October 9, 2006 Issue

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

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Feature

With the Party of Dobson

At the unofficial GOP midterm convention, Focus on the Family delivered election-day marching orders to the faithful, praising GOP hopefuls and hurling jeremiads against liberals, “faggots” and Fallujans.
Max Blumenthal
War Signals?

As a strike group of six US Naval vessels prepares to deploy to the Persian Gulf, wary critics of the Bush Administration and some members of the military are raising flags that an “October surprise” attack on Iran may be imminent. Others are skeptical.
Dave Lindorff
Fidel Lives

Few Americans, especially those in government, know much about Cuba. And nowhere is that more evident than in the coverage of Fidel Castro’s illness and the transition of power.
Ned Sublette
Hell of a Times

A nasty succession battle is brewing at the conservative Washington Times, its newsroom abuzz with allegations of racism, sexism and unprofessional conduct.
Max Blumenthal

Editorial

Get Me Rewrite

Bill Clinton maintains that the mainstream media has misrepresented his record on fighting terror. But it will take a generation to meaningfully assess his effectiveness.
Mark Updegrove
Torture is a Moral Issue

Will we be a nation that abides by our own Constitution and upholds international law? Or will we become a nation that punishes those who follow the orders while exonerating those who give them?
The Nation
The Pope’s Monopoly on Reason

Pope Benedict XVI’s controversial speech is indeed a call for dialogue among all religions. But what kind of dialogue is possible if the Pope believes his ideas are “rational” and everyone else’s are not?
Tarif Khalidi and Muhammad Ali Khalidi
Rewriting the Sixties

Decency is a subjective perception. And so arbitrary.
Paul Krassner
Spanish Justice

The courts of Spain have already tried human rights violators from Chile and Argentina. Those responsible for torturing, imprisoning and killing 200,000 Mayans during Guatemala’s thirty-six-year civil war may be next.
Geoff Pingree and Lisa Abend
Driving While Muslim

As the hunt for homegrown terrorists sympathetic to Hezbollah intensifies, the Muslims of Dearborn, Michigan are losing their trust in American justice.
Spencer Ackerman
The Growing Wage Gap

A winning economic strategy for Democrats: Push for realistic policies to relieve workers’ frustrations, rebuild their damaged confidence and improve lifetime security.
Jeff Madrick
Déjà Vu on Iran?

The Bush Administration is trying to use flawed intelligence to whip up public support for military action against Iran. Can they get away with this again?
The Editors
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Column

A Distinct Lack of Intelligence

If George W. Bush took the latest National Intelligence Estimate seriously, he would end the ineffectual “war on terror” model and treat terrorism as a pathology to be clinically and relentlessly excised.
Robert Scheer
Snapshot of a Plutocracy

Every person on this year’s Forbes 400 list of America’s richest people is a billionaire, who collectively possess about $1.25 trillion. Imagine how many Congressmen that will buy.
Nicholas von Hoffman
Screamin’ at the Machine

We should be cheering at sports events and screaming at politicians. But these days, it’s vice versa. Now that ESPN’s Screamin’ Stephen A. Smith is acting like a pundit, things could change.
Dave Zirin
Single-Issue Solipsism

NARAL ProChoice America wants its sisters in Connecticut to support Joe Lieberman. Are they out of their minds?
Katha Pollitt
From Flying Saucers to 9/11

The world is in tumult, but in the heart of Empire, the level of creative political energy runs flat along the bottom of the graph.
Alexander Cockburn
George W. Bush and Some Republican Senators Discuss the Geneva Conventions

The Decider takes on that bothersome Constitution and that meddling Congress.
Calvin Trillin

Books & the Arts

Screamin’ at the Machine

We should be cheering at sports events and screaming at politicians. But these days, it’s vice versa. Now that ESPN’s Screamin’ Stephen A. Smith is acting like a pundit, things could change.
Dave Zirin
Dead Flowers

Reviews of Brian De Palma’s The Black Dahlia and Kelly Reichardt’s Old Joy.
Stuart Klawans
Father Knows Best

Have you attacked the Founding Fathers lately? Know anyone who has? Gordon Wood knows you’re out there, on a campaign to dehumanize Washington, Jefferson and their peers.
Nicholas Guyatt
Science Fiction

Richard Powers’s The Echo Maker speaks volumes about neuroscience, nature and environmental degradation. But it says little about what it means to be alive.
William Deresiewicz
Laundry

Our cat, who’s over nineteen, likes to sleep
on the massed softness of a pile of shirts,
two, three, four, flung on the floor
but soon to be gathered up
Rachel Hadas
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Letters

Letters

Jonathan Schell’s “Too Late for Empire” drew much praise from readers [Aug. 14/21].
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October 9, 2006 Issue

Feature

At the unofficial GOP midterm convention, Focus on the Family delivered election-day marching orders to the faithful, praising GOP hopefuls and hurling jeremiads against liberals, “faggots” and Fallujans.

As a strike group of six US Naval vessels prepares to deploy to the Persian Gulf, wary critics of the Bush Administration and some members of the military are raising flags that an “October surprise” attack on Iran may be imminent. Others are skeptical.

Few Americans, especially those in government, know much about Cuba. And nowhere is that more evident than in the coverage of Fidel Castro’s illness and the transition of power.

A nasty succession battle is brewing at the conservative Washington Times, its newsroom abuzz with allegations of racism, sexism and unprofessional conduct.

Editorial

Bill Clinton maintains that the mainstream media has misrepresented his record on fighting terror. But it will take a generation to meaningfully assess his effectiveness.

Will we be a nation that abides by our own Constitution and upholds international law? Or will we become a nation that punishes those who follow the orders while exonerating those who give them?

Pope Benedict XVI’s controversial speech is indeed a call for dialogue among all religions. But what kind of dialogue is possible if the Pope believes his ideas are “rational” and everyone else’s are not?

Decency is a subjective perception. And so arbitrary.

The courts of Spain have already tried human rights violators from Chile and Argentina. Those responsible for torturing, imprisoning and killing 200,000 Mayans during Guatemala’s thirty-six-year civil war may be next.

As the hunt for homegrown terrorists sympathetic to Hezbollah intensifies, the Muslims of Dearborn, Michigan are losing their trust in American justice.

A winning economic strategy for Democrats: Push for realistic policies to relieve workers’ frustrations, rebuild their damaged confidence and improve lifetime security.

The Bush Administration is trying to use flawed intelligence to whip up public support for military action against Iran. Can they get away with this again?

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

Column

If George W. Bush took the latest National Intelligence Estimate seriously, he would end the ineffectual “war on terror” model and treat terrorism as a pathology to be clinically and relentlessly excised.

Every person on this year’s Forbes 400 list of America’s richest people is a billionaire, who collectively possess about $1.25 trillion. Imagine how many Congressmen that will buy.

We should be cheering at sports events and screaming at politicians. But these days, it’s vice versa. Now that ESPN’s Screamin’ Stephen A. Smith is acting like a pundit, things could change.

NARAL ProChoice America wants its sisters in Connecticut to support Joe Lieberman. Are they out of their minds?

The world is in tumult, but in the heart of Empire, the level of creative political energy runs flat along the bottom of the graph.

The Decider takes on that bothersome Constitution and that meddling Congress.

Books & the Arts

We should be cheering at sports events and screaming at politicians. But these days, it’s vice versa. Now that ESPN’s Screamin’ Stephen A. Smith is acting like a pundit, things could change.

Reviews of Brian De Palma’s The Black Dahlia and Kelly Reichardt’s Old Joy.

Have you attacked the Founding Fathers lately? Know anyone who has? Gordon Wood knows you’re out there, on a campaign to dehumanize Washington, Jefferson and their peers.

Richard Powers’s The Echo Maker speaks volumes about neuroscience, nature and environmental degradation. But it says little about what it means to be alive.

Our cat, who’s over nineteen, likes to sleep on the massed softness of a pile of shirts, two, three, four, flung on the floor but soon to be gathered up

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

Letters

Jonathan Schell’s “Too Late for Empire” drew much praise from readers [Aug. 14/21].

Our cat, who’s over nineteen, likes to sleep
on the massed softness of a pile of shirts,
two, three, four, flung on the floor
but soon to be gathered up