January 28, 2008 Issue

Cover art by: Cover by Gene Case & Stephen Kling/Avenging Angels

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Feature

Nationalists Stirring in Iraq

An emerging Sunni-Shiite coalition could change the face of Iraq–if the United States steps back and gets out of the way.
Bob Dreyfuss
Lawyers for the Poor Muzzled in Subprime Mess

Civil legal aid attorneys could have sounded the alarm years before the subprime scandal began destroying the lives of urban poor–but Congress wouldn’t let them.
Laura K. Abel
Dirty Tricks, South Carolina and John McCain

Undone in South Carolina by the Bush campaign's dirty tricks in 2000, John McCain now turns to the man who smeared him.

Ann Banks
‘Catastrophic Times’ for Black America

The devastating impact of the mortgage crisis on black communities dominated Jesse Jackson’s latest economic summit. What solutions does Barack Obama propose?
Max Fraser
The Real Mike Huckabee

An interview with a preacher and longtime political confidant reveals that Huckabee’s not the sunny figure the media’s leading lights have conjured up.
Max Blumenthal
Repress U

Surveillance 101: Big Brother goes to college.
Michael Gould-Wartofsky
Scars and Stripes

Liberia’s former child soldiers deserve more than the empty promises the world has given them.
Ruthie Ackerman
The Voter ID Fraud

The conservatives ensconced on the Supreme Court are set to uphold draconian ID requirements on voters that will redefine electoral politics in America.
Garrett Epps

Editorial

King’s Legacy of Change

No single person can be the agent of change: the vision must come from all of us.
Grace Lee Boggs
Hillary’s Real MLK Problem

“Change” is this year’s Democratic battle cry, but if you don’t know how it happens, you’re not likely to make it happen yourself.
Barbara Ehrenreich
Suharto’s Passage: One Small Man Leaves a Million Corpses

Indonesia’s dictator is fading fast: But what of his people’s memories of the civilians he killed?
Allan Nairn
A Platter of Crow for the Pundits

Political opinionators have a lot of explaining to do about their poor prognostication in New Hampshire.
Marvin Kitman
White Noise on the Golf Channel

After days of dithering, the Golf Channel finally suspends a commentator who joked about lynching Tiger Woods. What took them so long?
Dave Zirin
How Do You Like Me Now?

If Hillary wants Americans to like her, she should start doing the things Americans like.
Annabelle Gurwitch
Christianizing US History

With House Resolution 888, the religious right seeks to rewrite American history, turning the founding fathers from deists to Christian fundamentalists.
Chris Hedges
Obama’s Wide Net

His web-driven, self-starting activism could be the key to getting his message out–and bringing young voters to the polls on Super Tuesday.
Ari Melber
Kenya’s Crisis

The way to end Kenya’s electoral violence is to demand a speedy return to full democracy, transparency and power-sharing.
Tavia Nyong’o
Populism’s Candidate

No matter who wins the Democratic election, the John Edwards campaign has set the domestic agenda for the entire field.
Chris Hayes
Noted.

Rainbow/PUSH’s Wall Street Project Economic Summit, the no-show Golden Globes, postwar suicides.
The Editors
GOP Dilemmas

John McCain is just enough of an outsider to keep the GOP competitive in a “change” election.
John Nichols
The Race Is On

Throw polls and pundits out the window: the race will be decided not by kingmakers but by the voters themselves.
The Editors
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Column

Those Ungrateful Saudis

After all he’s done for them, why is it that Bush only gets a 12 percent favorability rating in Saudi Arabia?
Robert Scheer
The Lies of Quinn-Broderville

Truth, lies and attacks on Democrats from columnists at the Washington Post and the New York Times.
Eric Alterman
American Pie

Don’t let the media or the right-wing spinmeisters reduce our first-ever serious black and female presidential candidates to stereotypes.
Patricia J. Williams
A Lame Duck President During the Presidential Primaries

Whatever happened to what’s-his-name?
Calvin Trillin
Oops!

Robert Grossman

Books & the Arts

A Great Deal of Work

Edmund Wilson’s politics have long been criticized, but his views were more nuanced than you might think.
George Scialabba
King’s Legacy of Change

No single person can be the agent of change: the vision must come from all of us.
Grace Lee Boggs
Hillary’s Real MLK Problem

“Change” is this year’s Democratic battle cry, but if you don’t know how it happens, you’re not likely to make it happen yourself.
Barbara Ehrenreich
Bugalú Sounds

If you’re curious to learn more about the bugalú, check out these five albums.
Oliver Wang
Boogaloo Nights

A new generation rediscovers the freewheeling rhythms of the Nuyorican bugalú.
Oliver Wang
A Hard Man

Paul Thomas Anderson’s masterful There Will Be Blood pits an oil baron against a preacher in an epic contest of wills.
Stuart Klawans
Battle Pieces

In This Republic of Suffering, historian Drew Gilpin Faust strips from the Civil War any purpose beyond massive slaughter.
Eric Foner
United We Scam

Two new books profile the generation of counterfeiters and con men who sprouted up in Jacksonian-era America.
Steve Fraser
Christianizing US History

With House Resolution 888, the religious right seeks to rewrite American history, turning the founding fathers from deists to Christian fundamentalists.
Chris Hedges
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Letters

Letters

OPRAH & OBAMA: OUCH

Anniston, Ala.
Jonathan Schell and Our Readers

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January 28, 2008 Issue

Feature

An emerging Sunni-Shiite coalition could change the face of Iraq–if the United States steps back and gets out of the way.

Civil legal aid attorneys could have sounded the alarm years before the subprime scandal began destroying the lives of urban poor–but Congress wouldn’t let them.

Undone in South Carolina by the Bush campaign's dirty tricks in 2000, John McCain now turns to the man who smeared him.

The devastating impact of the mortgage crisis on black communities dominated Jesse Jackson’s latest economic summit. What solutions does Barack Obama propose?

An interview with a preacher and longtime political confidant reveals that Huckabee’s not the sunny figure the media’s leading lights have conjured up.

Surveillance 101: Big Brother goes to college.

Liberia’s former child soldiers deserve more than the empty promises the world has given them.

The conservatives ensconced on the Supreme Court are set to uphold draconian ID requirements on voters that will redefine electoral politics in America.

Editorial

No single person can be the agent of change: the vision must come from all of us.

“Change” is this year’s Democratic battle cry, but if you don’t know how it happens, you’re not likely to make it happen yourself.

Indonesia’s dictator is fading fast: But what of his people’s memories of the civilians he killed?

Political opinionators have a lot of explaining to do about their poor prognostication in New Hampshire.

After days of dithering, the Golf Channel finally suspends a commentator who joked about lynching Tiger Woods. What took them so long?

If Hillary wants Americans to like her, she should start doing the things Americans like.

With House Resolution 888, the religious right seeks to rewrite American history, turning the founding fathers from deists to Christian fundamentalists.

His web-driven, self-starting activism could be the key to getting his message out–and bringing young voters to the polls on Super Tuesday.

The way to end Kenya’s electoral violence is to demand a speedy return to full democracy, transparency and power-sharing.

No matter who wins the Democratic election, the John Edwards campaign has set the domestic agenda for the entire field.

Rainbow/PUSH’s Wall Street Project Economic Summit, the no-show Golden Globes, postwar suicides.

John McCain is just enough of an outsider to keep the GOP competitive in a “change” election.

Throw polls and pundits out the window: the race will be decided not by kingmakers but by the voters themselves.

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

Column

After all he’s done for them, why is it that Bush only gets a 12 percent favorability rating in Saudi Arabia?

Truth, lies and attacks on Democrats from columnists at the Washington Post and the New York Times.

Don’t let the media or the right-wing spinmeisters reduce our first-ever serious black and female presidential candidates to stereotypes.

Whatever happened to what’s-his-name?

Books & the Arts

Edmund Wilson’s politics have long been criticized, but his views were more nuanced than you might think.

No single person can be the agent of change: the vision must come from all of us.

“Change” is this year’s Democratic battle cry, but if you don’t know how it happens, you’re not likely to make it happen yourself.

If you’re curious to learn more about the bugalú, check out these five albums.

A new generation rediscovers the freewheeling rhythms of the Nuyorican bugalú.

Paul Thomas Anderson’s masterful There Will Be Blood pits an oil baron against a preacher in an epic contest of wills.

In This Republic of Suffering, historian Drew Gilpin Faust strips from the Civil War any purpose beyond massive slaughter.

Two new books profile the generation of counterfeiters and con men who sprouted up in Jacksonian-era America.

With House Resolution 888, the religious right seeks to rewrite American history, turning the founding fathers from deists to Christian fundamentalists.

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

Letters

OPRAH & OBAMA: OUCH Anniston, Ala.

OPRAH & OBAMA: OUCH

Anniston, Ala.