Heidi Pauken

Heidi Pauken is an assistant editor at the Prospect.

Recent Articles

Injudicious

With civil rights, reproductive rights, environmental protections, workers' rights, and yes, even the presidency (see Bush v. Gore) at stake, it's no surprise that the Senate Committee on the Judiciary is a hot spot for politics -- not the handshaking politics of the campaign trail but a passionate, big-picture politics where senators duke it out over the ideological balance of our nation's courts. The committee, which vets the president's nominees for the federal bench, has surely seen excitement over the years, but it was always still the Senate -- navy suits, cordial smiles, professional conduct.

Devil in the Details

With millions of Americans on the Atkins Diet, nobody would disagree that it's a big year for eggs. But who knew that so many would be headed straight for FOX News? Certainly not FOX viewers -- who, admittedly, have already proven themselves vulnerable to misinformation, and who were led to believe that, by this point, Iraq weapons of mass destruction skeptics far and wide would be protein-covered and apologizing profusely.

When we find those weapons, "[A] lot of people are going to have a lot of egg on their face," warned Sean Hannity of Hannity & Colmes last February 7 -- and February 19, and March 18, and July 18, and August 1.

Three's Company

With John Edwards and Wesley Clark courting Tennessee and Virginia, and Howard Dean declaring Wisconsin his "must win" state, it would be easy to overlook this weekend's caucus trifecta. Don't. In total, these three states hold 204 delegates -- almost as many as last Tuesday's seven states combined.

Fat Tuesday

Pumped by back-to-back victories and eager to take their newfound momentum for a spin, supporters drowned out John Kerry's New Hampshire victory speech Tuesday night with shouts of, "Bring it on! Bring it on! Bring it on!"

But not so fast. Only 67 delegates have been claimed. That means there's 98.5 percent to go. It's a long haul ahead -- especially when you consider that the candidates have spent more than $3.5 million in advertisements this past week alone. With the February 3 primaries six days away, it's time to see who can be seven states wide and many, many dollars deep.

How a Bill Becomes a Law (Revised)

Forget what you learned in Government 101 (or math class for that matter), because in Congress these days, a negative plus a negative equals a positive. And even though R's control everything, a House "yea" plus a Senate "yea" can still equal a firm "no" when the White House horns in. A quick lesson:

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