GINA COBB

How the Obama White House Bungled the Dalai Lama's Visit

"It takes a special talent to aggravate the Chinese government, the White House press corps, and the followers of the Dalai Lama all in one fell swoop. But the Obama administration managed to pull off that trifecta on Thursday with its poor handling of the Dalai Lama's meeting with the president."

The whole sad story.

The Agony of Defeat

Profound Thought of the Day

"The Middle East is obviously an issue that has plagued the region for centuries."  (Barack Obama)

"Out of Auschwitz"

Never forget.

Haiti: U.S. Troops Land Helicopters, Take Control of Presidential Palace

U.S. paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne arrive in Haiti in dramatic fashion:

Paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne division arrived in at least four choppers to secure the executive mansion, a once elegant white building in the devastated city centre, now surrounded by a vast refugee camp.

From the palace, a 60-strong squad of soldiers headed on foot to the city's general hospital, swamped with injured left behind by last week's catastrophic earthquake, which the Haitian government says killed at least 70,000.

But not everyone is happy:

"I haven't seen the Americans in the streets giving out water and food, but now they come to the palace," said Wilson Guillaume, as some of the homeless living rough in the Champ de Mars square before the palace shouted abuse.

"It's an occupation. The palace is our power, our face, our pride," said Feodor Desanges.

"Not only that, but how am I going to loot the palace with U.S. troops there?"

OK, I added that last line.  I have no evidence that Feodor Desganges is a looter.

I assume he's just the usual petty, peevish, whiney, ungrateful sort of person whom journalists seem to love to find and quote in every disaster.

It's a variation on the game called "blame the rescuers."

Anyone who doesn't realize that the U.S has no intention of taking over Haiti is severely out of touch with reality and should not be taken seriously, let alone quoted, by journalists. 

Journalists Turn Into Rescuers in Haiti; Anderson Cooper, Dr. Sanjay Gupta

Utter chaos in Haiti continues.

The situation is so bad that reporters are becoming part of the story.

CNN's Anderson Cooper rescued a boy bleeding profusely from his head after part of a concrete block was thrown by looters. 

The whole dramatic story, photos, and video are here.

Meanwhile, Dr. Sanjay Gupta -- now a reporter for CNN -- was asked to examine and treat an injured 15-day-old baby girl rescued from the rubble.  Video here.

Gupta also ended up staffing a Port-au-Prince field hospital overnight without any other doctor to assist him after a Belgian medical team evacuated due to security concerns.

There is a time for journalistic detachment, and there is a time to roll up one's sleeves and help.  This may be the most important work either of these CNN reporters has done for some time.