This Should Have Been a Slam Dunk Basketball was Barack Obama's first love. It's the game that taught him many of life's lessons. Unfortunately, it seems like Obama has forgotten one of the biggest lessons the game has to offer: Don't sit on a lead. Obama ought to know better. How many times have we seen basketball teams go up by a huge margin, only to squander the lead by trying to slow the game down? It's the same in every sport, every time you pull the reins in, you lose momentum. Once momentum goes, it's awfully hard to retrieve. This is exactly what's happened to the Obama campaign. He built up a nearly insurmountable lead by delivering his message with passion and intensity. He showed us the kind of vitality and energy we haven't seen since JFK. That Obama has seemingly disappeared. Wounded by a vicious campaign by Hillary Clinton and damaged by a few self-inflicted wounds, Obama has been on his heels for weeks. The fire is gone and has been replaced by an air of resignation. If he was on the basketball court instead if the campaign trail, he'd be benched. But this is not a game. It is the race to become the most powerful person in the world. Obama deserves the job, but he looks like he's not willing to fight for it. His recent speeches sound more like civics lessons, eloquent, yet lacking fire. While Obama is being professorial, Hillary is threatening to nuke Iran. The soft-sell has never played well in presidential politics. It didn't play for Michael Dukakis. It didn't play well for Al Gore. It didn't play well for John Kerry. Hillary's learned this lesson. It's about time Obama does, as well. Barack has got to bring his "A" game. In his playing days, Obama was known to throw a few elbows and talk a lot of trash. It's time for that Obama to show up. Both Hillary and John McCain have demonstrated a willingness to fight dirty. When attacked, Obama looks like the kid on the basketball who can't believe that nobody called a foul. On the playground, where Obama honed his game, the best response to a foul was to deliver an even harder one yourself. Hillary's out there trying to force Obama into more debates. His response has been "we've had enough debates." It should have been, "bring it on." Barack… it's time to stop turning the other cheek. When you do that, all you're left with are two bruised cheeks. It's time to sharpen both your elbows and your tongue. It's time to get off the bench and back in the game. MORE »

Bush: The Lowest Common Denominator in Chief Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave us The New Deal. George Walker Bush gives us an appearance on Deal or No Deal. Our Commander in Chief made a cameo appearance on Deal or No Deal to give a message to a contestant, who had served three tours of duty in Iraq (the third tour, mind you, was a stop-loss tour). Bush honored him for his service and then made a lame attempt at humor: "I'm thrilled to be on Deal or No Deal' with you tonight," Bush said. "Come to think of it, I'm thrilled to be anywhere with high ratings these days." It's amazing that Bush finds his own incompetence so damned amusing. Come to think of it, Deal or No Deal was the perfect place for Bush to make an appearance. * The game requires absolutely no intelligence * Against all odds, contestants make ill-advised choices based on greed * Contestants rely on the terrible advice of their closest friends and advisors MORE »