-world-safer-place/#item251 Fri, 05 Jun 2009 13:19:27 +0000 Michael Fullilove | Author bios | The Punch