Columbia University has long been associated with its Leftist activism, and its 1969 ban of ROTC has become a symbol of Columbia's positioning on the political spectrum.  However, the University Senate resolution on April 1st to remove the ROTC ban was a significant shift for Columbia.  The Senate's vote of 51 to 17 with 1 abstention sent a clear message that the University is not simply a cornerstone of liberalism.

The decision has sent ripples across the various news outlets, and while other universities have also been re-examining their ROTC policies given the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell, the contrast of Columbia's traditional stance with this decision is particularly provoking.  The New York Times reported yesterday that, "For reasons both of history and institutional character, however, none [of the similar initiatives at other universities] has the importance of Columbia, which was home to a particularly vigorous chapter of Students for a Democratic Society--some of whose most militant members helped form the left-wing radical group the Weathermen."

• The Daily Show makes fun of Obama's speech (really funny -- worth a watch)
• Follow the airstrikes on a fun, interactive map!
• Watch Obama's full speech if you have 30 minutes to kill

With just two weeks until the second of two temporary spending bills runs its course and the government will yet again be faced with a prospective shutdown, there are signs that Tea Party-inspired, freshmen Republicans in the House will not make it easy for a federal budget to be passed without any changes to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.

In fact, some Democrats-- including a centrist, Democratic think-tank called Third Way-- are becoming increasingly nervous that inaction on their end will come back to haunt them in the future.  Still, in interviews, Obama adminstration officials and Democratic leaders are inferring that they hope to solve the budget problem independently of reforming Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, which means Democrats and Tea Party Republicans and even the Republican establishment will be fighting sooner rather than later.

Two days after visiting Columbia, Michael Steele appeared on MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews.  The interview with Steele was focused on the apparently contradictary statements made by Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House and prospective, Republican presidential candidate for 2012, about whether the US should intervene in Libya or not.  The interview seemed to reveal a more aggressive and, at times, more partisan side of Mr. Steele whose comments and overall demeanor was surprisingly different than those that he displayed earlier this week.

Michael Steele, the former chairman of the RNC, spoke at Columbia University yesterday hosted by the Columbia Political Union.  Throughout his opening remarks, Steele made sure to drive home his point that politics is fundamentally about people-- not about ideology or labels.

Steele emphasized that everyone has a story that makes up who they are and how they view the world-- which only then, in turn, affects what political party they identify with.  He touched upon the fact that his mother worked at a Laundromat earning less than $5 a day.  His father was an alcoholic.  "That's my story," said Steele.

• Qaddafi is a bastard
• America declares war, again.
• Japan's earthquake not the will of God
• Men sweeping up more jobs than women

Two economic reports-- one by the Chief Economist of Moody's Analytics and another by investment bank Goldman Sachs-- recently suggested that the budget plan passed by House Republicans looking to slash $61 billion over the course of this fiscal year might very well reduce job growth and slow US economic growth.

Mark Zandi of Moody's Analytics, who advised on Obama's 2009 economic stimulus plan as well as served as an economic advisor to John McCain during his second presidential run, claimed that GDP would be reduced by 0.5% and there would be 700,000 fewer jobs if the bill put forward by the GOP is implemented.  The Goldman Sachs report struck an even more ominous tone warning that the economy could potentially be slowed by 2% in just the second and third quarter of this year.

The Senate yesterday passed an temporary spending bill that will extend the federal budget and keep the government's doors open until March 18-- effectively giving House Republicans and Democrats in the Senate along with the White House to hammer out a longer-term solution to federal spending.

The potential for a federal government shutdown at the end of next week declined today as congressional Democrats signalled that they would likely agree to a temporary spending bill proposed by Republicans on Friday that would fund the government for an additional two weeks past the original March 4 fiscal deadline.

If a federal budget is not reconciled and settled upon by congressional Democrats and Republicans by next Friday, the US government will shutter up its doors in the first time since then-Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich rolled the dice against President Clinton in 1996.  Although March 4 currently stands as this year's fiscal deadline, House Republicans recently offered a temporary spending bill that would allow the government to continue running and give both sides two additional weeks to hammer out a longer-term solution; the only catch is that the temporary spending bill would implement on a pro-rated basis the $60 billion spending cuts that has been the very point of contention between the Democrats and GOP.