In Bed With the U.S. Army In Bed With the U.S. Army
MRAPs, sprained ankles, air conditioning, farting contests and other snapshots from the American war in Afghanistan.
Aug 2, 2010 / Ann Jones
Our Long Hot Summer of (Faux) Racial Tension Our Long Hot Summer of (Faux) Racial Tension
Unlike during other periods of race-based strife in this country, this summer, there is no action. There is only media.
Aug 2, 2010 / Ari Melber
MEDIA FIX: Upcoming George W. Bush Memoir Eagerly Embraced By—The Democrats? MEDIA FIX: Upcoming George W. Bush Memoir Eagerly Embraced By—The Democrats?
(This guest post written by Nation intern Melanie Breault.) George W. Bush’s memoir Decision Points -- remember, he was "The Decider" -- is not set to be published by Crown until November 9th, the week after the 2010 midterm elections, but it's already raising alarms, and not just in the predictable places. The former president says his book is not an autobiography, but more of “an analysis of key decisions in his life, both before and after he was elected president,” according to the early pubilcity. That’s fourteen decisions to be exact. Already we know that Decision Points starts with an anecdote about the night Laura Bush asked her husband whether he preferred booze to fatherhood and how from that moment on, he quit drinking, cold turkey. Crown says the book gives "gripping, never-before-heard detail" about the disputed 2000 election, how he responded to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Hurricane Katrina and the financial crisis. Bush will also write “honestly and directly” about his weaknesses and mistakes as president, as well as his path out of alcoholism. News emeged today that Bush would grant his first big interview for the book on November 8 with NBC's Matt Lauer. As Bush edits the final touches of his opus on his computer in Dallas -- it's already marked down from $35 to $18.90 at Amazon -- GOPers can’t decide whether they’re happy about this new release or depressed. Former aide to the president Matt Latimer says the publication date -- surely highlights from the book will be leaked before Election Day -- represents “monumentally bad timing.” Paging Julian Assange! Other conservatives call Bush “selfish and stupid” because of the timing, like Lebron James (but with less access to ESPN hype). Latimer titled his Daily Beast article, "The Bush Book Bomb." Bush is not on the ballot this time, making the midterms “a referendum on Barack Obama,” says GOP strategist John Feehery, in NPR's report. But still, nervous Republicans would have preferred a later release date. "Right before Christmas," Feehery suggests. "It would make a nice stocking stuffer." The Democrats have already started putting out the welcome mat for Bush era nostalgia, as Laimer describes in his piece for The Daily Beast: Rep. Chris Van Hollen, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said: “The more flashbacks of the Bush era we have, the more people will be reminded about the huge mess that Barack Obama and the Democrats inherited." Democratic strategist Karen Finney says that the publicity surrounding the book is the perfect opportunity to refer to the Bush policies and “have it resonate with voters by linking Republicans still in office with those policies.” Which is exactly what the DCCC did last month when they unveiled a new web video ad that showed Rep. Pete Sessions telling Meet the Press, “we need to go back to the exact same agenda.” But Republicans like Sen. John Cornyn think this book is a great idea and that the GOP can use it as Americans become more dissatisfied with the increasing national deficit under the Obama Administration. He told C-SPAN, "I think a lot of people are looking back with a little -- with more fondness on President Bush's administration, and I think history will treat him well." Since Bush is no longer the president, voters are warming up to “Bush, the person,” so they may also be intrigued by his memoir, not resentful. Its Amazon page offers a "three-fer" with latest books by Bill O'Reilly and Laura Ingraham. Bush says he wants historians to use this book as a tool to evaluate his presidency. "I don't think you can come to a definitive conclusion about a presidency until the passage of time," Bush said. "I want to put you in my position."
Aug 2, 2010 / Melanie Breault
Congressman Weiner Will Not Yield Congressman Weiner Will Not Yield
New York Congressman Anthony Weiner is not going to take it anymore. And his fellow Democrats should take notice.
Aug 2, 2010 / John Nichols
On the Anniversary of Medicare Comes a Renewed Call for ‘Medicare for All’ On the Anniversary of Medicare Comes a Renewed Call for ‘Medicare for All’
As we celebrate the 45th anniversary of the popular Medicare program, let's remember that Harry Truman's original plan was to cover all Americans. That's what Senator Sanders and C...
Aug 1, 2010 / John Nichols
How Citizens United Twisted Decades of Legal Precedent to Empower Corporations How Citizens United Twisted Decades of Legal Precedent to Empower Corporations
The overwhelming number of Supreme Court cases cited by Justice Anthony Kennedy in his decision were intended to protect the unique First Amendment rights of media outlets, not all...
Jul 30, 2010 / Mel Wulf
Bernie Sanders: Rally the People Bernie Sanders: Rally the People
Closing the gap between the wealthy and the poor is not as cut-and-dried as Obama paints it to be, but Senator Bernie Sanders has some alternative solutions for the problem.
Jul 30, 2010 / Press Room
Big Oil’s Next Stop: The Arctic Big Oil’s Next Stop: The Arctic
Deep water oil spills, shallow water spills, bursting pipelines: there's got to be a safer way to fulfill our energy needs.
Jul 30, 2010 / Press Room
Big Oil’s Next Stop: The Arctic Big Oil’s Next Stop: The Arctic
Deep water oil spills, shallow water spills, bursting pipelines: there's got to be a safer way to fulfill our energy needs.
Jul 30, 2010 / The Rachel Maddow Show
Bernie Sanders: Rally the People Bernie Sanders: Rally the People
Closing the gap between the wealthy and the poor is not as cut-and-dried as Obama paints it to be, but Senator Bernie Sanders has some alternative solutions for the problem.
Jul 30, 2010 / GRITtv