October 29, 2007 Issue

Cover art by: Cover art by Steve Brodner, design by Gene Case & Stephen Kling/Avenging Angels

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Feature

Does the ‘T’ Stand Alone?

As a gay rights bill moved through Congress, some prominent Democrats tried to exclude protections for transgenders. The LGBT community revolted.
Christopher Lisotta
Questions for Michael Mukasey

Elizabeth Holtzman, Nan Aron, Stephen Gillers, Victor Navasky and others quiz the Attorney General nominee on torture, the Constitution and the fate of Alberto Gonzales.
The Nation
A New Latino Agenda

Latino voters will go to the polls in 2008 with a hemispheric vision, a new sense of power and concerned about Iraq, immigration and the environment.
Roberto Lovato
Watada’s Double Jeopardy

A legal drama is unfolding in Washington State over whether an Army officer who refuses to serve in Iraq has the same Constitutional rights as the rest of us.
Jeremy Brecher and Brendan Smith
Which Climate Bill on Capitol Hill?

As scenarios on the impact of global warming worsen, Senate Democrats are poised to abandon a realistic bill and support a deeply flawed measure that doesn’t solve the problem.
Mark Hertsgaard
Iraqis Sue Blackwater for Baghdad Killings

Blackwater USA now faces wrongful death suits in US court brought by survivors of three Iraqi civilians killed in the September 16 Baghdad shootings.
Jeremy Scahill
Taking Celebrity Seriously

The Paris Principle: politics are sooo hot.
Stephen Duncombe
Turkey’s Finest Hour?

The sick man of Europe gets a jolt of life, but will it last?
Richard Falk
Rudy’s Bird of Prey

Giuliani’s conservative kingmaker knows all about the ugly side of Third World debt. He invented it.
Ari Berman
Rudy’s Dirty Money

A closer look at the Texas energy interests fueling the former New York mayor’s presidential campaign.
Ari Berman

Editorial

Latina America Lavishly Comes of Age

The quinceañera has become a rite of passage for even the poorest Latina teens, another example of our most treasured rites debased at the cash register.
Lakshmi Chaudhry
The New American Imperium

The Democrats appear to be anti-Iraq War. But they surely are not acting like opponents of imperial overreach.
Stanley I. Kutler
Malcolm Suber: Good for New Orleans

A longtime activist, running in a special City Council election, is just what New Orleans needs.
Adolph Reed Jr.
With Friends Like Turkey…

As Turkey ramps up its outrage against a House committee vote to affirm the Armenian genocide, is anyone applauding our lawmakers’ act of moral courage?
Nicole Vartanian
The Political Doris Lessing

The winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature is every bit as political as her predecessors.
Dan Kellum
Her McGovern Moment

Hillary Clinton has recognized the value of courting antiwar voters.
John Nichols
Iraq: The Other Surge

Across the political spectrum in Iraq, a nationalistic bloc is emerging to challenge the Kurdish and Shiite separatists who have held sway under US tutelage.
Bob Dreyfuss
Noted.

Giuliani in Philadelphia, an obituary for Haldar Abdel-Shafi, an apology from Jon Stewart and more.
The Editors
The China Syndrome

Worried about toxic toys from China? Worry, too, about Chinese workers exposed to the poisons.
Andrew Ross
Pre-empt Preventive War

The path back to sanity begins by repealing the Kyl-Lieberman amendment and prohibiting military action in Iran without Congressional approval.
The Editors
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Column

Sick Kids’ Laugh Riot

Dear Congressional Democrats: Here’s a funny story about what it’s like to have a really sick kid, even if you do have insurance.
Annabelle Gurwitch
The Fall of Marion Jones, Inc.

The sports establishment is shocked, shocked at her steroid-fueled Olympic wins. But didn’t they also play a role?
Dave Zirin
Whose Genocide Counts?

The House Foreign Affairs Committee bravely declares the 1915 slaughter of Armenians in Turkey genocide. Why not put the same label on themselves, for their role in the Iraq catastrophe?
Nicholas von Hoffman
Burns’s War: What Is It Good For?

An increasingly bookless universe has become the wasteland so many have feared. In a perfect world, we’d have more Ken Burnses expressing a multiplicity of views.
Eric Alterman
Strange Culture

If the stuff of life is corporatized, does art about it become a form of interference in business?
Patricia J. Williams
On Larry Craig’s Decision to Serve Out His Term in the Senate

The GOP learns a thing or two about what it means to be gay.
Calvin Trillin
Going Like Sixty

Robert Grossman

Books & the Arts

Latina America Lavishly Comes of Age

The quinceañera has become a rite of passage for even the poorest Latina teens, another example of our most treasured rites debased at the cash register.
Lakshmi Chaudhry
Terry McMillan vs. Ghetto Lit

Driven by a tabloid episode from her own marriage, the novelist joins the debate over the mass marketing of trashy books to young black readers.
Amy Alexander
What’s Radiohead Worth?

The British rockers stick a fork in the recording industry by offering downloads of a new album for whatever fans want to pay. Oh, the anguish.
Peter C. Baker
Apocalypse Now?

According to Chalmers Johnson, Bush’s imperial presidency may be the final chapter in the collapse of American democracy.
Stephen Holmes
Sound Check

The history of twentieth-century music charts the rise of modern masters like Duke Ellington and John Adams.
David Schiff
Taking Celebrity Seriously

The Paris Principle: politics are sooo hot.
Stephen Duncombe
Burns’s War: What Is It Good For?

An increasingly bookless universe has become the wasteland so many have feared. In a perfect world, we’d have more Ken Burnses expressing a multiplicity of views.
Eric Alterman
Strange Culture

If the stuff of life is corporatized, does art about it become a form of interference in business?
Patricia J. Williams
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Letters

Letters

Readers pick a few nits about Katha Pollitt’s column on poverty and heap praise on Bob Moser’s reporting about the “Ditch Mitch” McConnell movement in Kentucky.
Our Readers

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October 29, 2007 Issue

Feature

As a gay rights bill moved through Congress, some prominent Democrats tried to exclude protections for transgenders. The LGBT community revolted.

Elizabeth Holtzman, Nan Aron, Stephen Gillers, Victor Navasky and others quiz the Attorney General nominee on torture, the Constitution and the fate of Alberto Gonzales.

Latino voters will go to the polls in 2008 with a hemispheric vision, a new sense of power and concerned about Iraq, immigration and the environment.

A legal drama is unfolding in Washington State over whether an Army officer who refuses to serve in Iraq has the same Constitutional rights as the rest of us.

As scenarios on the impact of global warming worsen, Senate Democrats are poised to abandon a realistic bill and support a deeply flawed measure that doesn’t solve the problem.

Blackwater USA now faces wrongful death suits in US court brought by survivors of three Iraqi civilians killed in the September 16 Baghdad shootings.

The Paris Principle: politics are sooo hot.

The sick man of Europe gets a jolt of life, but will it last?

Giuliani’s conservative kingmaker knows all about the ugly side of Third World debt. He invented it.

A closer look at the Texas energy interests fueling the former New York mayor’s presidential campaign.

Editorial

The quinceañera has become a rite of passage for even the poorest Latina teens, another example of our most treasured rites debased at the cash register.

The Democrats appear to be anti-Iraq War. But they surely are not acting like opponents of imperial overreach.

A longtime activist, running in a special City Council election, is just what New Orleans needs.

As Turkey ramps up its outrage against a House committee vote to affirm the Armenian genocide, is anyone applauding our lawmakers’ act of moral courage?

The winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature is every bit as political as her predecessors.

Hillary Clinton has recognized the value of courting antiwar voters.

Across the political spectrum in Iraq, a nationalistic bloc is emerging to challenge the Kurdish and Shiite separatists who have held sway under US tutelage.

Giuliani in Philadelphia, an obituary for Haldar Abdel-Shafi, an apology from Jon Stewart and more.

Worried about toxic toys from China? Worry, too, about Chinese workers exposed to the poisons.

The path back to sanity begins by repealing the Kyl-Lieberman amendment and prohibiting military action in Iran without Congressional approval.

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

Column

Dear Congressional Democrats: Here’s a funny story about what it’s like to have a really sick kid, even if you do have insurance.

The sports establishment is shocked, shocked at her steroid-fueled Olympic wins. But didn’t they also play a role?

The House Foreign Affairs Committee bravely declares the 1915 slaughter of Armenians in Turkey genocide. Why not put the same label on themselves, for their role in the Iraq catastrophe?

An increasingly bookless universe has become the wasteland so many have feared. In a perfect world, we’d have more Ken Burnses expressing a multiplicity of views.

If the stuff of life is corporatized, does art about it become a form of interference in business?

The GOP learns a thing or two about what it means to be gay.

Books & the Arts

The quinceañera has become a rite of passage for even the poorest Latina teens, another example of our most treasured rites debased at the cash register.

Driven by a tabloid episode from her own marriage, the novelist joins the debate over the mass marketing of trashy books to young black readers.

The British rockers stick a fork in the recording industry by offering downloads of a new album for whatever fans want to pay. Oh, the anguish.

According to Chalmers Johnson, Bush’s imperial presidency may be the final chapter in the collapse of American democracy.

The history of twentieth-century music charts the rise of modern masters like Duke Ellington and John Adams.

The Paris Principle: politics are sooo hot.

An increasingly bookless universe has become the wasteland so many have feared. In a perfect world, we’d have more Ken Burnses expressing a multiplicity of views.

If the stuff of life is corporatized, does art about it become a form of interference in business?

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

Letters

Readers pick a few nits about Katha Pollitt’s column on poverty and heap praise on Bob Moser’s reporting about the “Ditch Mitch” McConnell movement in Kentucky.