http://www.thepunch.com.au/tags/united-states/ Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +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/can-obama-win-the-election-yes-he-can-maybe/ Barack Obama was always going to have a tough presidency. He set the bar so high for himself during the arduous two year lead-up to his election that he was always at risk of sailing right under it when it came time to start enacting the “Change we can believe in”. Indeed, back in 2008 there were times when it seemed his strategists took their cues from Napoleon Dynamite’s Pedro, as he essentially promised the electorate: “vote for me and all your wildest dreams will come true”. In the nearly three years since he took office, he has made some important steps – passing a (slightly watered-down) health care package, most notably – but so many of his promises have gone unfulfilled and, although it pains me deeply to say it, his presidency thus far has been a bit of a wet firecracker. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/can-obama-win-the-election-yes-he-can-maybe/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/can-obama-win-the-election-yes-he-can-maybe/#item7494 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 On Wednesday, Iowa voters were the first in the union to ink their index finger, so to speak, handing Mitt Romney a win with one of the barest margins in recent history - just eight votes - but for all intents giving Rick Santorum the decisive moral victory. Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry rounded out the top five. A mediocre cache of candidates in 2012 for sure, but in a lot of ways that makes it all the more frightening, mainly (but not exclusively) for gays in America. Some 60,000 people caucused for Romney and Santorum; the difference between the two was less than half a Duggar family. That’s the family famous for 19 Kids and Counting, the reality series about evangelical Christians Jim Bob (yes, really) and Michelle Duggar and their brood of nineteen children (yes, really really). Twelve Duggar children travelled to Iowa to support Rick Santorum, trumpeting his socially conservative religious views. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/gop-god-guns-and-gays/ On Wednesday, Iowa voters were the first in the union to ink their index finger, so to speak, handing Mitt Romney a win with one of the barest margins in recent history - just eight votes - but for all intents giving Rick Santorum the decisive moral victory. Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry rounded out the top five. A mediocre cache of candidates in 2012 for sure, but in a lot of ways that makes it all the more frightening, mainly (but not exclusively) for gays in America. Some 60,000 people caucused for Romney and Santorum; the difference between the two was less than half a Duggar family. That’s the family famous for 19 Kids and Counting, the reality series about evangelical Christians Jim Bob (yes, really) and Michelle Duggar and their brood of nineteen children (yes, really really). Twelve Duggar children travelled to Iowa to support Rick Santorum, trumpeting his socially conservative religious views. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/gop-god-guns-and-gays/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/gop-god-guns-and-gays/#item7487 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 On Wednesday, Iowa voters were the first in the union to ink their index finger, so to speak, handing Mitt Romney a win with one of the barest margins in recent history - just eight votes - but for all intents giving Rick Santorum the decisive moral victory. Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry rounded out the top five. A mediocre cache of candidates in 2012 for sure, but in a lot of ways that makes it all the more frightening, mainly (but not exclusively) for gays in America. Some 60,000 people caucused for Romney and Santorum; the difference between the two was less than half a Duggar family. That’s the family famous for 19 Kids and Counting, the reality series about evangelical Christians Jim Bob (yes, really) and Michelle Duggar and their brood of nineteen children (yes, really really). Twelve Duggar children travelled to Iowa to support Rick Santorum, trumpeting his socially conservative religious views. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-more-permanent-us-presence-no-baseless-rumour/ There has been plenty of diplomatic semantics around the American presence in Darwin but many including the Chinese are still not satisfied. The United States has long wanted a permanent military base in northern Australia. But they are not stupid.  So when Australian officials conveyed that a fixed establishment would not be politically palatable here they saved us the embarrassment of having to say no in a high-level bilateral meeting if the request was made. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-more-permanent-us-presence-no-baseless-rumour/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-more-permanent-us-presence-no-baseless-rumour/#item7421 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 On Wednesday, Iowa voters were the first in the union to ink their index finger, so to speak, handing Mitt Romney a win with one of the barest margins in recent history - just eight votes - but for all intents giving Rick Santorum the decisive moral victory. Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry rounded out the top five. A mediocre cache of candidates in 2012 for sure, but in a lot of ways that makes it all the more frightening, mainly (but not exclusively) for gays in America. Some 60,000 people caucused for Romney and Santorum; the difference between the two was less than half a Duggar family. That’s the family famous for 19 Kids and Counting, the reality series about evangelical Christians Jim Bob (yes, really) and Michelle Duggar and their brood of nineteen children (yes, really really). Twelve Duggar children travelled to Iowa to support Rick Santorum, trumpeting his socially conservative religious views. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/our-american-dream-our-american-nightmare/ When the Reverend Seth Kaper-Dale took over the running of the Reformed Church of Highland Park, in New Brunswick, New Jersey, he didn’t realise that most of his Indonesian Christian congregation was living illegally in the United States. Now, after almost a decade of battles, a deadline is pressing hard on 73 members of his church, who are being told to go back to Indonesia. This may seem like an old story; and one that is happening far from Australia. And it is, on both counts. But these Indonesians, living in fear in New Jersey, still somehow seem to me like Australia’s neighbours. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/our-american-dream-our-american-nightmare/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/our-american-dream-our-american-nightmare/#item7341 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 On Wednesday, Iowa voters were the first in the union to ink their index finger, so to speak, handing Mitt Romney a win with one of the barest margins in recent history - just eight votes - but for all intents giving Rick Santorum the decisive moral victory. Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry rounded out the top five. A mediocre cache of candidates in 2012 for sure, but in a lot of ways that makes it all the more frightening, mainly (but not exclusively) for gays in America. Some 60,000 people caucused for Romney and Santorum; the difference between the two was less than half a Duggar family. That’s the family famous for 19 Kids and Counting, the reality series about evangelical Christians Jim Bob (yes, really) and Michelle Duggar and their brood of nineteen children (yes, really really). Twelve Duggar children travelled to Iowa to support Rick Santorum, trumpeting his socially conservative religious views. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/pearl-harbor-attack-highlights-lack-of-intelligence/ Author Craig Shirley announced with some fanfare in The Australian that the United States had “no intelligence of a potential Japanese attack.” Tell us something we don’t know. Writing all the way back in 1962, Roberta Wohlstetter made clear that the United States “failed to anticipate [the] Pearl Harbor [attack] not for want of the relevant materials, but because of a plethora of irrelevant issues.” feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/pearl-harbor-attack-highlights-lack-of-intelligence/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/pearl-harbor-attack-highlights-lack-of-intelligence/#item7343 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 On Wednesday, Iowa voters were the first in the union to ink their index finger, so to speak, handing Mitt Romney a win with one of the barest margins in recent history - just eight votes - but for all intents giving Rick Santorum the decisive moral victory. Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry rounded out the top five. A mediocre cache of candidates in 2012 for sure, but in a lot of ways that makes it all the more frightening, mainly (but not exclusively) for gays in America. Some 60,000 people caucused for Romney and Santorum; the difference between the two was less than half a Duggar family. That’s the family famous for 19 Kids and Counting, the reality series about evangelical Christians Jim Bob (yes, really) and Michelle Duggar and their brood of nineteen children (yes, really really). Twelve Duggar children travelled to Iowa to support Rick Santorum, trumpeting his socially conservative religious views. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/churlish-abbott-not-ready-to-play-with-the-big-kids/ Power, Chairman Mao once observed, grows from the barrel of a gun. For incumbent PM, Julia Gillard, it arrived this week aboard Air Force One. And what a show it was. MPs and senators filing out of the House of Representatives following Barack Obama’s Thursday morning speech were charged up - to put it mildly. “That was amazing,” one was overheard enthusing to another, “he’s brilliant”. “What a great experience,” the other replied as they lined up for a coffee afterwards.  These were not Labor MPs mind, but Liberals. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/churlish-abbott-not-ready-to-play-with-the-big-kids/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/churlish-abbott-not-ready-to-play-with-the-big-kids/#item7180 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 On Wednesday, Iowa voters were the first in the union to ink their index finger, so to speak, handing Mitt Romney a win with one of the barest margins in recent history - just eight votes - but for all intents giving Rick Santorum the decisive moral victory. Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry rounded out the top five. A mediocre cache of candidates in 2012 for sure, but in a lot of ways that makes it all the more frightening, mainly (but not exclusively) for gays in America. Some 60,000 people caucused for Romney and Santorum; the difference between the two was less than half a Duggar family. That’s the family famous for 19 Kids and Counting, the reality series about evangelical Christians Jim Bob (yes, really) and Michelle Duggar and their brood of nineteen children (yes, really really). Twelve Duggar children travelled to Iowa to support Rick Santorum, trumpeting his socially conservative religious views. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/gillard-and-obama-us-forces-given-the-nod/ If you want to keep tabs on all the Obama action throughout the day, you can’t beat this live blog by Chris Paine over at News.com.au. The eventual deployment of 2500 Marines in the Northern Territory, weather permitting, is not a massive military investment but it is designed to send a substantial message. And the message is that as global power moves from the Atlantic to Asia, the United States intends to move with it. And Australia will continue to be aligned with the US, even as its economic and cultural gears mesh more evenly and frequently with those of its regional neighbours. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/gillard-and-obama-us-forces-given-the-nod/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/gillard-and-obama-us-forces-given-the-nod/#item7172 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 On Wednesday, Iowa voters were the first in the union to ink their index finger, so to speak, handing Mitt Romney a win with one of the barest margins in recent history - just eight votes - but for all intents giving Rick Santorum the decisive moral victory. Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry rounded out the top five. A mediocre cache of candidates in 2012 for sure, but in a lot of ways that makes it all the more frightening, mainly (but not exclusively) for gays in America. Some 60,000 people caucused for Romney and Santorum; the difference between the two was less than half a Duggar family. That’s the family famous for 19 Kids and Counting, the reality series about evangelical Christians Jim Bob (yes, really) and Michelle Duggar and their brood of nineteen children (yes, really really). Twelve Duggar children travelled to Iowa to support Rick Santorum, trumpeting his socially conservative religious views. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/australia-farewells-obama-welcomes-asian-century/ US President Obama and Russian President Medvedev will attend the sixth East Asia Summit in Bali this Saturday, November 19.  This historic development will make the East Asia Summit one of the world’s most important leadership forums.  It will also be another signal of a continuing global power shift that will make the 21st century the Asian Century. US and Russian participation in the East Asia Summit represents an extraordinary achievement for an Asian integration process initiated by (originally 6, now 10) ASEAN countries during the Cold War. US military primacy will continue for at least for the first half of the 21st century, highlighting the importance for Australia of the ANZUS alliance. President Obama will celebrate the 60th anniversary of ANZUS this morning in a speech to a joint sitting of the Australian Parliament. The ANZUS alliance protects Australia with US nuclear deterrence capability that is likely to remain an effective deterrent of military adventurism by a ‘rising’ China. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/australia-farewells-obama-welcomes-asian-century/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/australia-farewells-obama-welcomes-asian-century/#item7171 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 On Wednesday, Iowa voters were the first in the union to ink their index finger, so to speak, handing Mitt Romney a win with one of the barest margins in recent history - just eight votes - but for all intents giving Rick Santorum the decisive moral victory. Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry rounded out the top five. A mediocre cache of candidates in 2012 for sure, but in a lot of ways that makes it all the more frightening, mainly (but not exclusively) for gays in America. Some 60,000 people caucused for Romney and Santorum; the difference between the two was less than half a Duggar family. That’s the family famous for 19 Kids and Counting, the reality series about evangelical Christians Jim Bob (yes, really) and Michelle Duggar and their brood of nineteen children (yes, really really). Twelve Duggar children travelled to Iowa to support Rick Santorum, trumpeting his socially conservative religious views. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/not-everyone-has-the-obamarama-spirit/ If you thought young Australians were only ecstatic while listening to LMFAO at Stereosonic while chugging overpriced bottled water, think again. A News.com.au survey has found that more than half of Australians under 35 are happy or ecstatic that Obama is here. Ecstatic! Well, that may be true on Sydney’s glittering beaches, in the delicatessen queue at Prahan Market or on the broad and leafy streets of Burnside, but you know where it’s not true? At the Occupy Adelaide protest. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/not-everyone-has-the-obamarama-spirit/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/not-everyone-has-the-obamarama-spirit/#item7167 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 On Wednesday, Iowa voters were the first in the union to ink their index finger, so to speak, handing Mitt Romney a win with one of the barest margins in recent history - just eight votes - but for all intents giving Rick Santorum the decisive moral victory. Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry rounded out the top five. A mediocre cache of candidates in 2012 for sure, but in a lot of ways that makes it all the more frightening, mainly (but not exclusively) for gays in America. Some 60,000 people caucused for Romney and Santorum; the difference between the two was less than half a Duggar family. That’s the family famous for 19 Kids and Counting, the reality series about evangelical Christians Jim Bob (yes, really) and Michelle Duggar and their brood of nineteen children (yes, really really). Twelve Duggar children travelled to Iowa to support Rick Santorum, trumpeting his socially conservative religious views. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-ronald-reagan-revival/ Many regarded him as a dangerously simple man who wanted to save the world by blowing it up. Hell, we all thought it. But a Ronald Reagan revival is underway in the United States, recasting him as the greatest US President in living memory, deep thinker, careful strategist, avid reader, broad intellect and international peace-bringer. The current Republican presidential contenders speak of Reagan with love and awe. They do not speak of George H or George W Bush in such terms. They do not speak of them at all. They speak only of Reagan. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-ronald-reagan-revival/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-ronald-reagan-revival/#item7081 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 On Wednesday, Iowa voters were the first in the union to ink their index finger, so to speak, handing Mitt Romney a win with one of the barest margins in recent history - just eight votes - but for all intents giving Rick Santorum the decisive moral victory. Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry rounded out the top five. A mediocre cache of candidates in 2012 for sure, but in a lot of ways that makes it all the more frightening, mainly (but not exclusively) for gays in America. Some 60,000 people caucused for Romney and Santorum; the difference between the two was less than half a Duggar family. That’s the family famous for 19 Kids and Counting, the reality series about evangelical Christians Jim Bob (yes, really) and Michelle Duggar and their brood of nineteen children (yes, really really). Twelve Duggar children travelled to Iowa to support Rick Santorum, trumpeting his socially conservative religious views.