The problem with Republicans’ political ethics is highly contingent. Take the words of George W. Bush, for example. When he contemplates the other nations of the world, he declares an inflexible and unhelpful dichotomy: “either you’re with us, or you’re against us.” But when it comes to judging himself and his own […]

[Read more →]

Some remarkable advances in science have occurred under the Bush administration. Take, for example, the arrival of the Cassini probe at Titan, providing all sorts of new information about a world rich in hydrocarbons and with a thick atmosphere. Oh, but the Bush administration really ought not take credit for that. After […]

[Read more →]

Virginia Foxx used to be against earmarks, but then she was for them, though she promises to be against them some time in the future. Typical Republican doubletalk.

[Read more →]

To those Americans who let their knees shake in fear every time they think of September 11, 2001, who agonize about whether terrorists might ever want to attack again, and tell us that we need to “balance” our freedom with a Homeland Security regime that shows no respect for the Constitution and the rule of […]

[Read more →]

You know, Bill Clinton was hardly a die-hard progressive president, but at least he understood why progressives place an emphasis on the separation of the passage of laws in the congress, the enactment of laws by the executive, and the enforcement of laws by the judiciary. Three separate and equal branches each interact with […]

[Read more →]

Senator Edward Kennedy skewered George W. Bush’s rhetoric on surveillance without a warrant, corporations, and the value of human life in a speech to the Senate on December 17, 2007:
Think about what we’ve been hearing from the White House in this debate. The President has said that American lives will be sacrificed if Congress […]

[Read more →]

We have learned since Mark Twain’s time that having a vote is not enough. People have to actually use their votes. What’s more, people need to use their votes after educating themselves on the relevant issues.

[Read more →]

Representative Robert Wexler has been using outrage surrounding the impeachment issue to funnel traffic to his re-election website, where citizens are told they can sign up for news and contribute to the impeachment cause. But the small print shows that contributions go to the re-elect Wexler campaign, and those who sign up are giving […]

[Read more →]

In the NPR Presidential Debate of December 4 2007, Democratic presidential candidates were confronted with the sentiment of a North Carolina resident:
We mentioned that we’ve been taking questions from listeners in recent weeks about this debate, and one is on a small issue that, I think, points to a large concern. It comes from Tally […]

[Read more →]

Are we going to let the people of India defeat us in the competition to restrain greenhouse gas emissions? If you want to be defeatist in this contest, then vote for a right wing politician who won’t even try to win. If you want America to be the winner, vote progressive in 2008.

[Read more →]