March 27, 2006 Issue

Cover art by: Cover art by Brian Stauffer, cover design by Gene Case & Stephen Kling/Avenging Angels

purchase current issue

Feature

The Bolton Archipelago

John Bolton’s grandstanding vote today opposing the establishment of a UN Human Rights Council might please hard-core isolationists. But no one else.
Ian Williams
Bloggers Join Fray on Political Ads

As the House considers two bills to regulate political speech on the Internet, the liberal Daily Kos and conservative Red State blogs are bedfellows, supporting a flawed GOP-sponsored bill that opens the door for soft money to buy political ads online.
Celia Viggo Wexler
Typecast as a Terrorist

The detainment of two actors from The Road to Guantánamo reveals a legal apparatus that is no longer able to distinguish between real and invented threats.
Adam Federman
Can You Say ‘Permanent Bases’?

Despite recent press visits, the building of bases in Iraq has not come under much scrutiny. If Congress and opposition Democrats continue to ignore the issue, there will be no withdrawal from Iraq.
Tom Engelhardt
The Democrats: Still Ducking

Eight months ahead of the 2006 midterm vote, Democrats are either ignoring Iraq or supporting the war while criticizing Bush’s prosecution of it. But it’s not too late to mount a strong opposition.
Ari Berman
Lap Dogs of the Press

During the run-up to the Iraq War, the nation’s leading print and broadcast media could have saved lives if they questioned the Administration’s pronouncements. Instead, they were an echo chamber for the White House.
Helen Thomas
Afghanistan: The Other War

Despite Bush’s feel-good rhetoric, the United States has done little to help Afghanistan, leaving the impression of abandonment. Meanwhile, European troops work hard to build bridges to the locals.
Christian Parenti
War Is Personal: Tomas Young/Age 26/Kansas City, Missouri

In the first installment of a new series called Photo Nation, a young soldier from Missouri recounts the ambush of his unit in Iraq.

Eugene Richards

Editorial

‘Nation’ Notes

The Editors
A Peculiar Politician

Senator Russell Feingold should be praised for calling on the Senate to censure the President for breaking the law and lying about his domestic spying program. Instead, he’s mocked by the media and abandoned by many of his own party.
William Greider
Helping China’s Censors

The Global Online Freedom Act should be the beginning of a conversation about what needs to be done to prevent US Internet and technology firms from contradicting American values.
Rebecca MacKinnon
Leaking Bubble

The US housing market has been responsible for about half the economy’s recent growth, but increasing dependence on home-equity credit could create a financial disaster.
Doug Henwood
A Dragon Slayer Returns

Pete McCloskey, the first Republican member of Congress to call for Nixon’s impeachment and withdrawal from Vietnam, has resurfaced at 78 to challenge Richard Pombo and the Iraq War.
Mark Hertsgaard
Bringing the War Home

The antiwar messages most likely to be heard and acted upon by Congressional Democrats and wavering Republicans will come from their hometowns, where a growing number of activists are organizing with an eye toward communicating to Congress.
John Nichols
Three Years and Counting

The American public acknowledges the failure of US ground forces in Iraq. With civil war imminent, when will our “leaders” in Washington accept the same conclusion?
The Editors
GET UNLIMITED DIGITAL ACCESS FOR LESS THAN $3 A MONTH!

Subscribe

Column

A Whole New Ball Game

Major League Baseball owners may gripe, but the World Baseball Classic provides a glimpse of an alternative future for our national pastime.
Dave Zirin
Improvised Explosive Delusions

As Bush continues to insist the US is bringing peace and freedom to Iraq, his latest plan to quell the insurgency spends billions more to stem the use of improvised explosive devices.
Robert Scheer
Student Debts, Stunted Lives

As Congress jacks up the rates students and their parents are paying for college loans, the consequences are already being felt by young people whose ability to have a child or own a house is limited by debt.
Nicholas von Hoffman
Democrats: When the War Was Lost

It’s no surprise to learn that oil companies are underpaying royalties for drilling on public land, or projecting profits in the billions. The battle for energy regulation was lost a long time ago.
Alexander Cockburn
George Bush’s Approval Rating Sinks to 34 Percent

Bush’s low approval rating is irrelevant, considering who is still on his side.
Calvin Trillin

Books & the Arts

Typecast as a Terrorist

The detainment of two actors from The Road to Guantánamo reveals a legal apparatus that is no longer able to distinguish between real and invented threats.
Adam Federman
Consuming Desires

Thank You for Smoking praises the professional hucksters of the cigarette companies, and Duck Season is a road movie in which the scenery doesn’t change.
Stuart Klawans
Unborn in the USA

In his captivating new book Absolute Convictions, Eyal Press explores the links between his hometown’s post-Vietnam decline and its emergence as a battlefield in the national crusade against abortion.
Mark Sorkin
The Dream Life

In The Power of Movies, Colin McGinn asserts that films are the medium best suited to imitate the workings of the dreaming mind.
Gilberto Perez
The Great Black Hope

Taylor Branch concludes his staggering trilogy of the civil rights era with At Canaan’s Edge, a relentlessly detailed narrative of Martin Luther King’s desperate struggle to save the movement.
Gerald Early
The stakes are higher now than ever. Get The Nation in your inbox.

Sign up

Letters

Letters

Eric Alterman , Our Readers and Max Blumenthal

Log In

March 27, 2006 Issue

Feature

John Bolton’s grandstanding vote today opposing the establishment of a UN Human Rights Council might please hard-core isolationists. But no one else.

As the House considers two bills to regulate political speech on the Internet, the liberal Daily Kos and conservative Red State blogs are bedfellows, supporting a flawed GOP-sponsored bill that opens the door for soft money to buy political ads online.

The detainment of two actors from The Road to Guantánamo reveals a legal apparatus that is no longer able to distinguish between real and invented threats.

Despite recent press visits, the building of bases in Iraq has not come under much scrutiny. If Congress and opposition Democrats continue to ignore the issue, there will be no withdrawal from Iraq.

Eight months ahead of the 2006 midterm vote, Democrats are either ignoring Iraq or supporting the war while criticizing Bush’s prosecution of it. But it’s not too late to mount a strong opposition.

During the run-up to the Iraq War, the nation’s leading print and broadcast media could have saved lives if they questioned the Administration’s pronouncements. Instead, they were an echo chamber for the White House.

Despite Bush’s feel-good rhetoric, the United States has done little to help Afghanistan, leaving the impression of abandonment. Meanwhile, European troops work hard to build bridges to the locals.

In the first installment of a new series called Photo Nation, a young soldier from Missouri recounts the ambush of his unit in Iraq.

Editorial

Senator Russell Feingold should be praised for calling on the Senate to censure the President for breaking the law and lying about his domestic spying program. Instead, he’s mocked by the media and abandoned by many of his own party.

The Global Online Freedom Act should be the beginning of a conversation about what needs to be done to prevent US Internet and technology firms from contradicting American values.

The US housing market has been responsible for about half the economy’s recent growth, but increasing dependence on home-equity credit could create a financial disaster.

Pete McCloskey, the first Republican member of Congress to call for Nixon’s impeachment and withdrawal from Vietnam, has resurfaced at 78 to challenge Richard Pombo and the Iraq War.

The antiwar messages most likely to be heard and acted upon by Congressional Democrats and wavering Republicans will come from their hometowns, where a growing number of activists are organizing with an eye toward communicating to Congress.

The American public acknowledges the failure of US ground forces in Iraq. With civil war imminent, when will our “leaders” in Washington accept the same conclusion?

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

Column

Major League Baseball owners may gripe, but the World Baseball Classic provides a glimpse of an alternative future for our national pastime.

As Bush continues to insist the US is bringing peace and freedom to Iraq, his latest plan to quell the insurgency spends billions more to stem the use of improvised explosive devices.

As Congress jacks up the rates students and their parents are paying for college loans, the consequences are already being felt by young people whose ability to have a child or own a house is limited by debt.

It’s no surprise to learn that oil companies are underpaying royalties for drilling on public land, or projecting profits in the billions. The battle for energy regulation was lost a long time ago.

Bush’s low approval rating is irrelevant, considering who is still on his side.

Books & the Arts

The detainment of two actors from The Road to Guantánamo reveals a legal apparatus that is no longer able to distinguish between real and invented threats.

Thank You for Smoking praises the professional hucksters of the cigarette companies, and Duck Season is a road movie in which the scenery doesn’t change.

In his captivating new book Absolute Convictions, Eyal Press explores the links between his hometown’s post-Vietnam decline and its emergence as a battlefield in the national crusade against abortion.

In The Power of Movies, Colin McGinn asserts that films are the medium best suited to imitate the workings of the dreaming mind.

Taylor Branch concludes his staggering trilogy of the civil rights era with At Canaan’s Edge, a relentlessly detailed narrative of Martin Luther King’s desperate struggle to save the movement.

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

Letters