The FundamentaList (No. 49)
Sarah Posner
September 10, 2008 | web only
This week in the religious right: The IRS is asked to investigate a Christian legal group, the GOP alienates Latino evangelicals, and religious leaders ask Sarah Palin to start acting like a Christian.



Where Does Palin Fit in Alaska's Culture of Corruption?
Laura McGann
September 9, 2008 | web only
Alaska politics at both the state and national levels are rife with bribery, corruption, and scandal. Has Sarah Palin stayed out of the fray?

How the West Will Be Won
Eli Sanders
September 8, 2008
By espousing a brand of liberalism that's heavy on personal freedom and light on divisive social issues, Democrats are finally being heard in the Mountain West.

Palin and the Left's Comprehension Gap
Dave Smithee
It's always been true, but as the Palin mayhem demonstrates more extravagantly then ever, the left and their media allies possess a dangerous, childish ignorance of their conservative opposition. More

Why Feminists Fear Strong Women
James Lewis
why do Leftist feminists fear Sarah Palin? Because their personal ego-trips and their political power depend upon The Big Lie of women as victims. More

Pigs, Obama and Sarah Palin
Vasko Kohlmayer
The word "lipstick" became a potent political symbol on September 3, 2008, when Sarah Palin metaphorically expressed to the American people the dual nature of her persona: the tough bulldog reformer and the feminine, attractive, grown-up lipstick-wearing executive. More

Obama covers his tracks
September 11, 2008
Barack Obama apparently wishes his two autobiographies to be the definitive record of his past. He has blocked efforts by others who wish to independently examine his past. More

More Democratic Foot in Mouth Disease
September 11, 2008
It certainly looks like Democratic foot and mouth disease runs in families. More

NOW changes website statement of purpose post-Sarah
September 11, 2008
Curious changes in the last week. More

Yes, Palin has real executive experience
September 11, 2008
How does being governor of Alaska stack up experience wise to, let's say, community organizing? More

Obama's Disturbing Muslim Outreach: Resigned but not Gone?
September 11, 2008
Obama's Muslim Outreach Coordinator, Mazen Asbahi, resigned in August after only ten days in his position, when it was revealed that he had ties to groups associated with the Muslim Brotherhood. More

The Punch and Slim Show?
September 11, 2008
The New York Times has a new investor. More

Obama's other minister problem
September 11, 2008
While discarding Pastor Jeremiah Wright, Barack OBama has been cozying up to another problematic minister. More

Will Biden swap with Hillary?
September 11, 2008
Senator Joe Biden is now saying out loud what everybody is thinking: "Hillary Clinton might have been a better pick than me." More

Will Biden swap with Hillary?
September 11, 2008
Senator Joe Biden is now saying out loud what everybody is thinking: "Hillary Clinton might have been a better pick than me." More

The Bourne Stupidity: Damon on Palin (updated)
September 11, 2008
It's hard to determine whether the ignorance, the childish reasoning or the arrogance was the most stunning aspect of actor Matt Damon's video about Sarah Palin that surfaced this week. More

Obama's instructions vs. campaign's actions
September 10, 2008
In Virginia yesterday, Obama says religious beliefs shouldn't be examined. I can understand why. More

America in decline says CIA study
September 10, 2008
One can take the conclusions reached in this study on the effects of globalization and climate change several ways. More

America in decline says CIA study
September 10, 2008
One can take the conclusions reached in this study on the effects of globalization and climate change several ways. More

TERRORISM
Lessons Learned From 9/11
The attacks of September 11, 2001, forever changed the way that Americans think about their national security. It made clear that the need to confront transnational terrorism is a reality of the new age of globalization that is drawing the world closer together. In the wake of those attacks, there was an international outpouring of sympathy for the United States, symbolized by the French newspaper Le Monde's headline, "We Are All Americans." Even in Iran, "vast crowds turned out on the streets and held candlelit vigils, [and] sixty-thousand spectators respected a minute's silence at Tehran's football stadium." But rather than take advantage of the unprecedented international solidarity to bring about better international cooperation against terrorism, President Bush retreated into the familiar "us vs. them" dichotomy that has characterized conservative foreign policy since the mid-20th century. Making his cause clear in a speech to Congress on Sept. 20, Bush declared a "war on terror," promising "a lengthy campaign, unlike any other we have ever seen." America's new global posture was summarized in one sentence: "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists."

THE CHALLENGE: Seven years later, Bush has squandered the goodwill of the world. Global opinion of the United States is lower than at almost any time in history. Our country remains deeply involved in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, which continue to drive extremist anti-American ideologies. Tragically, even though it has used the rhetoric of freedom and democracy to defend its policies, the Bush administration remains wedded to a national security strategy that prioritizes the use of military force and denies the full range of American economic, political, and cultural power. Recently, senior U.S. intelligence analyst Thomas Fingar presented the findings of a new report, "Global Trends 2025," that "assesses how international events could affect the United States in the next 15 to 17 years." Fingar said that "the U.S. will remain the preeminent power," but he saw U.S. leadership eroding "at an accelerating pace" in "political, economic and arguably, cultural arenas." The Washington Post reported that, according to Fingar, "the one key area of continued U.S. superiority -- military power -- will 'be the least significant' asset in the increasingly competitive world of the future."

BUSH'S FAILED APPROACH: Despite the changing world dynamic, military power continues to be the asset which the Bush administration has most often used in the misnamed and misconceived Global War on Terror. After routing al Qaeda and its Taliban hosts from their base in Afghanistan in late 2001 and 2002, Bush turned his attention to Iraq, where the U.S. military continues its occupation to this day at a cost of over $12 billion a month. More than one in five Iraqis has been displaced since the 2003 invasion, both inside and outside the country. The 2007 troop surge, while helping to reduce violence, has also frozen in place "a fragmented and increasingly fractured country," with no sign that Iraq's leaders are prepared to make the tough power-sharing compromises necessary for a stable future Iraq. As a result of the unfinished war in Afghanistan, the Taliban, and al Qaeda eventually regrouped in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border areas, and have carried out an increasingly destructive insurgency. According to the Foreign Policy/Center for American Progress 2008 Terrorism Index, which surveyed 117 national security experts from across the political spectrum, "eighty percent of the experts say that the United States has focused too much on the war in Iraq and not enough on the war in Afghanistan." Yesterday, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen warned Congress that the United States. is "running out of time" to succeed in Afghanistan and that sending in more troops will not necessarily guarantee victory.

THE PROGRESSIVE APPROACH: Mullen's other comments offer a clue to the way forward. In discussing the Afghanistan front, Mullen noted the "poor and struggling Afghan economy" and "significant political uncertainty in Pakistan" as major barriers to real security and progress in the region. As Center for American Progress Senior fellow Brian Katulis and co-author Nancy Soderbergh argue in their new book, "The Prosperity Agenda," American leadership "has been absent from the scene of many other important global issues -- oil dependency, food shortages, climate change, global poverty, and stopping the spread of nuclear weapons." Americans must expand their conception of national security to encompass more than military solutions for what are in many cases environmental, economic and political problems. With the continuing rise of economic competitors such as China and Russia, the United States must acclimate its security policies to an evolving multi-polar reality in order to work more effectively to deal with problems like Iran's nuclear program. And with the persistence of non-state actors such as Al Qaeda, the United States must look to a more comprehensive approach to national security, one that addresses the conditions which give rise to terrorism, and rethink its reflexive dependence on military power as the first option against potential threats.

MILITARY -- OLD GI BILL STILL BEING PITCHED TO NEW RECRUITS: The Associated Press reports that new U.S. military recruits "are being advised to continue signing up for the old GI Bill while details are being worked out about what types of education are covered under the Post-9/11 GI Bill program that became law June 30." However, the old Montgomery GI Bill comes at a cost for recruits: a $1,200 contribution that can be paid in $100 monthly installments within the first year of service. The new 21st Century GI Bill, which was originally sponsored by Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA), is free. Regardless, the Defense Department guidance says that "those who might want vocational training...should enroll in the Montgomery GI Bill" anyway because "those types of training may not be covered by the new program." Service members "can get the $1,200 back if they end up getting a traditional college education."

KATRINA -- REPORT SAYS MILLIONS WASTED ON NO-BID CONTRACTS FOR KATRINA RECOVERY: According to a report by the Homeland Security Department's office of inspector general, "The government wasted millions of dollars on four no-bid contracts it handed out for Hurricane Katrina work." The Associated Press called the report "the latest to detail mismanagement in the multibillion-dollar Katrina hurricane recovery effort, which investigators have said wasted at least $1 billion." In the new report, investigators cite temporary housing contracts that were "awarded without competition to Shaw Group Inc., Bechtel Group Inc., CH2M Hill Companies Ltd. and Fluor Corp." by the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA). Investigators found that FEMA "did not always properly review the invoices submitted by the four companies" and "also issued open-ended contract instructions for months without clear guidelines on what work was needed to be done and the appropriate charges," which "wasted at least $45.9 million." Approximately $20 million of the wasted money went towards "a camp for evacuees that was never inspected and proved to be unusable." FEMA said that it "generally agreed" with the report and "would further investigate the $45.9 million in questioned costs and recoup the money as necessary."

ETHICS -- REPORT DETAILS 'CULTURAL OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND PROMISCUITY' AT GOVT. OFFICES: Yesterday, the Interior Department's inspector general revealed that 13 government officials "handling billions of dollars in oil royalties improperly engaged in sex with employees of energy companies they were dealing with and received numerous gifts from them." The report notes that nearly a third of the Denver Minerals Management Service's 55-person office "received gifts and gratuities from oil and gas companies." The report reveals that government officials tried to rewrite ethics rules in order to accommodate their partying and cover up their misdoings. In the summer of 2006, Royalty in Kind (RIK) employees wrote up a document titled, "Initiative to Clarify Guidance for RIK Interaction with Industry," which would codify employees' "uniqueness." Employees also illegaly took drugs, often while at the office. Gregory Smith, Program Director of the RIK, referred to cocaine as "office supplies" and rewarded his employees for obtaining it for him. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) criticized "how cozy the relationship between Big Oil and the Administration's regulators have been." The AP called the scandal part of a "culture of substance abuse and promiscuity."

GREG MITCHELL
Losses on 9/11, And Since huffingtonpost.com — It's always amazed me how so many people out in Middle America — and so many politicians — could invoke 9/11 to sell or accept war, torture, wiretapping and all the rest, yet the citizens most opposed to all of those measures had experienced 9/11 and the human loss more than anywhere else, here in the New York area. Now even more families mourn even more lives lost in Iraq. One reason most New Yorkers opposed that war: We actually had more reason than others to learn about the facts of the attack and who did it to us.

THE NEW YORK TIMES
Real Life Economy nytimes.com — Once the economy stabilizes, the creative and controversial work must begin to build an economy in which all Americans have a shot at sharing in the growth.

JAMES RIDGEWAY
Is the Fannie/Freddie Bailout "Socialism"? motherjones.com — Conservatives are using the S-word to describe the government takeover of the mortgage giants. Try corporate welfare.

SCOTT BITTLE AND JEAN JOHNSON
Stuff Happens: The Mortgage Bailout and the Federal Budget huffingtonpost.com — Fannie Mae and Freddie aren't the only ones who have been playing fast and loose with the financial facts of life. The government's mismanagement of its own budget means it is in a very bad position to take this on. Saving the mortgage giants is just going to make the government's long-term financial situation much worse.

ROBERT SCHEER
McCain and the Mortgage Meltdown thenation.com — Clearly McCain had not learned much from his previous involvement with the savings-and-loan debacle about the risks to consumers in unregulated banking.

DAVE MANN
Exit Bush, Stage Right texasobserver.org — Bush may have reached a newfound state of irrelevance beyond "lame duck." While Bush has clocked out, the rest of his administration — from the vice president on down — is still coming to work every day. They maintain a firm grasp on the levers of power. And they've been using it.

TE-PING CHEN
Another Student Loan Crisis? prospect.org — This summer, rumors stirred that the incoming class of college freshmen was having difficulty securing loans for college. The crisis, however, is more about the ways we're asking college students to finance their educations.

How to Talk About Security in a Post-9/11 America Here is the "lesson" of 9/11: Never forget that the top priority of any government is to keep its citizens safe from harm. For years the conservatives have understood this lesson and embraced it, while devastating our national security. Let's reclaim the mandate on security.

Top U.S. Democrat to Try to Pass India Nuclear Deal
Arshad Mohammed, Reuters Top U.S. Senate Democrat Harry Reid will work to win approval this year of an accord to end a three-decade ban on nuclear trade with India, which President George W. Bush submitted to Congress on Wednesday.

The last hurdle for the deal is Congress, and Reid, the Senate majority leader will try to push the deal through this year, according to his spokesman Jim Manley, despite a truncated legislative schedule and other concerns.

• Deal Likely to Do More Harm Than Good for NSG, IAEA
• Frequently Asked Questions about India, the Nuclear Suppliers Group, and Next Steps

U.S. Accuses Iran Shipper of Nuclear Aid
Louise Radnofsky and Chip Cummins, The Wall Street Journal The U.S. Treasury Department accused Iran's national maritime carrier of helping the country's nuclear and missile programs, a formal move designed to pressure Iran amid stalled talks over its nuclear work.

N. Korea Has Quietly Built Long-Range Missile Base
Pamela Hess, Associated Press North Korea has quietly built a long-range missile base that is larger and more capable than an older and well-known launch pad for intercontinental ballistic missiles, according to independent analysts relying on new satellite images of the site and other data. Analysts provided images of the previously secret site to The Associated Press.

In WMD Report, U.S. Gets a C Spencer S. Hsu, The Washington Post Seven years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the federal government has made only limited progress toward preventing a catastrophic nuclear, biological or chemical attack on U.S. soil and combating the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction abroad, according to a report card to be issued tomorrow by 22 former U.S. officials.

• Related Link
• Related Link

White House Claims Bin Laden Was Not The ‘Mastermind’ of Sept. 11

By Satyam

In a press conference, a reporter asked White House Press Secretary Dana Perino about the administration’s ongoing efforts to find Osama bin Laden, calling him the “mastermind” of 9/11. Perino interrupted the reporter, claiming bin Laden was not the true “mastermind” of the attacks:

In case you missed it

Afghan Massacre - The Convoy of Death

50 min -Jamie Doran

Produced and directed by Irish filmmaker and former BBC producer Jamie Doran, the film tells the story of thousands of prisoners who surrendered to the US military's Afghan allies after the siege of Kunduz. According to the film, some three thousand of the prisoners were forced into sealed containers and loaded onto trucks for transport to Sheberghan prison. When the prisoners began shouting for air, U.S.-allied Afghan soldiers fired directly into the truck, killing many of them. Continue

Sept. 11, Seven Years On - Andrew Romano, Newsweek
Seven Years. Zero Attacks - Quin Hillyer, The American Spectator
Media Getting Mad at McCain-Palin - Howard Kurtz, Washington Post
The First and Last Word On Lipstick - Tom Bevan, RealClearPolitics
Worried Dems Are Overreacting - Gail Collins, New York Times
The Consequences of Rejecting Hillary - Fred Barnes, Weekly Standard
Libertarians Could Do Worse Than Palin - Radley Balko, Reason
Lipstick on a Wing Nut - Katha Pollitt, The Nation
Continuing Censorship of 'The Path to 9/11′ - John Ziegler, Fox News
The Long Fruitless Hunt for Osama bin Laden - Peter Bergen, CNN
HorseRaceBlog: Update on Obama's First Advertising Buy - Jay Cost
RCP Blog: First Look: Gibson Interviews Palin | OH, MI, CO, NV Polls

Honor vs. Empathy - Paul Starobin, National Journal
Obama's Altitude Sickness - Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post
Blizzard of Lies - Paul Krugman, New York Times
There Are No Victims in This Race - David Harsanyi, Denver Post
Palin Popularity Trickles Down For GOP - Reid Wilson, RealClearPolitics

Best of the Blogs
The Hypocrisy of Democratic Politicians - Megan McArdle, Atlantic
McCain Struggles with the Basics - Steve Benen, Political Animal
Alinsky, Obama, and the Progressive Turn - Steve, Protein Wisdom
Lies, Damned Lies and Sarah Palin - Andrew Sullivan, Daily Dish
Finding Obama's Lost Years - Tom Maguire, JustOneMinute

Mary MacElveen: Sarah Palin is not opposed to going to war with Russia (1 comments) Like Ed Koch who endorsed Barack Obama citing of Sarah Palin, "She scares me", I would have to side with the former mayor. In reading where Palin stated in her interview with ABC's Charlie Gibson she is open to the idea of a war with Russia, it does create a sense of terror within me.

Cohen: In the seventh year So it was in the seventh year after the fall of the towers. And still Bush did raise his hands to the Lord and proclaim: "I will be proved right in the end!" And around the whole earth, which had stood with America, there arose a great trouble for it seemed to peoples abroad that a great nation, rich in flocks and herds and land and water, had been cast among thorns and Philistines; its promise betrayed, its light dimmed.

Rev. Bill McGinnis: *Sarah Palin Would Allow Israel To Drag Us Into War With Iran. In her interview last night with Charles Gibson, Sarah Palin clearly showed that she would not oppose Israel if it decided to attack Iran, and thereby drag the United States into yet another war . . . even a likely World War III.

Froomkin: Bush the Great Protector A White House " fact sheet" proudly proclaims: "President Bush Has Kept Our Nation Safe In The Seven Years Following 9/11." Leaving aside the issue of whether he could have prevented the first one, Bush has yet to provide one bit of evidence that any of the actions he ordered--such as torturing terror suspects and eavesdropping on Americans without a warrant--prevented another.

Michel Chossudovsky: 9/11 and the "American Inquisition" Today's "Global War on Terrorism" is a modern form of inquisition. It has all the essential ingredients of the French and Spanish inquisitions. Going after " Islamic terrorists", carrying out a Worldwide preemptive war to " protect the Homeland" are used to justify a military agenda.

McCain’s Glamorously Testy Interview When the GOP platform came out, it did “not allow for exceptions in the cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother” and the McCain campaign was actively involved in helping the Religious Right craft, in the words of Kelly Shackelford, “the strongest pro-life platform ever in the history of the party." McCain refuses to discuss it -- move on to the next question or the interview is over.

Amy Goodman: The Party Police Mass arrests of peaceful protesters, excessive police violence, wholesale disregard for the Bill of Rights and the targeting and arrest of journalists marred what should have been celebrations of democracy.

Gregory Paul: Why the Right is Pulling Our Legs When They Say Big Government is Bad For America, and Bad for Them Conservatives adore bashing big government, but without it our nation would not be big in the first place.

David Swanson: Xmas Letter to Obama: How You Could Have Won I'm sending this early, Senator, because of my confidence that you won't open it until Christmas and my concern that when you do you'll say I should have spoken up sooner.

Dean Powers: "I Want a Vice President Who Eats Moose Burgers," Ad See who wants to vote for John McCain.

Bill Clinton's Advice to Barack Obama - John Harris, The Politico
Obama's Altitude Sickness - Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post
Sarah Clears the Ice on Working Mothers - Ellen Goodman, Boston Globe
McCain's Honor vs. Obama's Empathy - Paul Starobin, National Journal
Obama's Record Doesn't Match His Words - Gerard Baker, Times of London
McCain's Blizzard of Lies - Paul Krugman, New York Times
Why 'The Media Are Getting Mad' - John Hinderaker, Power Line
Tiptoeing Through the Mud - E. J. Dionne, Washington Post
Sexism, Racism Won't Decide the Outcome - David Harsanyi, Denver Post
In Hindsight, Hillary Looks Good - Marianne Means, Houston Chronicle
Palin Boosts GOP Prospects in Congress - Reid Wilson, RealClearPolitics
Divided Government Best for Markets - Don Luskin, Wall Street Journal
Sept. 11 And the Non-Crisis of Values - Dick Meyer, NPR
A New World Disorder - Timothy Garton Ash, The Guardian
Senator Obama's "Talking" Cure - Joshua Muravchik, Commentary
The Wars of John McCain - Jeffrey Goldberg, The Atlantic
Giants Among the Lilliputians - Kathleen Parker, RealClearPolitics
RCP Nat'l Average: McCain +2.8% / RCP Electoral Count: Obama +1 EV
RCP Blog: Did Palin Pass? | Ad Wars | AM Rpt / Poli Nation: Strat Memo

Editorials
As 9/11 Grows Distant, Objectives Must Stay Clear - Rocky Mountain News
Henry Paulson's Backward Bailout - The Nation
Speculators' Reprieve - Investor's Business Daily
Fresh Speculation About Kim Jong Il's Health - The Economist
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Political News & Analysis
Obama Plans Sharper Tone as Party Frets - New York Times
Palin Talks Foreign Policy in First Interview - Washington Post
Palin Boosts McCain, But Obama Leads Crucial States - Wall St. Journal
Candidates Mark 9/11, Speak on Service - New York Times

Transcripts & Speeches


President Bush at the 9/11 Pentagon Memorial - George W. Bush
McCain, Obama at ServiceNation Forum - CNN
Obama and McCain's Statements on 9/11 - Obama & McCain
Panel on Joe Biden's Clinton Comment - Special Report w/Brit Hume
Remarks to the Hispanic Caucus Institute Gala - Barack Obama

Best of the Blogs
Palin, McCain and the Bush Doctrine - Matthew Yglesias, CAP
Pro-Palin Spin Going Nowhere Fast - Daniel Larison, Eunomia
The Yawning Gap of Barack Obama - Ed morrissey, Hot Air
What Exactly is the 'Bush Doctrine'? - Richard Starr, The Blog
Speaker Boehner? - Don Surber

• Battle for White House
  • Obama Plans Sharper Tone
  • Palin Hawkish in ABC Interview
  • Talks Tough on Iran, Russia
  • Bill Clinton Ready to Help
  • Palin Lets McCain Move to Center
• State Polls
  • Colorado: Obama +3; Obama +1
  • Michigan: Obama +5,+4; McCain +1
  • Florida: McCain +8, McCain +7
  • Ohio: McCain +1,+4; Obama +5
  • Georgia: McCain +18; McCain +13
• More Election '08
  • Obama Ad Mocks '1982' McCain
  • Hanging On to Biden's Every Word
  • Palin 'Governed From the Center'

Honor vs. Empathy - Paul Starobin, National Journal2

Obama's Altitude Sickness - Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post201

GOP Ticket Puts Zealotry First - David Sirota, San Francisco Chronicle33

In Hindsight, Hillary Looks Good - Marianne Means, Houston Chronicle46

Sarah Zamboni Clears the Ice - Ellen Goodman, Boston Globe1

Blizzard of Lies - Paul Krugman, New York Times5

Why 'The Media Are Getting Mad' - John Hinderaker, Power Line1

Bill Clinton's Advice to Barack Obama - John Harris, The Politicohttp://comments.realclearpolitics.com/read/42323/186494.html

The Problem with Obama's Change Rhetoric - Gerard Baker, London Times1

Tiptoeing Through the Mud - E. J. Dionne, Washington Post55

Divided Government Best for Markets - Don Luskin, Wall Street Journalhttp://comments.realclearpolitics.com/read/42323/186675.html

Sexism, Racism Won't Decide Outcome - David Harsanyi, Denver Post30

The Feminist Card Won't Wash - Jessica Valenti, The Guardianhttp://comments.realclearpolitics.com/read/42323/186496.html

Palin Popularity Trickles Down For GOP - Reid Wilson, RealClearPolitics50

The Wars of John McCain - Jeffrey Goldberg, The Atlantichttp://comments.realclearpolitics.com/read/42323/186512.html

Indictments Are Not The Best Revenge - Alan Dershowitz, Wall St. Journal1

A New President and a Wake-Up Call - Philip Stephens, Financial Timeshttp://comments.realclearpolitics.com/read/42323/186600.html

Giants Among the Lilliputians - Kathleen Parker, RealClearPolitics9

Obama's "Talking" Cure - Joshua Muravchik, Commentary

Has Sarah Palin Motivated the Very Voters That Obama Needs to Win?

By Don Hazen, AlterNet

Election 2008: By ignoring the needs of single women, Palin may have lit a fire under the country's biggest voting bloc -- one with the power to swing the election.

McCain and Palin's Top 20 Lies, Myths and Flip-Flops

Isaac Fitzgerald, Tana Ganeva, AlterNet

Agents of change? Symbols of feminism? A roundup of these and other ridiculous tall tales coming from McCain's increasingly desperate campaign.


Howard Zinn: American Empire Is 'Crumbling'

Al Jazeera

Democracy and Elections: "I think the American empire will go the way of other empires and I think it is on its way now."


Did McCain Tamper With the Drug Enforcement Agency to Protect His Career?

Matt Stoller, Open Left

McCain appears to have used his Senate staff to cover up his wife's drug use, and possibly to prevent the DEA from investigating her.

Is CNN Getting Kicked Out of Russia?

Yasha Levine, eXiled Online

Media and Technology: Putin may strip CNN of its Russian broadcasting rights after it refused to air a 30 minute exclusive interview he gave the network.


Naomi Klein Strikes Back at Critics of Her 'Shock Doctrine' Book

Naomi Klein, NaomiKlein.com

Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace: Responding to critics from the libertarian Cato institute and The New Republic.


While Bush Announces 8,000 Troop Withdrawal, Leaked Draft Agreement Calls for Indefinite Occupation

Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!

War on Iraq: Iraqi Blogger Raed Jarrar: The U.S./Iraq agreement legitimizes long term bases and calls for an indefinite number of U.S. troops to remain in Iraq.

McCain's Distortions: I'm John McCain and I Approve This Message

Post by Robert Greenwald
Video: Video proof that McCain's ads are lies. More »

Racially Charged FOX Clip Likens Obama to OJ Simpson and Hurricane Ike
Video: The utterly pervasive racism of FOX News. More »

Keith Olbermann Blasts McCain for Exploiting 9/11
Video: A Special Comment from Countdown you won't want to miss. More »

Sarah Palin's Faux Populism

Jim Hightower, AlterNet

Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace: Living in a small town and being able to field dress a moose does not make Palin a populist, no matter how much pundits want to pretend it does.


Less Than Half the World Believes al Qaeda Was Behind 9/11 Attacks

Joshua Holland, AlterNet

ForeignPolicy: A poll of 16,000 people in 17 countries reveals the damage done to the credibility of the United States by the Bush administration.


Don't Think of a Maverick! Could the Obama Campaign Be Improved?

George Lakoff, AlterNet

Election 2008: Obama's task is to reveal McCain as an elite DC insider and to convince conservatives to believe in Obama's leadership abilities.


Has American Society Gone Insane?

Bruce E. Levine, AlterNet

Health and Wellness: America's mental health problems may be more than a matter of some "unadjusted" individuals. The entire culture might well need adjusting.


McCain's Phony Earmark Ploy

Lindsay Beyerstein, AlterNet

Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace: McCain promises to slash earmarks and save us money. But earmarks are a tiny fraction of the federal budget -- less than 1 percent in 2008.


Can Any Candidate Clean Up Bush's Massive Post 9/11 Mess?

Andrew J. Bacevich, Tomdispatch.com

ForeignPolicy: The squandering of vast resources after 9/11 and our slide toward debt and dependency pose a greater threat to the U.S. than Osama bin Laden ever did.

The FundamentaList (No. 49)
Sarah Posner
September 10, 2008 | web only
This week in the religious right: The IRS is asked to investigate a Christian legal group, the GOP alienates Latino evangelicals, and religious leaders ask Sarah Palin to start acting like a Christian.



Where Does Palin Fit in Alaska's Culture of Corruption?
Laura McGann
September 9, 2008 | web only
Alaska politics at both the state and national levels are rife with bribery, corruption, and scandal. Has Sarah Palin stayed out of the fray?

Putting Lipstick on the Community Organizing Pig
Kyle-Anne Shiver
No matter how much lipstick, finery and linguistic switcheroo Obama employs, his gig as a community organizer is still just a fancy-dancy way of explaining the role of a paid people's agitator. More

Obama and South Chicago Slum Developers
Lee Cary
Barack Obama's friends, allies, and donors in the Chicago housing industry have done well, unlike the Senator's constuents stuck in their failed projects. More

Will Chotiner's Law Work in 2008?
Paul Shlichta
Murray Chotiner was the Ty Cobb of political campaigning, a ruthless and brilliant exponent of the philosophy that "politics is war." What would he think about this year' election? More

The Sarah Surge
September 12, 2008
The Sarah Surge is the second "Surge" that John McCain has correctly conceived of. More

More 'borrowing' by the Obama campaign
September 12, 2008
For a campaign ostensibly offering a fresh and new voice, the Obama bunch certainly does a lot of borrowing of others' intellectual property. More

Judy Woodward peddles old tripe
September 12, 2008
In last night's event at Columbia University, Judy Woodruff peddled some old tripe about the military being largely composed of poor and minorities. Not so and it's about time more "informed" people knew More

President Bush - Loneliness of the long distance runner
September 12, 2008
Now that even Obama has admitted that the surge in Iraq is a success, it is perhaps worth recalling just how alone - except for McCain - Bush was politically when he made that decision in January 2007. More

Ed Lasky Remembers 9/11 on The Rick Moran Show
September 11, 2008
Where were you on 9/11? More

Sarah's Choice
September 11, 2008
The great and present danger now concerning the Canadian medical establishment apparently is not the cost of health care, but how Sara Palin's choice not to abort a Down syndrome baby will affect Canadian abortions. More

Global warming infects British jury
September 11, 2008
Need more proof that climate alarmism breeds insanity? More

Obama's well-heeled friends beneficiaries of earmarks
September 11, 2008
Look who Obama was trying to give millions in taxpayer subsidies to. More

Rove: Obama can't win against Palin
September 11, 2008
Why in heaven's name is Barack Obama going after Sarah Palin in the first place? Shouldn't he be targeting John McCain and George Bush instead? More

Down from the trees
September 11, 2008
The smelly tree-worshipping protestors thwarting development of athletic facilities at the University of California have been skillfully plucked from their treetop aerie. More

Obama and McCain to appear at service forum tonight
September 11, 2008
A unique forum for a singular moment in the campaign. More

Obama covers his tracks
September 11, 2008
Barack Obama apparently wishes his two autobiographies to be the definitive record of his past. He has blocked efforts by others who wish to independently examine his past. More

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Obama's Plumbers by John Batchelor Who is obstructing records of Obama's friendship with Bill Ayers?

The Lipstick Warsby Linda ChavezDemocrat activists have let Sarah Palin get under their skin -- and if they don't get a grip, …

The Sarah Surge in Black and Whiteby Lawrence KudlowIt's so much fun reading the newspapers these days. The Sarah surge continues to dominate …

Running Purity Rings Around MTVby L. Brent Bozell IIISomething mildly miraculous is happening among pop music stars. Several of them, from the …

A 9/11 'What-If?'
What would have happened if the United States had stuck to its rule-of-law principles after 9/11 and brought al-Qaeda leaders to justice, rather than waging a "war on terror," asks Peter Dyer. September 11, 2008

Did al-Qaeda Succeed?
The 9/11 attacks opened the door to neocon strategies that overreached in the Middle East -- and now U.S. intelligence foresees "diminished" American power in the future, Robert Parry reports. September 11, 2008

US Commandos Strike Inside Pakistan
President Bush has green-lighted U.S. cross-border raids from Afghanistan into Pakistan. Watch TheRealNews.com's video. September 11, 2008

Iran's Road Less Traveled to Nukes
Despite Bush administration alarms about Iran building a nuclear bomb, the top U.S. intelligence analyst still sees no evidence that Iran has restarted a weapons program, Ray McGovern writes. September 10, 2008

Mocking Constitutional Rights
Sarah Palin's derision toward Barack Obama for wanting to read terrorism suspects "their rights" underscored the growing contempt in the GOP for the U.S. Constitution, notes Nat Parry. September 10, 2008

ACLU Challenges RNC Arrests
The ACLU sees hundreds of preemptive arrests at the GOP convention as part of a pattern. Watch TheRealNews.com's video. September 10, 2008

Nikolas Kozloff
The Next Cuban Missile Crisis?

Lloyd Miller
Palin and Alaskan Natives and Tribes: a Dismal Record

M. Shahid Alam
The Mendacity of Missed Opportunities

Noam Chomsky
Towards a Second Cold War?

Sharon Smith
Afghanistan: You Call This a Good War?

Ron Jacobs
Palinomics: She Ain't No Working Class Hero

Marjorie Cohn
God, Guns and Oil: A Palin Theocracy?

Mike Whitney
Cheney in the Caucasus

Paul Cantor
The Other 9/11

Peter Morici
The Surging Trade Deficit

Ray McGovern
Iran's Road Less Traveled to Nukes

Linn Washington, Jr.
Screening Mumia: The Suppression of Dissent in America

Website of the Day
Palin (Michael) for President!

The World Still Blames America
Malkin: Al-Qaida's media relations department must be seething. Or rather, they must be seething beyond the usual Destroy America/Kill the Jews/Behead the Infidels/Convert-or-Die seething that is... More

Blizzard of Lies

by: Paul Krugman, The New York Times

OPINION



Twenty Questions: Social Justice Quiz 2008

by: Bill Quigley, t r u t h o u t | Perspective

OPINION



A Palin Theocracy

by: Marjorie Cohn, t r u t h o u t | Perspective

OPINION



The Value of One, the Value of None: An Anatomy of Collateral Damage in the Bush Era

by: Tom Engelhardt, TomDispatch.com

OPINION



Sarah Palin, the Free Market and Certificate of Need Laws

by: Niko Karvounis, Health Beat

OPINION



Mississippi's Ballot Trick

OPINION



Don't Think of a Maverick!

by: George Lakoff, t r u t h o u t | Perspective

OPINION



Special Comment: GOP Trademarks 9/11

by: Keith Olbermann, MSNBC Countdown

OPINION



Human Rights Are Crumbling

by: Stéphane Bussard, Le Temps

OPINION



Reflections on 9/11

by: Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Tribune Media Services

OPINION

McCain's Integrity

by: Andrew Sullivan, The Atlantic

OPINION



Ohio Secretary of State Brunner Does Right by Voters

OPINION



Exit Bush, Far Right

by: Dave Mann, The Texas Observer

OPINION



The Sickening Praise for "The Daily Show"

by: Norman Solomon, t r u t h o u t | Perspective

OPINION



The New Obscurantism

by: Fabien Deglise, Le Devoir

OPINION



Pulling the Curtain on Palin

by: E.J. Dionne Jr., The Washington Post

OPINION



9/11 Plus Seven

by: Andrew J. Bacevich, TomDispatch.com

OPINION



In Another Era, Climate Would Seem Ripe for Unions

by: Jon Talton, The Seattle Times

OPINION



Keep Quiet? I Don't Think So

by: Cath Elliott, The Guardian UK

OPINION



The Afghan Impasse and How to Get Out of It

by: Christophe Jaffrelot, Le Monde

OPINION

Sarah Palin: A Gidget for God's Truth

by: Steve Weissman, t r u t h o u t | Perspective

OPINION



How India's Nuclear "Waiver" Was Won

by: J. Sri Raman, t r u t h o u t | Perspective

OPINION



Statement on the Conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

by: Dean Baker, Center for Economic and Policy Research

OPINION



The Whiners' Recession

by: Dean Baker, t r u t h o u t | Perspective

OPINION



Palin's "Trooper-Gate" Cover-Up

by: Robert Parry, Consortium News

OPINION



The Power of De

by: Paul Krugman, The New York Times

OPINION



Who Lost Iraq? Is the Maliki Government Jumping Off the American Ship of State?

by: Michael Schwartz, TomDispatch.com

OPINION



Biden: Republicans Silent on Issues That Matter to Middle Class

by: Mike Chalmers, The News Journal (Wilmington, DE)

OPINION



Palin and McCain's Shotgun Marriage

by: Frank Rich, The New York Times

OPINION



St. Paul's Police Protest the Press

by: Michael Winship, t r u t h o u t | Perspective

OPINION

Running From Reality

by: Bob Herbert, The New York Times

OPINION



Making Goliath Walk

by: David Sirota, Truthdig.com

OPINION



Palin: Wrong Woman, Wrong Message

by: Gloria Steinem, The Los Angeles Times

OPINION



The Resentment Strategy

by: Paul Krugman, The New York Times

OPINION



The Unbearable Lightness of Consumption

by: Bruno Berthon, Les Échos

OPINION



The Anti-Republican Republican Who Is Really a Republican

by: John Nichols, The Nation

OPINION



The Anti-Obama Hate-Fest

by: Robert Parry, Consortium News

OPINION



Beyond the Conventions

by: Norman Solomon, t r u t h o u t | Perspective

OPINION



Angry Amateurs

by: Joe Klein, TIME Magazine

OPINION



Blue-Collar Republicans

by: Christopher Hayes, The Nation

OPINION

ETHICS
The 'Drill Baby Drill' Scandal
This week, the Interior Department Inspector General released the results of a two-year, $5.3 million investigation finding that workers at the Minerals Management Service (MMS) royalty collection office were "partying, having sex, using drugs and accepting gifts and ski trips and golf outings from energy company representatives with whom they did government business." MMS, which takes in royalties on oil leases on public lands, "came under fire two years ago for a costly bureaucratic snafu -- leaving out important language in some oil leases, written in 1998 and 1999, that may have cost the government as much as $7 billion in revenue." As Daniel J. Weiss of the Center for American Progress observed, "The federal watchdogs are in bed with the oil companies that they are supposed to oversee." The revelations come as conservatives have initiated a battle cry of "drill baby, drill" and "drill here, drill now" to push for expanded drilling. House Oversight Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) said his staff is investigating the scandal. Already, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) has called for MMS Director Randall Luthi, to resign. "This all shows the oil industry holds shocking sway over the administration and even key federal employees," Nelson said.

SALACIOUS CONFLICT OF INTERESTS: The IG report is full of accounts detailing the unethical relationships between government officials and the oil industry, calling it "a culture of ethical failure" and "a culture of substance abuse and promiscuity." The report notes that "employees frequently consumed alcohol at industry functions, had used cocaine and marijuana, and had sexual relationships with oil and natural gas company representatives," despite being subject to restrictions on taking gifts. Royalty in Kind (RIK) officials, however, attempted to rewrite the ethics rules to cover up their misdoings. Two employees engaged in "brief sexual relationships" with oil and gas representatives, yet they did not recuse themselves from work with those companies and officials. Oil giant Chevron gave roughly