December 4, 2006 Issue

Cover art by: Cover art by Robert Grossman, design by Gene Case & Stephen Kling/Avenging Angels

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Feature

Vulcans Triumphant: The Victory Bash

Republicans in Congress have set aside $20 million for a gala in Washington to celebrate victory in Iraq and Afghanistan. The party may be postponed for a while, but the program has been drafted–and we’ve got a copy.
Evan Eisenberg
Nascar Values

The Democrats won the House and the Senate because the Republicans lost the garage. How Nascar fans helped turn the tide of the election.
Robert Lipsyte
MoDo, Deconstructed

Maureen Dowd’s political analysis is devilishly smart and viciously funny–but the New York Times columnist really should spend less time on the couch.
Simon Maxwell Apter
Prosecute Rumsfeld? Not Ridiculous

A mainstream media legal analyst dismissed efforts to prosecute Donald Rumsfeld and others for war crimes as ridiculous. They’re not.
Jeremy Brecher and Brendan Smith
Smithfield Walkout Challenges Agribiz Giant

Last week’s walkout at the Smithfield Packing Company was a significant victory for labor organizers and exploited undocumented workers at the North Carolina plant.
Katrina vanden Heuvel
Dems Rebut Carter on Israeli ‘Apartheid’

Jimmy Carter’s bold new book on the plight of Palestinians has piqued Congressional Democrats who tailor their views to the Israel lobby.
Michael F. Brown
The Lessons of History

While there may be something great about winning a war, the United States must learn there is something much greater about using the tools of peacemaking to build a better world.
John Hope Franklin
Why Murtha Lost

The Pennsylvania Democrat’s opposition to the Iraq War and Pelosi’s endorsement couldn’t match Steny Hoyer’s seniority, experience and connections to House Democrats.
Ari Berman
Hooray for Right-Wing Hollywood

Right-wing culture warriors gathered in LA to praise ABC for its flawed 9/11 docudrama, talk up a conservative version of The Daily Show and release a thriller fueled by a nativist agenda.
Max Blumenthal
Letter From Venezuela: The Land of Chavismo

Although the United States itches to do away with Hugo Chávez, his socialist policies are alleviating poverty and earning the people’s trust. To Bush’s chagrin, the Venezuelan leader is here to stay.
Chesa Boudin
Watershed

It’s time for Democrats to break out of their risk-averse habits and blaze a new trail–if they can only remember how.
William Greider
The New Democratic Populism

Economic populism was the most underreported story of the midterms and will be the cornerstone of any new Democratic majority.
Chris Hayes

Editorial

Nation Notes

We welcome Lakshmi Chaudhry and Christopher Hayes as contributing writers to The Nation and to The Notion, our online blog. Both have appeared previously in The Nation.
The Editors
Remembering Nation Friends

Remembering Ellen Willis, William Styron and Richard Gilman.
The Editors
Crisis at Libération

Beset with financial woes, a labor-management power struggle and an aging leftist readership, the legendary French newspaper is on the brink of extinction.
K.A. Dilday
Power Shifts in the States

Democratic gains in Statehouses around the country validated Howard Dean’s “50-state strategy” and set the stage for a long process of party renewal.
John Nichols
A Complicated Blessing

Claire McCaskill’s victory in Missouri proves that moral politics is growing more expansive–and less Republican–as values voters waken to the moral bankruptcy of the religious right.
Bob Moser
Exorcising DeLay’s Ghosts

Democratic Congressional leaders are taking the first steps toward real reform to clean up corruption, rein in lobbyists, limit earmarks and insure greater transparency in government.
The Editors
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Column

Bush’s Vietnam Analogy

President Bush has said many dumb things in defense of his Iraq policy. Citing the Vietnam War as a model is his most ludicrous.
Robert Scheer
Why They Lost

It’s always a bad idea to rely on your opponents to be knaves and fools. It worked for the Democrats this time. But what about next time?
Katha Pollitt
Now What?

The party of permanent war–which includes lawmakers like Biden, Emanuel and Lantos–is regrouping for a counterattack, their numbers refreshed by a phalanx of incoming Blue Dogs.
Alexander Cockburn
Trying to Be at Least Civil in Bidding Don Rumsfeld Farewell

Pentagon briefings won’t be the same.
Calvin Trillin
Michigan-Ohio State Fever

As the two top-ranked college teams clash on Saturday, the world stops, vote-counting is halted in a tight Congressional race and cities brace for violence.
Dave Zirin

Books & the Arts

The Lessons of History

While there may be something great about winning a war, the United States must learn there is something much greater about using the tools of peacemaking to build a better world.
John Hope Franklin
Hooray for Right-Wing Hollywood

Right-wing culture warriors gathered in LA to praise ABC for its flawed 9/11 docudrama, talk up a conservative version of The Daily Show and release a thriller fueled by a nativist agenda.
Max Blumenthal
Coming to America!

Reviews of films from the vulgar to the magisterial: Borat, Flags of Our Fathers, For Your Consideration, Our Daily Bread and Fur.
Stuart Klawans
Half a Life

In The Lay of the Land, the final work in Richard Ford’s acclaimed trilogy, Frank Bascombe picks up where he left off in Independence Day–taking road trips, describing houses and foreclosing at once on whomever he meets.
Benjamin Hedin
Representative Fictions

An ambitious two-volume history of the novel explores its evolution across continents and centuries.
William Deresiewicz
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December 4, 2006 Issue

Feature

Republicans in Congress have set aside $20 million for a gala in Washington to celebrate victory in Iraq and Afghanistan. The party may be postponed for a while, but the program has been drafted–and we’ve got a copy.

The Democrats won the House and the Senate because the Republicans lost the garage. How Nascar fans helped turn the tide of the election.

Maureen Dowd’s political analysis is devilishly smart and viciously funny–but the New York Times columnist really should spend less time on the couch.

A mainstream media legal analyst dismissed efforts to prosecute Donald Rumsfeld and others for war crimes as ridiculous. They’re not.

Last week’s walkout at the Smithfield Packing Company was a significant victory for labor organizers and exploited undocumented workers at the North Carolina plant.

Jimmy Carter’s bold new book on the plight of Palestinians has piqued Congressional Democrats who tailor their views to the Israel lobby.

While there may be something great about winning a war, the United States must learn there is something much greater about using the tools of peacemaking to build a better world.

The Pennsylvania Democrat’s opposition to the Iraq War and Pelosi’s endorsement couldn’t match Steny Hoyer’s seniority, experience and connections to House Democrats.

Right-wing culture warriors gathered in LA to praise ABC for its flawed 9/11 docudrama, talk up a conservative version of The Daily Show and release a thriller fueled by a nativist agenda.

Although the United States itches to do away with Hugo Chávez, his socialist policies are alleviating poverty and earning the people’s trust. To Bush’s chagrin, the Venezuelan leader is here to stay.

It’s time for Democrats to break out of their risk-averse habits and blaze a new trail–if they can only remember how.

Economic populism was the most underreported story of the midterms and will be the cornerstone of any new Democratic majority.

Editorial

We welcome Lakshmi Chaudhry and Christopher Hayes as contributing writers to The Nation and to The Notion, our online blog. Both have appeared previously in The Nation.

Remembering Ellen Willis, William Styron and Richard Gilman.

Beset with financial woes, a labor-management power struggle and an aging leftist readership, the legendary French newspaper is on the brink of extinction.

Democratic gains in Statehouses around the country validated Howard Dean’s “50-state strategy” and set the stage for a long process of party renewal.

Claire McCaskill’s victory in Missouri proves that moral politics is growing more expansive–and less Republican–as values voters waken to the moral bankruptcy of the religious right.

Democratic Congressional leaders are taking the first steps toward real reform to clean up corruption, rein in lobbyists, limit earmarks and insure greater transparency in government.

GET UNLIMITED DIGITAL ACCESS FOR LESS THAN $3 A MONTH!

Column

President Bush has said many dumb things in defense of his Iraq policy. Citing the Vietnam War as a model is his most ludicrous.

It’s always a bad idea to rely on your opponents to be knaves and fools. It worked for the Democrats this time. But what about next time?

The party of permanent war–which includes lawmakers like Biden, Emanuel and Lantos–is regrouping for a counterattack, their numbers refreshed by a phalanx of incoming Blue Dogs.

Pentagon briefings won’t be the same.

As the two top-ranked college teams clash on Saturday, the world stops, vote-counting is halted in a tight Congressional race and cities brace for violence.

Books & the Arts

While there may be something great about winning a war, the United States must learn there is something much greater about using the tools of peacemaking to build a better world.

Right-wing culture warriors gathered in LA to praise ABC for its flawed 9/11 docudrama, talk up a conservative version of The Daily Show and release a thriller fueled by a nativist agenda.

Reviews of films from the vulgar to the magisterial: Borat, Flags of Our Fathers, For Your Consideration, Our Daily Bread and Fur.

In The Lay of the Land, the final work in Richard Ford’s acclaimed trilogy, Frank Bascombe picks up where he left off in Independence Day–taking road trips, describing houses and foreclosing at once on whomever he meets.

An ambitious two-volume history of the novel explores its evolution across continents and centuries.

The stakes are higher now than ever. Get The Nation in your inbox.

Letters

WRONG ABOUT HILLARY Ithaca, NY

WRONG ABOUT HILLARY

Ithaca, NY