West Wing Week

It is the first anniversary of the weekly video update from the White House. There are a few videos to celebrate including an interview with the videographer Arun Chaudhary and the Deputy Press Secretary. The BBC also has a short interview with Arun Chaudhary.
What do you think - is this a way of making the Presidency more transparent or is it blatant propaganda?

Obama announces re-election campaign

Barack Obama has announced his re-election campaign. He says that he is announcing it early to allow the campaign to build. Here is his website's video announcement. What do you think, a good start? No other candidates, either Democrat or Republican, have yet announced. Here is the list of Republican contenders. Tim Pawlenty is the only one to have officially declared his intention to run. Which one would you back at this stage?