Today At Tnr (july 31, 2009)

By The New Republic Staff

July 31, 2009

The Middle’s Man: Has Obama Abandoned His Campaign Promises? by Ed Kilgore
Merce Cunningham (1919-2009): The North Star Who Couldn’t Stop Moving, by Jennifer Homans
In ‘Funny People’ Judd Apatow Tries To Discover If Foul Mouths Can Be Connected To High Minds, by Christopher Orr
In Defense Of Ambassadorial Cronies, by Jason Zengerle
TNRtv: Is There Any Way To Stop Mortgage Lenders From Thieving? by Simon Johnson
Who Runs U.S. Foreign Policy? And What Role Has Obama Carved Our For Himself? by Michael Crowley
The Brief Wondrous Life Of Natasha Estemirova, by Usam Baysaev

As always, be sure to check out economic news on The Stash, environment and energy coverage on The Vine, the latest on health care at The Treatment, and Marty Peretz's The Spine. Also be sure to take a look at TNR's new blogs by William Galston, Damon Linker, John McWhorter, and Alan Wolfe.