Joseph Curl
Columns by Joseph Curl
CURL: Presidential campaign loser: The media
Iowa's sole purpose is to winnow the field — New Hampshire actually decides who'll win. A 10th grader in Des Moines knows that. Apparently, the media does not. Published January 8, 2012
CURL: Is Romney the next Kerry?
Think about it: Mitt Romney and John F. Kerry are two Boston blue-blood multimillionaires, spending summers in their island estates and winters in their mountain mansions. Published January 1, 2012
CURL: One president, please, with a side of Rice
Republican diners haven't yet picked their entree, but they've narrowed it down to the steak or the fish. Still, just as interesting as their main course will be their side selection: Will they go for a drab salad, or something more exciting? Maybe a spicy Rice dish? Published December 18, 2011
CURL: Election 2012 by the numbers (take 2)
Just how big a hill do the Republicans have to climb to win the White House in 2012? Published December 11, 2011
CURL: Obama’s tin ear extends to sensibility
OK, forget No. 3. And who knows about No. 1, although he does he does have Lil Wayne on his iPod (and who even still has an iPod?). But President Obama clearly suffers from definition No. 2. Published December 4, 2011
CURL: Does Obama really want to win?
"Over the last decade, we became a country that relied too much on what we bought and consumed." Published November 27, 2011
CURL: Obama’s growing disdain for American worker
They say that politics stops at the water's edge, but apparently, that doesn't apply to President Obama, as so many things apparently don't. Published November 20, 2011
CURL: Politico and the Cain story that wasn’t
The story was explosive: "Exclusive: Herman Cain Accused by two women of inappropriate behavior," the headline blared. Published November 6, 2011
CURL: The very angry first lady Michelle Obama
Michelle's back, and she's madder than ever. She was already pretty angry, seemingly unhappy with just about everything. As her husband wrapped up the Democratic nomination in 2008, she let fly her real feelings: "For the first time in my adult lifetime, I'm really proud of my country." A few months into her job as first lady, her French counterpart asked how she liked the gig: "Don't ask!" she reportedly spat. "It's hell. I can't stand it!" Published October 30, 2011
CURL: Obama Doctrine: With us, or we’ll whack you
The Bush Doctrine, articulated by George W. Bush after terrorists killed almost 3,000 people in the Sept. 11 attacks, was simple: "We will pursue nations that provide aid or safe haven to terrorism. Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make: Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists," he said on Sept. 20, 2001. Published October 23, 2011
CURL: Obama’s stumbling, bumbling 1-term presidency
One day soon, someone will write a book titled "The Stumbling, Bumbling, One-Term Presidency of Barack Hussein Obama." It will be a best-seller - off the nonfiction shelf, of course. Published October 16, 2011
CURL: Obama to protesters: Do as I say, not as I do
The first American generation to live a life of luxury, with scads of idle time to while away lounging and thinking, often half-stoned, was mine. Published October 9, 2011
CURL: The jobs plan that couldn’t
President Obama's claim that everything in his American Jobs Act "will be paid for" was — and is — a flat-out lie, and he knows it. Published October 2, 2011
CURL: Cain’s ‘9-9-9’ tax plan is fairer share
Leave it to a pizza guy to come up with the $9.99 deal. Wait, sorry, that's the 9-9-9 deal. And former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain has made the proposal the centerpiece of his 2012 campaign for president. Published September 25, 2011
CURL: Econ 101 for dummies
Here is the situation the United States is in right now: Tax revenue 2011: $2,170,000,000,000 (that's trillion) Published September 18, 2011
CURL: For Obama, ‘pass the bill’ is more like pass the buck
Any pretense that President Obama planned to deliver a bipartisan call to action on jobs flew out the window the second he entered the House floor on Thursday evening. Published September 11, 2011
CURL: Obama’s speech will save civilization
How lucky are we, people? We live in a Golden Age — Netflix, iPads, those little plastic wands that let you pick up a tennis ball covered with dog slobber without using your hands. We have NyQuil and DayQuil, reddit.com, Brew-Thrus, and that little beeper thing that lets you find your keys wherever they are. Published September 4, 2011
CURL: Why so glum, Michelle?
Man, how miserable is Michelle Obama? About 2½ years into her ceremonial stint as first lady, Mrs. Obama seems to have had quite enough of the gig. Published August 28, 2011
CURL: Taking vacation from Obama recession
Unemployment is at 9.1 percent. Economic growth is anemic. America's credit rating has been downgraded for the first time in history. The stock market hits new lows almost every day. And where is President Obama? Published August 21, 2011
CURL: Maybe Iowa straw poll not so pointless after all
No, the Ames Straw Poll doesn't mean much. But on the other hand, a Bachmann win there does mean something. Published August 14, 2011
