To the Point
The President's Speech and the Politics of Tragedy
President Obama delivered an emotional tribute last night to the victims of Saturday's shooting in Tucson. Will he succeed in changing the tone of America's public discourse? Also, the rising foreclosure rate, and a new look at Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
By Warren Olney • • 50m ListenPresident Obama delivered an emotional tribute last night to the victims of Saturday's shooting in Tucson. Will he succeed in changing the tone of America's public discourse? Also, the rising foreclosure rate, and cables released by WikiLeaks portray Iran's President Ahmadinejad not as a hard liner but a progressive reformer.
Banner image: President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama arrive for the memorial event "Together We Thrive: Tucson and America" at the McKale Memorial Center in Tucson, Arizona, on January 12, 2011. Photo: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images
In this episode
3 storiesForeclosures Kept Rising in 2010
With five million homeowners at least two months behind, 2011 could be the worst year for home foreclosures since the Recession began. Daniel Indiviglio is associate editor and financial writer at The Atlantic magazine.
Read the story7 minThe President, the Republicans and the Rhetoric
President Obama took the high road at last night's memorial service in Tucson, asking Americans not to use "tragedy to turn on one another." At a time, he said, when political discourse is "sharply polarized," we should talk "in a way that heals, not a way that wounds."
Read the story33 minA New Assessment of Iranian President Ahmadinejad
With Iran, the US and countries from the European Union scheduled to resume talks this month, Hillary Clinton has asked Arab countries to help prevent the development of nuclear weapons.
Read the story9 min
