Archive
Petraeus and Crocker (Inadvertently?) Make The Case for Iranian Diplomacy
Based on the opening statements from Gen. David Petraeus and Amb. Ryan Crocker, shifting blame onto Iran for the continuing violence in Iraq appeared to be a major objective of their congressional testimony. Establishing that blame helps conservatives make a...
Two Kinds of Americans, Part II: From "Us versus Them" to "We the People"
In last week's essay, I noted that our ability to function effectively as a nation has been deeply compromised by the conservative movement's reflexive reliance on Us-versus-Them politics. Allowing a winners-and-losers worldview to dominate our country is a dangerous...
Would You Close Your School To Pay For Iraq?
When Gen. David Petraeus testifies today about the status of the Iraq occupation, I'll be thinking about my neighborhood elementary school. Because the Bridge Street School in Northampton, Mass., may have to close for lack of funds, while we continue to waste billions...
100-Year Occupation = 100 Years of War
Conservatives continue to complain when people bring up Sen. John McCain's support of a 100-year military presence in Iraq. We don't want 100 year of war, they insist. They just want our troops to, in McCain's words, "maintain a presence in a very volatile part of the...
Weekend Watchdog Wrap-Up
Despite an attempt to take a bigger bite, the watchdog came up short once more, going 0-for-5 on the Sunday shows. On Meet the Press, Sen. Bob Casey was not asked about the Senate's comprise bill on foreclosure relief, in which actual funding for foreclosure relief...
Weekend Watchdog
Every Friday in our Weekend Watchdog feature, we post suggested questions for scheduled Sunday guests. You can add your own questions in the comment thread. We'll also include contact information for the shows, so we can let them know what their viewers want asked....
Exhausting Race (Part 1)
We are all, as Sean Gonsalves wrote, morally exhausted from dealing with and talking about race. But, to borrow from an old spiritual, we have little choice but to "run on, see what the end will be," because the exhausting race is the only way forward. It's the door...
A Lot of Fat In The "Pig Book"
It's an annual Beltway ritual. The group Citizens Against Government Waste releases the "Pig Book," detailing all the so-called "pork" coming out of Congress. Outrage is ginned up over all the wacky things congresspeople are funding: Fruit fly research! Bear DNA!...
Getting What You Pay For
Well, that didn't take long. Ya gotta admire people who know how to get results, and get them fast. For that reason, I've got to take my hat off to the National Association of Home Builders, for pulling off something almost worthy of Wall Street: their own version of...
Profiting Off Debt
I feel like I see ads for the deceptively-named "Free Credit Report" more and more and more, as if the worse the economy gets, the more companies seek to prey on those who are struggling. As you may know (but obviously not enough do), Free Credit Report is a...
