Obama Not Looking Back on Torture

Durbin says no, Reid open to talking, and Burris a no-show

(NEWSER) - Roland Burris dominated the Sunday morning tongue-wagging, though the would-be senator himself was a no-show, reports the Hill. Elsewhere, mixed messages on whether to seat him:

• Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin said on This Week that the Senate has no plans to seat Roland Burris. Burris was scheduled to appear alongside his state's senior senator.
• Meanwhile, top Senate Dem Harry Reid told Meet the Press that while the body has the power to block Burris, "there’s always room to negotiate."

He's 'impossible to dislike,' she tells Larry King

(NEWSER) - No one can stay mad at Bill Clinton—not even the guy he kicked out of the White House. Poppy and Barbara Bush sang his praises on Larry King last night, Mediaite observes, with George touting their “really good personal relationship.” Barbara Bush admitted that it took her a while to warm to him. “But you can’t dislike Bill Clinton. He’s very likable. And he’s so good to George. He would let George have the bed. … I have a feeling Bill wishes he had a father like George.” More»

Admin Says It's Open to Further Talks

(NEWSER) - There was a time when the White House and Sen. Lindsey Graham seemed close to striking a bipartisan deal on closing Guantanamo Bay and other national security issues, but in May those talks “went completely dead,” Graham tells Politico . “They could never quite pull the trigger,” he adds, suggesting that the administration was unwilling to take on such a heavy issue in an election year. More»

Joe Biden will go down in history with these other respected figures

(NEWSER) - Quite a big deal has been made over Joe Biden dropping the F-bomb . “But America has a long and honorable tradition of top elected officials using salty language,” writes John Dickerson on Slate . Allow him to educate you:

• Barack Obama: Famously called Kanye West a “jackass.”
• Joe Biden: Oh no, this wasn’t his first time. After being greeted by a former colleague as “Mr. Vice President,” he responded, “Give me a fucking break.”

Every modern president succumbs to the National Security State, writes Wills

(NEWSER) - George W. Bush expanded executive power to an extreme degree, but he wasn't an exception, writes historian Garry Wills. Since World War II, the presidency has accrued massive, unintended authority—controlling nuclear weapons, intelligence agencies, and a worldwide military network under "the cult of the commander in chief." Barack Obama swore to reverse some of this, but as soon as they were in the White House, "the Obama people grabbed at the powers, the secrecy, the unaccountability that had led Bush into such opprobrium." More»