Michael Bloomberg Says He Isn’t Running For President

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he isn’t running for President, but he’s sure acting like a guy who’s at least thinking about it.

Wikileaks Media Ethics Wikileaks Media Ethics

Classified Information and Journalistic Ethics

The two English language newspapers who have been Julian Assange’s accomplices in disseminating stolen secrets defend themselves.

The Real Deficit-Reduction Math

There is a simple mathematical equation that explains why deficit reduction is so difficult.

Sarah Palin: I Am Engaged In Deliberations About Running For President

Yet another sign that the GOP’s biggest nightmare may actually end up coming true.

Murkowski Continues To Lead In Write-In Count, Miller Camp Grows More Desperate

As the counting of write-in ballots in Alaska continues to go in Lisa Murkowski’s favor, the Miller campaign is getting more desperate in its ballot challenges.

A Comparative Fact Regarding the Death Penalty that Gives One Pause

Of the five countries that use the death penalty the most, only one is a democracy.

Jim Webb: The Last Of The Reagan Democrats

Virginia Senator Jim Webb is the last of a dying breed of Democrats, but his party may need him if it wants to remain competitive anywhere outside of a Blue State.

Democracy At Its Best

A Chicago voter is less than thrilled with the political slate for which he’s voting today.

Young Voters Feel Abandoned By Obama

The younger voters that flocked to Barack Obama two years ago feel let down. They need to grow up.

Bad Day at the Think Tank

The Onion spoofs life at a think tank with Boy, I Really Thought Like Shit Today.”

Jonah Goldberg: Why Isn’t Julian Assange Dead?

Jonah Goldberg has written a bad column. In this case, an op-ed in the Chicago Tribune headlined “Why is Assange still alive?”

An Observation on the State of the Debate over Fiscal Policy

Instead of decades-old retreads like talking about abolishing the Department of Education, it would be nice if we had a real debate about the fiscal circumstances in the country.

More on Miller’s Bodyguards and the Press (Video)

Salon has video of the aftermath of the Hopfinger handcuffing. Plus: if we remove the partisan labels and just assess what happened, would we view this situation differently?

Dismiss The Tea Party At Your Peril

“Those who doubt that the failings of higher education in America have political consequences need only reflect on the quality of progressive commentary on the tea party movement.”

Russia and Venezuela Sign Energy Deal

Venezuela have reached a series of agreement on energy. Should the US be concerned?

Oprahturfing

Jim Treacher has coined a new term, Oprahturfing, to describe wealthy celebrities funding attendance at political rallies. While clever, the concept of “Astroturfing” is being misused by both sides.

Former Car Czar Hates Democracy

Former car czar Steve Rattner sat down with Ezra Klein to whine about how the American people and its Congress wouldn’t just turn over the whole economy to unelected experts such as himself.

Chinese Dissident Dedicates Nobel Peace Prize To Tianamen Square Victims

Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo has dedicated his Nobel Peace Prize to the victims of the June 1989 massacre in Tianamen Square. Proving again that the events of that day still live on in the memory of many Chinese people.

Citizens United, More Myth Than Legend

Citizens United really wasn’t that big a deal.

Obama Charges Foreign Influence Supporting Republicans

President Obama and the Democrats are charging the Chamber of Commerce of funneling foreign money into ads for Republicans. It’s a desperate move unlikely to work.

Nobel Peace Prize Awarded To Jailed Chinese Dissident

Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo has won the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. He probably doesn’t know it, though, because he’s currently sitting in a Chinese prison.

Why NATO? A Europe Whole and Free

Daniel Larison’s “The Case Against NATO” makes compelling reading. In my New Atlanticist post “The Case Against the Case Against NATO,” I explain why it’s wrong.

Change in American Political Parties

If the Republicans win back Congress in November, it will be largely unearned. But that doesn’t mean that there’s no incentive for change in American politics.

Pakistan: Ally or Enemy?

Pakistan yesterday blocked NATO’s primary supply line into Afghanistan in retaliation for an air strike that killed three Pakistani paramilitaries. Are the two countries truly allies?

Harnessing The Tea Party

Support for the Tea Party is at record levels but that movement does not have a coherent policy platform. Can the energy be harnessed to good use?

Obama Administration Invokes “State Secrets” Defense In Assassination Lawsuit

The Obama White House is asserting that the President has the authority to issue assassination orders against American citizens, and that no Court has the authority to review his decision. If that doesn’t worry you, it should.

Feds Seek Broad Authority To Wiretap Internet Communications

If the Obama Administration gets it’s way, your secure Internet communications won’t really be all that secure.

Woodward Book Reveals There Is No Plan In Afghanistan

According to a new book from Bob Woorward, American policy in Afghanistan is the result of a decision making process that can only be described as chaotic at best.

The Politics of Compromise

Most voters want their representatives to take a stand.

Afghan Elections Once Again Marked By Allegations Of Fraud

Afghanistan’s parliamentary elections were marked by another round of allegations of widespread voter fraud, once again bringing to the forefront the question; what exactly are we trying to accomplish in Afghanistan ?

Fenty Ouster A Black Tea Party

The Tea Party movement and the populist backlash against DC mayor Adrian Fenty are a sign that things are changing so fast that a lot of people simply can’t adjust.

Turkey’s Islamist Democracy

Turkey reformed its constitution over the weekend, in what Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised “will go down in history as a turning point in Turkish democracy.” But there’s strong disagreement over which way it’s headed.

Redistricting as the Spoils of Elections

The winners of state legislatures in November will have a great deal of influence over Congressional elections for the next decade. Should it be that way?

Kagan Recuses Herself From 21 Of 40 Cases SCOTUS Will Hear In 2010-11 Term

Elena Kagan has announced that she will not participated in the consideration of more than half the cases currently scheduled to be hear by the Supreme Court when it’s new term begins in October.

American Taliban, Liberal Fascism, and Judging a Book By Its Title

Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas’ new book, AMERICAN TALIBAN: HOW WAR, SEX, SIN, AND POWER BIND JIHADISTS AND THE RADICAL RIGHT, continues a long tradition in political polemics.

Obama On Iraq: “We Have Met Our Responsibility. Now, It’s Time To Turn The Page”

President Obama didn’t use the words “Mission Accomplished” last night, but the message was the same.

Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times, via Associated Press Lt. Col. Richard D. Heyward, left, of Illinois, and Sgt. Nick Wysong of Washington crossed southern Iraq last week with their unit of the Second Infantry Division. Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times, via Associated Press Lt. Col. Richard D. Heyward, left, of Illinois, and Sgt. Nick Wysong of Washington crossed southern Iraq last week with their unit of the Second Infantry Division.

Iraq Mission Shifts, Nobody Cares

America’s mission in Iraq is shifting from an active combat role to a smaller security presence. But the war that gripped our attention for years is now off the radar screen.

Equal Rights For Muslims Not Popular

Barely half of Americans think Muslims have a Constitutional right to build a mosque near the World Trade Center and 18% think mosques shouldn’t be allowed anywhere. That’s why we have a 1st Amendment.

Sarah Palin Defends Dr. Laura, Gets First Amendment Wrong (Again)

Sarah Palin decided to get involved in the “Doctor Laura” Schlessinger controversy, and in the process displayed a blatant misunderstanding of the First Amendment.

Sharron Angle: Conservative ? Or, Theocrat ?

Sharron Angle’s views about the role of religion in politics are disturbingly similar to those of people who believe that the Bible itself should be the law of the land.

Wikileaks v. The Pentagon

There’s a war of words developing between the Pentagon and the information-sharing website Wikileaks.

2010 Midterms Record-Setting

November’s elections will set modern records for most Senate seats and governorships on the ballot.

Against the Electoral College II: Not As Framers Intended

In the first entry in this series we looked at a basic question of democratic theory. In this one, we look at whether the EC ever worked as the Framers intended.

Against the Electoral College I: Disparity Amongst Citizens

The first in a multi-part series on the Electoral College.

ADL Condemns “Ground Zero” Mosque Bigotry, Sides With The Bigots

The Anti-Defamation League has taken an unfortunate stand on a issue involving religious tolerance and bigotry.