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The Bush Presidency in Four Words 
Huffington Post
January 1, 2009
A recent Pew Research Center poll found that the one word Americans used most to describe President Bush was "incompetent." While no compliment, the word fails to convey the condemnation warranted by the last eight years.  Continued  

 A Tribute to Claiborne Pell, Rhode Islands Gentle Giant 
Huffington Post
January 2, 2009
With Claiborne Pell's death, Rhode Islanders have lost their gentle giant and the nation has lost a distinguished public servant who did more to make us a modern Athens than any other man of his era.  Continued

 President Obama and the Dawn of a New Day
Santa Monica Daily Press
January 31, 2009
While President Obama is certain to disappoint many over the course of his administration, what we must remember is that on a chilly Tuesday the nation came together and beamed with hope and optimism for the future.  Continued

Obama, Net Policy and the Kindness of Strangers
Huffington Post
February 5, 2009
President Obama has demonstrated both vision and leadership to reverse this trend by making broadband deployment a vital part of his economic stimulus package. The Internet industry, however, must recognize that broadband neglect may also be attributable to its own failure to mobilize and distill cyber jargon to its core issues -- economic growth, innovation and consumer choice.   Continued.

Ray Ban Republicans and the Politics of Denial
Santa Monica Daily Press
February 27, 2009
The Republicans' denial is part of a pattern of pretending that problems that do not fit their neat little world view either do not exist (e.g., global warming) or can be easily solved (e.g., abstinence will prevent the spread of AIDS). This is, after all, the party that had three presidential candidates Continued   

The S Word and a Bankrupt GOP
Huffington Post
March 27, 2009
So socialism to the right means New Deal and Great Society programs such as (i) Social Security which reduces poverty among seniors by 75 percent, (ii) Medicare which has increased seniors' access to health care and life expectancy; (iii) Medicaid which provides health care for half of the nation's low-income children and 60 percent of nursing home residents; and (iv) Head Start which increases the likelihood a low-income child will pursue college and not crime. This is the red menace that the right is fighting against in order to return us to the days of laissez faire capitalism that gave us the Great Depression and Hoovervilles.  Continued

Why the Torture Memos Matter
Santa Monica Daily Press
April 24, 2009
"[The issue of torture] has nothing to do with al Qaeda, [but] it has everything to do with America." Those were the words of Senator McCain in 2006 -- he was absolutely right.  Continued

The Specter Switch and the Price of Obamanoia
Huffington Post
April 30, 2009
The party has become afflicted with paranoia and outright derangement over President Obama spinning into a political tantrum that would make Christian Bale blush and which has only highlighted how out of touch the party had become.  Continued

McCain is Right, Torture is Wrong
Politics Magazine
May 13, 2009
It is ironic that the [GOP] who so often peddle the canard that President Reagan "won" the Cold War against the "evil" Soviet Union now proclaim the use of Soviet methods of torture as patriotic. This only reveals how little faith the [GOP] has in America. They would sell our soul at the altar of expediency and then criticize the Democrats for having the courage to defend principles dating back to our founding fathers.  Continued

A Third Choice: Get Back to Real Issues
Politics Magazine
May 20, 2009
Pelosi-gate is symptomatic of the state of the GOP today: There is simply no there there.   Continued

Can Reagan Save the Golden State (from the GOP)
Santa Monica Daily Press
May 28, 2009
What today's Republicans ignore is that while Reagan talked the conservative talk, he governed as a pragmatist. Unlike his self proclaimed heirs, he understood that governing was like driving a big bus which sometimes required unwelcomed detours and was not merely following a dogmatic monorail.  Continued

Go Ahead, Make My Day
Politics Magazine
May 29, 2009
The GOP opposition to Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is laughable not just because there is little to their argument but because they fail to recognize that their prized wedge issues only increases the public perception of the GOP as the Southern White Man’s Party.   Continued

Obama is Protecting Our National Security
Politics Magazine
June 3, 2009
A leaner, greener GM is also vital to our national security. Few GM critics recall that, after the start of World War II, GM and Ford ceased civilian production and devoted their entire capacity to the war effort. Who would we turn to if GM failed—Walmart?.   Continued

Desperate GOP in European Denial
Politics Magazine
June 9, 2009
If the GOP can learn a lesson from Europe it’s that a center-right party wins more elections than a far-right party. This appears to be lost in translation. Despite the recent election losses and polls showing a significant erosion of support across all major demographic groups, the GOP continues to offer the same failed dogma of the past.  Continued

Choosing Hope in the Primary
Santa Monica Daily Press
January 25, 2008.
What distinguishes Obama is his combining the "Audacity of Hope" with the bold daring of leadership. Unlike his opponents, in 2002 Obama had the vision and fortitude to stand up and oppose a war with Iraq recognizing that such a war would "require a U.S. occupation of undetermined costs, with undetermined consequences." continued

The Torch Has Passed to Obama
Huffington Post
January 28, 2008
Ultimately, it came down to a choice between Senator Obama's message of hope and change and Senator Clinton's message of competence and restoration. Clinton '92 versus Clinton '96. Voters in 1996, however, were reelecting the man from Hope they embraced four years earlier as he energized the party with a promise of new leadership that was "not mired in the politics of the past." continued

John McCain's Better Nation
Santa Monica Daily Press
February 28, 2008
McCain's latest flip flop, so eagerly embraced by his new lap dog Sen. Lieberman, is a signal of what to expect in the fall campaign. Republicans will continue to present the false choice that we can either have security or be civilized — but not both continued 

No Country for Old Poli-tricks
Huffington Post
March 10, 2008
What is particularly unfortunate about this commercial is that it obscures the fact that not only have both Senators Clinton and Obama gained valuable national security experience . . . but both of them have more experience in this area than every President elected since Watergate (with the exception of the elder President Bush). continued

"High Noon" over Torture
Huffington Post
March 14, 2008
Time after time the president has forced showdowns with the Democrats over seemingly esoteric . . . matters touching on national security. Once the battle is engaged, [Bush] begins a drumbeat of "we're for protecting America, they're not," leaving the ambushed Democrats to attempt to debate the minutia of the issue over the din of the administration's demagoguery. . . . This time, the President is returning to familiar ground -- torture. continued

Obama and Generation Jones' Moment
OpEdNews.com
March 25, 2008
Obama is from Generation Jones, born in the shadow of fallen heroes, tempered by Watergate and disciplined by economic uncertainty. . . . Just as Senator Clinton represents the Baby Boom era and Senator McCain the Ice Age, Obama is the archetype of the Jonesers' President. (adapted from a column originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press) continued

The'Ricing" on the Cake for a Republican Disaster
OpEdNews.com
April 15, 2008
Just as Democrats have grown increasingly worried about their chances of recapturing the White House, the Republicans have stepped in to reassert their claim to a defeat that is rightfully theirs. Grover Norquist endorsed as McCain's running mate a Bush administration official whose performance has been characterized by fellow Republicans as "disastrous, "inept" and "not up to the job" . . . Condoleezza Rice. continued

Obama and Generation Jones: It is Our Time to Lead
Huffington Post
April 24, 2008
Boomers are increasingly aware of the advancing Jonesers who have ascended into power in countries such as Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany and Mexico. President Bush has acknowledged that "Generation Jones is undeniably an important group. If we Baby Boomers don't lead, they're right behind us ready to." With Senator Obama, the Jonesers have found the moment and candidate to do just that. continued  

Cyber-Swift Boating Obama
Huffington Post
April 25, 2008
What is amazing is that journalists and sophisticated consumers of news of all faiths who are quick to delete emails offering riches from purported Nigerian millionaires, are eager to believe (or at least reluctant to dismiss) inflammatory claims in an anonymous email that not only have been denounced by well known publications such as Newsweek and the Los Angeles Times as "false" and "vile" "appeals to bigotry and fear". continued

Ted Kennedy: The Lion in Winter
Huffington Post
May 23, 2008
But throughout there has always been Teddy. Like Ulysses, he endured immeasurable hardships, including surviving a plane crash and the tragic death of three brothers, and rose to the challenges he faced. He was not only the last link to this age of giants, but he became one himself. continue

The Right's New Patriotic PC -
From Lapel Pins to Nuclear Waste
OpEdNews.com
June 3, 2008
For a generation, the right has wailed over "political correctness," which Jonah Goldberg labels as "liberal fascism". It appears that the right now embraces the "F" word as they dictate what patriotic Americans should wear (flag lapel pin mandatory, "jihadist" scarves forbidden) and even believe. Under the right's Patriotic PC, true Americans must love their country, their flag, torture and . . . even nuclear waste. continued.

 "Candy Bombers," Obama and
the End of "Wal-Mart Nation" (Part 1)
Huffington Post
June 8, 2008
This can-do nation that soared from the depths of the depression to the mountains of the moon has withered to a Wal-Mart nation  that foolishly believes we can maintain our global leadership and economic standing on the cheap. As our failure to rescue our own citizens from Hurricane Katrina plainly demonstrated to a shocked world, we are no longer the nation that accomplishes the impossible  as we now struggle with the mere possible and expected.

 "Candy Bombers" Confront a
Flooded Wal-Mart Nation (Part 2)
Huffington Post
June 20, 2008
Ultimately, however, this problem is not about money but instead is about values and leadership. Every action or even inaction has  a price of some form that must be paid. The Candy Bombers remind of us of an era when our leaders and citizens recognized that there was a price to be paid to maintain our global standing, unlike today's leaders who hope that a $600 tax refund will numb us  into a false sense of complacency. The muddy waters of the Mississippi are delivering a message to today's Wal-Mart nation of the  cost of such complacency. continued

Lessons Not Learned: The Media Continues to be MIA on the Truth about Iraq War
Huffington Post
June 20, 2008
A year after the President's "Mission Accomplished" Top Gun moment, the New York Times ran an apology to its readers for its failures in its pre-war Iraq coverage. Over the next four years many media outlets and personalities admitted to failing to give the public the vigilant reporting it deserved and assured us it would never happen again. The Fourth Estate was back on the job and your republic was safe once again -- or maybe not. continued 

 FISA and Beltway Dems Strictly by the Numbers
Huffington Post
July 5, 2008
What is especially galling to the Democratic base is that their leaders refused to stand up to a president whose approval rating among non-Republicans is only 14 percent (and only 25 percent overall according to a recent CBS poll) but were willing to defy the voters and support a bill that at least 57 percent of Americans opposed. That may explain why the only people less popular in America today than President Bush are O.J. Simpson, the MySpace mom who drove a girl to suicide and Congress. continued

Bush Reveals True Reason for War in Push for Iraqi Agreement
Huffington Post
July 29, 2008
After five years of war at a cost of approximately $539 billion, 90,000 Iraqi lives, over 35,000 American soldiers wounded or killed, we now know what we suspected all along -- that Operation Iraqi Freedom was never about liberating the people of Iraq but instead about liberating its assets for foreign exploitation. continued

History, Hope and Hillary
Huffington Post
August 26, 2008
To Senator Clinton's supporters, I urge you to declare victory. You have not only made history, but you are only 70 days away from making her vision a reality. I am not asking that you like Senator Obama, but I am asking that you renounce your embrace of what would be a third Bush term. continued

Don't Turn to the Dark Side
Santa Monica Daily Press
August 29, 2008
Sadly, some of her supporters are willing to join forces with those who have mocked her for many years and to embrace or enable a candidate who will do none of these things -- even though Sens. Clinton and Obama have identical ratings from over 20 different interest groups on choice, civil rights, health care, veterans and other issues and are nearly identical on countless others. continued

McCain's Reckless Choice Raises Questions about Judgment
OpEdNews.com
August 31, 2008
There is no doubt that Palin's far right pedigree will help McCain with what had been a very unenthusiastic Republican base, but to announce Palin as part of putting country first is the biggest fraud since George H.W. Bush introduced Clarence Thomas as "the most qualified man" for the Supreme Court. continued

 John McCain's Yellow Talk Express
Huffington Post
September 16, 2008
John McCain is a coward. We have heard countless invocations of Senator McCain's courage during his 1,966 days in captivity, but it is time for the Senator to be held accountable for his appalling lack of courage the past 1,966 days.   Continued

Why I'm Voting for John McCain & Sarah Palin
Huffington Post
September 25, 2008
I'm voting for McCain because he's a straight talker and I often agree with his view on things, and when I don't, usually if I wait a few days he comes around.  Continued

Debate Spin v. Substance: Lessons From Mayberry
Huffington Post
September 26, 2008
Many are familiar with Woody Allen's maxim that "eighty percent of success is just showing up," but watching past debate coverage you would think that is the sole criteria for being our commander in chief.  Continued

David Dreier and the Fall of the House of Voodoo
Huffington Post
October 20, 2008
Today, the worsening financial crisis has caused a seismic shift in this country and not only has it brought down the house of cards known as Reaganomics but it may also bring down some of voodoo economics' high priests - most notably David Dreier of California's 26th Congressional District.  Continued

Midnight in the Garden of Reaganomics 
Huffington Post
October 31, 2008
As the likelihood of an Obama and Democratic landslide moves from possibility to inevitability and as more and more Republicans jump on the Obama bandwagon, wailing Republicans are sounding off as if this were a sign of Armageddon. . . . [T]his fear-mongering may only further prove how out of touch the Republican Party has become with mainstream Americans (or even history itself) as the electorate is becoming increasingly aware of how disastrous Republican policies have been over the past three decades.  Continued

Stories We Missed in 2006
Santa Monica Daily Press
January 2, 2007
Throughout the year, Bush calamitously chose action in Iraq and inaction in areas such as Darfur and [Latin America] calling for his leadership. In essence, this year is best captured by the Japanese proverb: "Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare"... except that in today's world, even inaction can result

The Kool-Aid Society Strikes Back
Huffington Post
February 6, 2007
Safe in their ideological bunker the right wing media's true believers have lashed out with increased ferocity, recklessness and venom. Nothing illustrates this more than the completely fabricated story that Senator Obama "spent at least four years in a so-called Madrassa, or Muslim seminary, in Indonesia" and Dinesh D'Souza's latest polemic The Enemy at Home blaming the American left for 9/11 - both of which may be a preview of what is to come over the next two years. continued

Colin Powell, Where Have You Gone?
Huffington Post
March 12, 2007

Where have you gone Colin Powell? A decade ago, you voiced outrage when Madeline Albright asked "[w]hat's the point of having this superb military you're always talking about if we can't use it"; responding contemptuously that "American GIs are not toy soldiers to be moved around on some global game board." Where is your outrage today after American GIs have been sent into a quagmire without sufficient personnel or supplies only to return to deplorable conditions and neglect such as was seen at Walter Reed Army Hospital? continued

The Fog of Peace: Vietnam Myths and the March of Folly in Iraq
Huffington Post
August 26, 2007

It's a little known fact that while most of us are sleeping soundly, the far right gathers to rewrite history. [They] have done a masterful job with the Vietnam War, recasting it as a mythic crusade against communism that we noble Americans would have won had we simply let the military do its job. This historical fantasy is anything but harmless, since the same themes are echoed in President Bush's latest "stay the course" argument and right wing comments about Abu Ghr

The September of our Discontent: Time to Face Reality in Iraq
Huffington Post
September 23, 2007

Now comes the September of our discontent. As Congress returns to the question of Iraq funding this week, this is the month we must finally come to terms with Iraq's grim realities. continued

President Bush Is Losing The Cold War Peace
Huffington Post
November 18, 2007.

History has a voice. Through its participants, monuments and anniversaries, it can both inspire and haunt us. As President Bush pushes his national security agenda on Capitol Hill, a perfect storm of anniversaries hovers over it like Banquo's ghost asking the question of whether President Bush and his fellow travelers in Congress have squandered our victory in the Cold War by embracing the tactics of our vanquished enemy. continued

The "Illusion Decade" Has Been Rife with Lies
Santa Monica Daily Press
January 5, 2006
As we stand at the mid-point of the Millennium's first decade, there is no doubt that we will long remember its colossal tragedies . . . . Yet the vivid realities of these events are the exception to a decade otherwise defined by an Orwellian triumph of illusion over reality. continued

The Road Not Traveled Lets Imagination Wander
Santa Monica Daily Press
January 27, 2006
President Bush concluded his 2005 State of the Union Address [stating] "[e]ach age is a dream that is dying or one that is coming to birth." When President Bush stands before Congress next week, we should parse his lofty rhetoric and exhortations about the need for tax cuts and the Iraq war and consider the costs and results of the Bush agenda to determine which age the President has delivered to us. continued

Of Mice and Dems
Santa Monica Daily Press
February 24, 2006
Democrats. . . are growing increasingly restive and fear that they will lose ground again [in 2006] as they have for every election since Sept. 11. Those concerns will continue to escalate until the Democrats understand who and why they lost in 2004. continued

Un-Patriot Acts
Huffington Post
March 7, 2006
Among the many words of wisdom inscribed within the Capitol is poet Carl Sandburg's warning that "[w]henever a people or an institution forget its hard beginnings, it is beginning to decay." These inscriptions are intended to be voices of conscience to guide our nation in troubled times. continued

The Christian Nation Movement and the Alabama-ban
Huffington Post
April 18, 2006
The Christian nation movement is part of an escalating assault on the separation of church and state by the Republican right, so that the real question today is not whether we are a Christian nation but whether we are still a First Amendment nation. continued

Bush Is No Lincoln
Huffington Post
April 23, 2006
The Republicans' latest attempt to whitewash war falsehoods with the fact that Lincoln initially had stressed that the Civil War was about saving the Union and not ending slavery. Detroit News columnist Thomas Bray's "President Lincoln 'Lied' Us Into War Too" is the latest articulation of this claim. This argument, like President Bush's pre-war justifications, is unsupported by the facts. continued

Conservative Books for Dummies: Becoming a Conservative Author in Eight Easy Steps
Huffington Post
June 9, 2006
You too can become a best-selling author of conservative books in eight easy steps -- really. By simply following these eight rules, you can become a best-selling author and member of the new conservative elite overnight. continued

From Gitmo to the gutter, our soul bleeds
Santa Monica Daily Press
June 16, 2006
The State Department releases an annual report on the status of human rights in countries worldwide [detailing abuses that] violate what President Bush has called ""the nonnegotiable demands of human dignity." What is especially outrageous, however, is that [these abuses are now occurring] at the U.S. detention camp at Guantanamo Bay continued

A U.S. flag can be mended, but the Constitution cannot
Santa Monica Daily Press
June 30, 2006
A flag is a very powerful symbol. It represents who we are and what we stand for. . . . . Interestingly, many of the self-appointed defenders of the flag are also defenders of another flag which flew in battle against Old Glory - the Southern Cross, more commonly known as the Confederate battle flag. continued

The Catastrophic Success of Bush's Other War
Democratic Underground
August 1, 2006
Months before the start of the Iraq War, President Bush was already a "war president". This war was not about terrorism or democracy in the Middle East, but instead, as Vice President Cheney explained in pushing for tax cuts regardless of deficits, it was about getting "their due". In this war, Bush could truly declare "mission accomplished." continued

 The September 10th President
Democratic Underground
September 9, 2006
It was the 213th day of a presidency focused on tax cuts and Iraq. . . . Sadly little has changed as we approach the fifth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, as this tragedy has not been used as a call to action to secure the nation from future attacks but rather as a political tool to implement the Bush administration's September 10 agenda.  continued

Bush's Strategic Blunder on Torture
Santa Monica Daily Press
September 22, 2006
You need not know anything about the Geneva Convention or international law to understand the current debate over President Bush's proposal to weaken protections for U.S. held detainees. The president's current hard line position . . . was not derived from any legal treatise but from Karl Rove's campaign playbook and the proposal is more about defining the debate for the mid-term election than about clarifying the Geneva Convention. continued

Understanding the Bush-McCain "Compassionate Torture" Proposal
Huffington Post
September 25, 2006
In initially opposing the Bush proposal, Senator McCain eloquently explained that this issue "has nothing to do with al Qaeda, [but] it has everything to do with America." For this McCain won praise for his political courage and condemnation from Bush apologists. The Bush-McCain compromise, in contrast, has absolutely nothing to do with American values but it has everything to do with upcoming elections and the triumph of political expediency over political courage. continued

What Would Bobby Do?
Huffington Post
December 2, 2006
Standing before the 1964 Democratic Convention and waiting as delegates cheered for 22 minutes before he could speak a word, Bobby Kennedy clearly had a hold on the Democratic Party at a time when the party had a hold on the nation . . . . Although much has changed over the past 42 years . . . Kennedy's passion and idealism continue to inspire his party at the same time as the release of the movie "Bobby" revives his message of hope. continued

Right-Wing Fantasies and Iraq
Democratic Underground
January 25, 2005
It's a little known fact that while most of us are sleeping soundly, the far right gathers to rewrite history. . . .These same night owls, however, have done a masterful job with the Vietnam War, recasting it as a mythic crusade against communism that we noble Americans would have won had we simply let the military do its job. This historical fantasy is anything but harmless, since the same themes are echoed in recent right wing comments about Abu Ghraib and our strategy in Iraq. continued

Faith-Based Déjà vu
Democratic Underground
March 29, 2005
As it enters its fifth year, President Bush's Faith-Based Initiative has finally emerged from obscurity and increasingly resembles Bush's Texas faith-based program which a study found to be "unregulated, prone to favoritism and commingling of funds, and even dangerous to the very people it is supposed to serve." continued

The Republicans Gathering Storm
Democratic Underground
November 2, 2005
In 1994, Democrats were hit with the political equivalent of "the perfect storm" which enabled Republicans to seize control of both houses of Congress for the first time in 42 years. For today's beleaguered Republicans watching the gathering clouds anxiously, the good news is that the forecast does not call for [a 1994] perfect storm . . . The bad news is that, instead, they face something much worse. continued

Special Election Sheds Light on Flawed Initiative Process
Santa Monica Daily Press
November 25, 2005
While the special election voters were clearly unhappy with Governor Schwarzenegger, there was another election day actor with approval ratings even lower than the Governor's - the initiative process itself. The Governor can redeem both himself and the initiative process by making initiative reform the first measure submitted for the 2006 ballot. continued

Altar Boys and Communion Rail Politics
Union County Advocate
June 23, 2004
If the communion police continue to sanction Democratic politicians, Altar Boys for Kerry will mobilize a Million Altar Boy March on Washington . . . [and may]protest by refusing to extend the communion plate to right-wing politicians, always opening the missal to the Beatitudes, handing out "rate cards" for obtaining marriage annulments or indulgences, or responding "remember Galileo" instead of "amen." continued

Sock Puppet Politics
Democratic Underground
October 19, 2004
The two main planks of the Bush campaign - the administration's tax cuts and the war in Iraq - rely on . . . "Sock Puppet Politics." Like Pets.com and the Sock Puppet before him, Bush is counting on voters to be persuaded by his affability and the two prizes delivered - tax cuts and Saddam Hussein's capture - and not focus on the bigger picture of the costs of these prizes. continued

Aborted Values
Santa Monica Daily Press
December 3, 2004
In seeking to become the second Catholic president, John Kerry instead became only the second post-war Democrat to lose the Catholic vote in a competitive election. This remarkable result, however, says more about today's Catholic Church than either John Kerry or the Democratic Party. continued

 Carlson, Coulter & Canada
Democratic Underground
December 10, 2004
The fact that some Canadians had the audacity to protest during President Bush's visit to their country last week made it open season for right-wing pundits to bash the other French-speaking country they love to hate. . . Being married to a Canadian and having represented Canadian companies, I find these jingoistic attacks to be a perfect illustration of President Kennedy's lament that "too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." continued