The Ticker: Despite his shortcomings, the world still thinks Obama is better than Bush, writes Michael Muskal

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1 Transcript Breakdown: Sarah Palin Backs Limbaugh's Use of Word 'Retards' Benjamin F. Carlson, The Atlantic Wire
2 The Political Fallout of John Murtha's Death Benjamin F. Carlson, The Atlantic Wire
3 The New Yorker Discovers Twitter, Scoffs Max Fisher, The Atlantic Wire
4 Morning Vid: Stephen Colbert Teaches Sarah Palin Satire Jake Simpson, The Atlantic Wire
5 Tea Party's True Character Revealed at Convention Max Fisher, The Atlantic Wire

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Maureen Dowd Credit: Getty Images

#17 Maureen Dowd

The New York Times

Maureen Dowd is an op-ed columnist for The New York Times. She won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 1999. More information


Admired for a writing style that blends shrewd portraiture with derisive wit, Dowd keeps two fingers on the pulse of Washington culture and psychology. She may be best known for her columns on the Bush family dynamics and the foibles of Democratic presidential candidates, but it was her colorful columns on the Clinton White House and the Lewinsky affair that won her the Pulitzer.

Raised by a police-inspector father in a blue-collar family, she spent the early years of her career as a metro reporter, first at The Washington Star and then at The Times, where she sharpened her focus on political intrigue. Dowd's signature brand of catty commentary is beloved by her fans and bemoaned by her critics. Mark Steyn, a right-leaning pundit in the former category, has called Dowd an "elderly schoolgirl." Although she was not issuing a direct response to Steyn, she questioned the very purpose of an entire gender in her 2005 book about dating, Are Men Necessary?

Maureen Dowd on All Topics

Displaying 1-15 of 97

February 6, 2010
State Politics

A Scrubbed Toe In The Race

Between bites of an egg-white garden omelet at a bistro in his Union Square neighborhood, Harold Ford Jr. defended himself on pedicures and flip-flops.
February 3, 2010
Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Defending The Long Gay Line

“I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens.”
January 30, 2010
Health Care Reform

Camus Fired Up

Obama is always at his best when his back is against the wall, and he is perversely content when he has the challenge of the lion’s den.
January 27, 2010
Kennedy's Replacement

Bringing Sexy Back

Obama’s Oneness has been one-upped. Why settle for a faux populist when we can have a real one?
January 23, 2010
Kennedy's Replacement

The Naked and the Dead

After his own bronco ride running a state that’s ridiculously hard to govern, Arnold has a new understanding of why Teddy — and President Obama — struggled in their attempts at big changes
January 19, 2010
Legalizing Gay Marriage

The Trials of Gavin Newsom

Like many pioneers who go first — from the “Ellen” sitcom to the Hillary drama — the mayor who staked his career on giving equal rights to gays may have to settle for paving the way. The lawyers get praised, but he got pilloried?
January 16, 2010
Legalizing Gay Marriage

An Odd Couple Defends Couples That Some (Oddly) Find Odd

Legalizing gay marriage is like electing a black president. Before you do it, it seems inconceivable. Once it’s done, you can’t remember what all the fuss was about.
January 12, 2010
Entertainment

The Biggest Loser

Zucker is a master at managing up with bosses and calculating cost-per-hour benefits, but even though he made money on cable shows, he could not program network to save his life.
January 9, 2010
The President

The Limits of Cool

It’s not O.K. to be cool about national security when Americans are scared.
January 3, 2010
National Security

New Year’s Resolutions

Janet Napolitano and I hadn’t planned to spend New Year’s Eve together. But there we were on this soggy Thursday
December 30, 2009
The President

Where's Obama's Pulse?

In his detached way, Spock was letting us know that our besieged starship was not speeding into a safer new future, and that we still have to be scared.
December 28, 2009
Republicans

Oh, No! Kevin’s Back!

If it’s Christmas, it must be time for my conservative brother to take over my column and turn it a blazing shade of red.
December 23, 2009
Republicans

Is There a Real McCain?

The Maverick’s buck stops here. John McCain is no longer the media’s delight and his party’s burr, bucking convention with infectious relish.
December 19, 2009
War in Afghanistan

Blunder on the Mountain

Eight years after Tora Bora, the failure there poses the question at the heart, or Achilles’ heel, of President Obama’s strategy: What if victory over Al Qaeda and other terrorists lies in Pakistan, not Afghanistan?
December 13, 2009
War in Afghanistan

A Game That’s Not So Great

So how does Gates make a decision that will determine his reputation and that of the young president he serves?
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