The state of our union is...
A small quiz, or quiz-ling, to start the week.
1. On Tuesday, President Obama will tell Congress that the state of our union is:
(a) Strong. As strong as a master of a Thigh-master.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
(b) Strong. Not red hot-sauce strong, but strong enough.
(c) Delaware.
(d) Pretty much whatever speechwriter Jon Favreau feels like it ought to be. Probably: optimistic, since Favreau is going to Hollywood.
2. The sequester:
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
(a) Will turn out to be the worst double-bluff ever, with Republican leaders unable to muster any support for any deal that contains revenue, and the White House credulously assuming that Republicans aren't willing to actually call their, uh, bluff.
(b) A fan of a non-very-well-made NBC science fiction drama in the 90s.
(c) Is a word that only juries used to learn.
3. Chuck Hagel's confirmation as defense secretary is:
(a) All but assured, assuming that there is no outstanding paperwork issue.
(b) On indefinite TDY.
(c) Proof to conservatives that conservatives have a better sense of humor than the writers for Saturday Night Live.
4. Conservative radio host Mark Levin is on a tear about:
(a) Karl Rove.
(b) The former senior adviser for Crossroads GPS.
(c) Former White House aides "who were never conservative to begin with."
(d) The occasional incompetence of his producer.
5. The U.S. Army Skills and Evaluation Detachment is:
(a) An organization whose benign title belies its fascinating purpose.
(b) Very hard to find in a telephone directory.
(c) The guardians of the military's most secretive, most desirable, most interesting special mission unit.
(d) Recruiting now!
(e) All of the above.
6. This week, the following two entities will merge:
(a) Upscale cosmetics brand Jack Black and downscale but highly-acclaimed actor Jack Black.
(b) Outrage and opportunism, somewhere in Washington.
(c) Presidential speculation and Marco Rubio.
(d) American Airlines and US Airways.
The answers: well, subscribe to The Week to find out what happened during the week that was.
Marc Ambinder is TheWeek.com's editor-at-large. He is the author, with D.B. Grady, of The Command and Deep State: Inside the Government Secrecy Industry. Marc is also a contributing editor for The Atlantic and GQ. Formerly, he served as White House correspondent for National Journal, chief political consultant for CBS News, and politics editor at The Atlantic. Marc is a 2001 graduate of Harvard. He is married to Michael Park, a corporate strategy consultant, and lives in Los Angeles.
-
Why more and more adults are reaching for soft toys
Under The Radar Does the popularity of the Squishmallow show Gen Z are 'scared to grow up'?
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Magazine solutions - December 27, 2024 / January 3, 2025
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - December 27, 2024 / January 3, 2025
By The Week US Published
-
Magazine printables - December 27, 2024 / January 3, 2025
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - December 27, 2024 / January 3, 2025
By The Week US Published
-
Why Puerto Rico is starving
The Explainer Thanks to poor policy design, congressional dithering, and a hostile White House, hundreds of thousands of the most vulnerable Puerto Ricans are about to go hungry
By Jeff Spross Published
-
Why on Earth does the Olympics still refer to hundreds of athletes as 'ladies'?
The Explainer Stop it. Just stop.
By Jeva Lange Last updated
-
How to ride out the apocalypse in a big city
The Explainer So you live in a city and don't want to die a fiery death ...
By Eugene K. Chow Published
-
Puerto Rico, lost in limbo
The Explainer Puerto Ricans are Americans, but have a vague legal status that will impair the island's recovery
By The Week Staff Published
-
American barbarism
The Explainer What the Las Vegas massacre reveals about the veneer of our civilization
By Damon Linker Published
-
Welfare's customer service problem
The Explainer Its intentionally mean bureaucracy is crushing poor Americans
By Jeff Spross Published
-
Nothing about 'blood and soil' is American
The Explainer Here's what the vile neo-Nazi slogan really means
By Edward Morrissey Published
-
Don't let cell phones ruin America's national parks
The Explainer As John Muir wrote, "Only by going alone in silence ... can one truly get into the heart of the wilderness"
By Jeva Lange Published