John Nichols

A Dying Iraq Vet's Indictment of Bush and Cheney

John Nichols on March 20, 2013 - 2:24 PM ET

A US soldier in Iraq, March 22, 2003. (AP Photo/John Moore)

Phil Donahue introduced me to the story of Iraq War vet Tomas Young a number of years ago, when Phil and Ellen Spiro were finishing what remains the most powerful of all documentaries on the war of whim into which George Bush and Dick Cheney led the United States a decade ago—and the consequences of that war.

Not Just Hillary Clinton: Why So Many Republicans Are Embracing Marriage Equality

John Nichols on March 19, 2013 - 12:13 AM ET

Gay rights activists march on Washington, October 11, 2009. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Hillary Clinton, who was the first lady of the United States when President Bill Clinton signed the “Defense of Marriage Act,” has recorded a warm and thoughtful endorsement of marriage equality. With the release Monday of her statement, the Democratic Party is completing an evolution on the issue of same-sex marriage. Never again will a serious contender for the party’s presidential nomination—whether Clinton runs in 2016 or not—oppose the right of lesbian couples and gay couples to marry.

'Nuns on the Bus' Are Not on Board With Paul Ryan's Plan

John Nichols on March 13, 2013 - 11:20 PM ET

Sister Simone Campbell addresses the Democratic National Convention, September 5, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Congressman Paul Ryan has a new budget plan. Or, to be precise, the House Budget Committee chairman has an old plan on new paper.

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Paul Ryan's Bumper-Sticker-Slogan Budget

John Nichols on March 12, 2013 - 11:12 AM ET

Paul Ryan speaks in Fayetteville, North Carolina, August 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Sara D. Davis)

Reasonable people might ask: What is Paul Ryan thinking?

A Recommitment to the American Ideal That Labor Rights Are Human Rights

John Nichols on March 10, 2013 - 11:31 PM ET

Protesters rally at the Wisconsin State Capitol, March 12, 2011. (Reuters/Allen Fredrickson)

The makers of We Are Wisconsin—the critically acclaimed documentary about the 2011 Wisconsin Uprising and its aftermath—are sponsoring screenings of the film Monday in communities across the country as part of a National Day of Recommitment to labor rights.

This Is What a 'Talking Filibuster' Sounds Like

John Nichols on March 7, 2013 - 2:09 PM ET

Rand Paul appears on screen at the US Capitol as he filibusters on the Senate floor against CIA nominee John Brennan. (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)

When the Senate organizes itself every two years, the members set the rules for the coming term. This year, a number of senators—along with citizens and commentators from across the country—argued unsuccessfully for filibuster reform. Frustrated by delays in consideration of policies and nominations, supporters of the reform argued that the rules had to change in order to get a dysfunctional Senate functioning.

Rick Snyder's Detroit Takeover Plan Is Not What Democracy Looks Like

John Nichols on March 6, 2013 - 12:08 PM ET

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder presents his third state budget before the state Legislature, Thursday, February 7, 2013. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Recalling the partial meltdown of a nearby nuclear power plant a decade earlier, and a book that revealed the extent of the crisis, Gil Scott Heron sang in 1977, “We Almost Lost Detroit.”

Paul Ryan Looks to Break an Old Promise With a New Plan to Mess With Medicare

John Nichols on March 5, 2013 - 2:08 PM ET

Paul Ryan speaks about the budget on Capitol Hill, March 20, 2012. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Remember when, in the 2012 vice presidential debate, Paul Ryan was asked about his plans for Medicare?

If Switzerland Can Crack Down on CEOs, Why Not the US?

John Nichols on March 4, 2013 - 12:17 PM ET

The Federal Palace of Switzerland, which houses parliament and other government offices. (Wikimedia Commons)

Does anyone seriously doubt that, if America had the same national referendum system that Switzerland does, voters in the United States would vote just as aggressively as the Swiss have to curb CEO abuses?

Gotta Sequester? Or Was Cheney Right That 'Deficits Don't Matter'?

John Nichols on March 1, 2013 - 10:21 AM ET

Former Vice President Dick Cheney lurks in the Old Senate Chamber on Capitol Hill. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

After the Republicans gained control of the US Senate in the 2002 election, giving them across-the-board dominance of the legislative and executive branches of the federal government, the key players in the administration of President George W. Bush gathered to discuss fiscal policy.