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Joseph Curl

Joseph Curl

Joseph Curl covered the White House and politics for a decade for The Washington Times. He can be reached at josephcurl@gmail.com and on Twitter @josephcurl.

Columns by Joseph Curl

FILE - In this Oct. 17, 2010 file photo, Los Angeles Clippers team owner Donald Sterling watches his team play in Los Angeles. The NBA is investigating a report of an audio recording in which a man purported to be Sterling makes racist remarks while speaking to his girlfriend.  NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement Saturday, APril 26, 2014, that the league is in the process of authenticating the validity of the recording posted on TMZ's website. Bass called the comments "disturbing and offensive."  (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

CURL: What to do with racism in the 21st century

Let me tell you a story about a TV talking head. You know him — he's on the tube every day. I won't name him — he'd deny it, and there's no tape recording. But the tale comes from a friend I trust, someone who witnessed this incident first-hand, and someone who has no reason to lie. It's solid. Published April 30, 2014

Sterling

CURL: Racism everywhere, Obama and Democrats agree

Racism is everywhere these days. Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy is a racist. L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling is a racist. Redskins owner Dan Snyder is a racist. "Duck Dynasty" star Phil Robertson is a racist. And of course, every member of the tea party is clearly racist. Published April 27, 2014

First lady Michelle Obama, right, looks on as President Obama jokes with Danish prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt during former South African president Nelson Mandela's memorial service in December. Columnist Joseph Curl says Mrs. Obama can often be seen with her "I'm-Not-Amused" face. (Associated Press)

CURL: Shelly O — first lady Michelle Obama comes in last

First ladies, almost from the beginning, have taken up lofty causes when they move into the White House. Dolley Madison concerned herself with the plight of orphans. Ellen Wilson, shocked by the squalid streets of Washington, took up urban housing (and even got a bill through Congress, the first FLOTUS to do so). Rosalynn Carter made her signature issue mental health. Published April 20, 2014

President Barack Obama pauses while speaking at the LBJ Presidential Library, Thursday, April 10, 2014, in Austin, Texas, during the Civil Rights Summit to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

CURL: The state of the Union — worse than you thought

Tax Day has come and gone (sort of like Spring in the Northeast). Left behind is just a cold bitterness that is getting colder and bitter-er by the day (not talking about the weather here). Published April 16, 2014

President Barack Obama shares a laugh with outgoing Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Friday, April 11, 2014, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington to announce he would nominate current Budget director Sylvia Mathews Burwell to replace Sebelius. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

CURL: Kathleen Sebelius — You just can’t make this stuff up

With Team Obama, every day brings another story that falls into the "You Can't Make This Stuff Up" category. Like Friday, when Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius stood in the White House Rose Garden with President Obama to deliver her farewell speech. Published April 13, 2014

Secretary of State John F. Kerry defends the Obama administration's response to Russia's moves on eastern Ukraine during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. (Associated Press Photographs)

CURL: The next hot spot is the world’s problem, not America’s

The Washington Times headline blared the news: "Senators demand arms for restive Ukraine." Yes, the illustrious U.S. Senate, which for the past decade has overspent on the U.S. budget by trillions and trillions of dollars, thinks it's a very good idea if America wades into a battle with Russia over some former USSR territory. Published April 9, 2014

** FILE ** Sen. Harry Reid. (Associated Press)

CURL: Who the hell are the Koch brothers?

Just kidding. I know who the Koch brothers are. They're the billionaire oil magnates who control 4,000 miles of pipeline and whose corporation, Koch Industries, owns dozens of companies like Georgia-Pacific lumber, Stainmaster carpet, Brawny paper towels, Angel Soft toilet paper, even Dixie cups. Net sales: $115 billion. A year. Published March 30, 2014

President Barack Obama speaks at the screening of the film 'Cesar Chavez', Wednesday, March 19, 2014, in the Old Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington. The movie biopic is directed by Diego Luna about the Mexican-American labor leader Cesar Chavez. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

CURL: Obama, toxic avenger

President Obama is so toxic to Democrats that even his own one-time sycophantic aides are saying, "Who?" Published March 19, 2014

President Barack Obama speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, March 13, 2014, before signing a Presidential Memorandum directing Labor Secretary Tom Perez to modernize overtime protections. Obama is bypassing Congress and orders changes in overtime rules so employers would required to pay millions more for extra time they put in on the job. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

CURL: We overhauled U.S. health care — to insure 4.2 million people?

The number bounced around for years — 46 million. President Obama said it in August 2009: "I don't have to explain to you that nearly 46 million Americans don't have health insurance coverage today. In the wealthiest nation on Earth, 46 million of our fellow citizens have no coverage." Published March 16, 2014

Sens. Ted Cruz and Rand Paul share the stage on behalf of  the Republican Party. Both will speak on conservative strengths at an upcoming summit. (Associated Press)

CURL: Today’s GOP really is Reagan’s ‘Big Tent’ party

The mainstream media have a meme they post over and over and over: The Republican Party is in "disarray." Sometimes they say it's "divided." Or there's "discord," or "dissension," or "dysfunction." Other times, the GOP is ripped apart by "disunity" or "disharmony." Published March 9, 2014

Willie Robertson from the TV show Duck Dynasty watches from the sideline in the second half of an NCAA college football game  between LSU and Florida in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Oct. 12, 2013.  LSU won 17-6. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) ** FILE **

CURL: God making a comeback in Hollywood

In 2013, we had Leonardo DiCaprio snorting cocaine off — well, if you saw "The Wolf of Wall Street" (a totally missable movie, regardless of what the vaunted Academy says), you know where. Cate Blanchett chomped Xanax like they were Tic Tacs, Matthew McConaughey did his yeoman's share of coke, and "American Hustle" taught us all that drugged-out crime really does pay. Published March 2, 2014