US Photo of the Day: Truman 1948, Obama 2012 --- CNN's Great Mistake

See also US Politics Analysis: How Chief Justice Roberts Saved ObamaCare...and Gave the President an Election Problem

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Two photographs telling a story of continuity and change in US politics and the media....

In 1948, President Harry Truman was fighting an uphill battle vs. Republican challenger Thomas Dewey. Early returns on Election Night gave Dewey a lead, big enough for the Chicago Daily Tribune --- no great fan of the President --- to put out a special edition, "DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN".

When the full count produced a very different outcome, Truman had the last laugh in a picture that has crossed the decades of US politics.

On Thursday morning, as the Supreme Court's long-awaited decision on President Obama's health care legislation was being announced, CNN tried to get a jump on its rivals with a Newsflash: "Mandate Struck Down: High Court Finds Measure Unconstitutional". (It should be noted that Fox News also put out the mistaken declaration, but it was CNN's initial error that grabbed attention.)

It only took a few hours and PhotoShop for a 21st-century update of Truman's 1948 iconic image:

US Politics Opinion: "Give 'em Hell, Barry" --- Why Obama Needs to Get Tough Over the Economy

Harry Truman's gives Barack Obama the incentive to force Republicans as quickly as possible into addressing some form of legislation for growth. If Republicans do give way, in their desire to be seen as “reasonable men", then Obama wins, as he can then campaign on the bi-partisan "get things done" theme. If Republicans refuse, then the President can cross the nation on a campaign against an obstructionist Congress.

Neither approach is perfect strategy, but both are preferable to the current insipid assault on Mitt Romney's personal record. And both, by a wide margin, are a better approach than what Paul Krugman perceives, “The president’s advisers keep turning to happy talk, seizing on a few months’ good economic news as proof that their policies are working --- and then ending up looking foolish when the numbers turn down again.”

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US Politics Feature: A Lesson for Romney --- Why Nevada and Colorado Decide This November's Election

Mitt Romney in Craig, ColoradoThe focus now and for the next five months is gaining the 270 members of the Electoral College required to win the presidential election. Texan voters select 38 of those voters, while Nevada and Colorado choose just six and nine respectively. But in the contest to be the next President, it is Nevada and Colorado --- and even New Hampshire with just four electoral votes --- are more important logistically than Texas in deciding who will win the White House in 2012.

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US Politics Analysis: Obama Brings Out His "Fair Share" Campaign (and Why It's Important)

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On Tuesday afternoon, at an Associated Press luncheon in Washington, President Obama criticised the Republican budget, passed on a party line vote 228-191 in the House of Representatives last week. Doing so, the President outlined the basic message of his re-election campaign, contrasting his "fair share" economic plan for America's future with the radical Social Darwinist politics of the GOP.

Every Presidential campaign yearns to find a short and catchy phrase that captures the appeal of its candidate. Obama's "Hope and Change" from 2008 is the most recent example, but "I Like Ike" was credited by some Robert Taft supporters in 1952 for delivering the Republican nomination to his rival Dwight Eisenhower, and well before that, "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too", was turned into a song that was “in the political canvas of 1840 what the 'Marseillaise' was to the French Revolution. It sang [William Henry] Harrison into the Presidency.”

That brings us to Obama and a "Fair Share".

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US Campaign 2012: Minnesota Nice, Minnesota Not-So-Nice

Michele Bachmann & Tim PawlentyWhile Pawlenty and Bachmann have some ideas in common, but I ask myself, "What would America look like two years into a Bachmann presidency, as opposed to a Pawlenty administration? Will Bachmann have plunged America into more recession, will she have engaged in more wars, whilst becoming estranged from historic allies, and will the American middle class be propping up the wealthy again?"

All thse queries may pale, however, before the political reality that Pawlenty is unlikely to get the Republican nomination. He is "charisma lite" in a nation where voters seem to care as much for looks as for thoughts. If he could overcome this hurdle, he would make a worthy opponent for Obama.

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Israel: Deputy Foreign Minister Ayalon Explains "Loyalty Oath" for Non-Jews

Those non-Jews who become citizens need to fully appreciate that the State of Israel is the national expression of the self-determination of the Jewish people.

Those who object to the new formula are doing untold damage to the sincerity of the Zionist mission, and make our case harder to explain.

Only by adhering to and proudly reinforcing our national character, not only to those who wish to join our people, but also to the nations of the world, will we validate our presence. Many nations actively promote their national mission, whether it is “American exceptionalism” or France’s “liberté, égalité, fraternité.”

Every nation has its national ethos, and Israel’s “light unto the nations” can only be expressed through its Jewish character, which we must state clearly and unequivocally.

Those who disparage clearly describing Israel as the eternal aspiration of the Jewish people provide ample ammunition to those who seek the end of our national existence.

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