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Carl Leubsdorf

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Carl P. Leubsdorf

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02/24/2010

Carl Leubsdorf: Confident conservatives ignore their past
Amid the overheated rhetoric, few conceded the practical difficulties in achieving this agenda or its efficacy. Time has validated John Anderson's 1980 rejoinder that only "with mirrors" can one cut taxes, raise defense spending and balance the budget.

02/17/2010

Carl Leubsdorf: Bayh leaving doesn't break partisan stall
Evan Bayh put his finger directly on what many people think is the biggest problem facing Washington - "Too much partisanship and not enough progress" - but the irony is that his decision to leave almost certainly will make things worse.

02/10/2010

Carl Leubsdorf: Bipartisan quest easier said than done
In 2008, Barack Obama convinced many voters he had a new approach to break Washington's persistent gridlock. But bitter in-fighting during his first year as president has exacerbated the partisanship.

02/03/2010

Carl Leubsdorf: Bipartisanship? Maybe on saner primary dates
It won't cut the deficit or guarantee Americans health care. But it would shorten the 2012 presidential primary season and prevent a repeat of candidates spending the 2007 Christmas holidays bashing one another in Iowa and New Hampshire.

01/28/2010

Carl Leubsdorf: Time will tell if Obama can calm his critics
Barack Obama's pointed comments about GOP obstructionism made clear he realizes that, because so much may remain undone, it's not too soon to start pressing the case with the public. And that's tricky, given his declining job approval.

01/20/2010

Carl Leubsdorf: Obama desperately needs to pivot
In the wake of the stunning loss of Edward Kennedy's U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts, next Wednesday's State of the Union speech can't come too soon for President Barack Obama. It's his best chance to restore his tattered political fortunes.

01/13/2010

Carl Leubsdorf: Mass. Senate race could portend much for Dems
The recent uproar over retirement announcements by two Democratic senators and a governor may pale beside the likely storm if a little-known Republican captures Edward Kennedy's Massachusetts Senate seat next week.

01/06/2010

Carl Leubsdorf: Some light at the end of the security tunnel
The most distressing aspect of an apparent al-Qaeda operative's attempt to blow up that Detroit-bound flight was how many aspects mirrored prior problems in the U.S. approach to terrorism. The good news is the way in which some things seem different.