DAVID SARASOHN

Political articles from The Oregonian's columnist from just left of funny

GOP seeks a message to match our meltdown

by David Sarasohn, The Oregonian

Wednesday January 14, 2009, 1:50 PM

Certainly, nobody expects Oregon's remaining Republicans to sign onto Gov. Ted Kulongoski's proposals. But at least they might offer something else instead.

So far, as Oregon's state government steps into the economic equivalent of a 100-year-flood, the sounds of the loyal (and admittedly heavily outnumbered) opposition have been a round of echoing emptiness. The approach seems to be just to wait for the Democrats to mess up -- and indeed, there's no reason to think the Democrats won't eventually oblige.

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Departing, the Bush administration leaves a scar

by David Sarasohn, The Oregonian

Tuesday January 13, 2009, 5:54 PM

George W. Bush conducted his last press conference as president in the spirit that marked so much of his eight years: Surprise that anybody thought there was a problem.

"I strongly disagree with the assessment that our moral standing has been damaged," said the president who saw the United States' popularity collapse around the world. "It may be damaged amongst some of the elite, but people still understand America stands for freedom, that America is a country that provides such great hope."

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When in trouble, change the election laws

by David Sarasohn, The Oregonian

Monday January 12, 2009, 2:49 PM

At a time when we didn't need more discouraging news from the Middle East, Israel's Central Elections Commission on Monday banned Arab parties from running in next month's elections. It's a sign that the most democratic state in the Middle East is becoming increasingly afraid of its own Arab minority -- not a promising prospect.

Israel has always been able to claim it was the only country in the neighborhood extending full political rights to all its citizens. Now, while defending itself, Israel needs to be concerned about losing touch with its own identity.

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College students' next lesson: bad economics

by David Sarasohn, The Oregonian

Sunday January 11, 2009, 1:16 PM

In 1969, Wim Wiewel was part of a mass of students demonstrating in the streets of Amsterdam against the Dutch government's raising of university costs.

The fees had had shot up from $14 to $28 a year.

Last week, Wiewel --now on the other side of an ocean and a continent as president of Portland State University --had to notify 550 current and future PSU students that although they qualified for financial aid, there wasn't any money left.

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The Bush administration? There's a word for it

by David Sarasohn, The Oregonian

Thursday January 08, 2009, 5:12 PM

As they move into history, American presidents don't all become legends, but a considerable number of them become adjectives.

Lately, we've had a bumper crop of White House words: "Kennedyesque" means young and exciting, especially with hair; "Nixonian" means
relentlessly underhanded and dishonest, but being defensive about it; "Reaganesque" means exuberantly optimistic, even when there seems little reason for it; and of course, your use of "Clintonian" depends on what you think the meaning of "is" is.

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Happy 15th anniversary, Tonya and Nancy

by David Sarasohn, The Oregonian

Wednesday January 07, 2009, 5:22 PM

These days, with all media needing material all the time, no anniversary is too small to be covered, not to say overcovered. Yet a major event in the history of Oregon marked its 15th anniversary this week, to no notice whatsoever.

Fifteen years ago Wednesday, just before the Olympics, skater Nancy Kerrigan was clubbed on the knee by people associated with Portland's Tonya Harding. And this week nobody remembered.

Sic transit gloria mug shot.

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Stopping Gaza fighting before it's unstoppable

by David Sarasohn, The Oregonian

Wednesday January 07, 2009, 1:21 PM

Just before the beginning of the war in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, then a high-level field commander, asked a journalist the key question that should be asked about any military attack.

"Tell me," said Petraeus, "how this ends."

One of the six-year lessons from the Iraq war is that the longer that question goes without a clear answer, the worse the answer gets.

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A year whose greatest appeal is that it's finished

by David Sarasohn, The Oregonian

Monday January 05, 2009, 9:49 AM

Given the kind of year it was, it was clear that the only definitive farewell could come from an investment company --preferably one that wasn't saying farewell itself.

And so, let us mark the departure of 2008 with the message sent by Raymond James & Associates to its clients Friday:

"Thank goodness that's over!"

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