May 2004

Dismal Scientists
A new book spurs the thought: It's time to link economics to a language of values.
May 27, 2004 | By Lawrence Mishel | web only

Boston Strangler
Kerry is playing along, but he's made the point: Conventions are dead. Here's what we should do instead.
May 27, 2004 | By Kenneth S. Baer | web only

Fantasia Island
The show is unbearable. But the Idol? You go, girl. We believe.
May 27, 2004 | By Noy Thrupkaew | web only

Cut-and-Paste Over
Sometimes it's not what they put in -- it's what they leave out. Case in point: the Times' coverage of Bush's Army War College speech.
May 27, 2004 | By Rob Garver | web only

The Handler
Our new public-relations advice columnist explains how the Bushies should have handled Abu Ghraib.
May 26, 2004 | By Karen Finney | web only

Speak, Memorial
Critics say the new World War II memorial is a banal, bombastic, "Soviet-style pomposity." The author of Their Last Battle says they just don't get it. An interview with Nicolaus Mills.
May 26, 2004 | By Rob Anderson | web only

Ahmad Cleans Out
No weapons of mass destruction -- but you'll find deals on Perle's autograph, Wolfowitz's soul, and one slightly dented moral authority.
May 26, 2004 | By Charles P. Pierce | web only

Why Oil Prices are Rising
Don't look for the usual suspects.
May 26, 2004 | By Robert B. Reich | web only

Purple People Watch
An odd twist in West Virginia, changing dynamics in Maine, and more. A weekly roundup from the swing states.
May 26, 2004 | By The American Prospect Staff | web only

The Quiet Candidate
John Kerry is keeping his head down and letting bad news speak for itself. TAP debates the merits of the strategy.
May 26, 2004 | By Matthew Yglesias and Paul Waldman | web only

Pomp and Stingy Circumstance
Arnold Schwarzenegger's political skills make for bad public policy on education.
May 26, 2004 | By Harold Meyerson | web only

He Told You So
Howard Dean was written off last December when he said that Saddam Hussein's capture "has not made America safer." Ahem …
May 25, 2004 | By Matthew Yglesias | web only

What's the Big Idea?
Liberalism's leading lights convene in New York to talk message
May 25, 2004 | By Daniel Forbes | web only

Unconventional
Why Bruce Springsteen is better at convention-related mischief-making than John Kerry.
May 24, 2004 | By Michael Tomasky | web only

Un-American Activities
Republicans pouncing on Nancy Pelosi for "endangering" our troops should look in the mirror.
May 24, 2004 | By Mary Lynn F. Jones | web only

Ahmad Agonistes
Chalabi's former friends want to put him "back in his cage."
May 21, 2004 | By Jason Vest | web only

Chicken Littles Recant
Things are looking slightly up for Kerry. Can we just have the election today?
May 21, 2004 | By Terence Samuel | web only

Brock, Stock, and Barrel
A former right-wing hit man talks about Drudge, Limbaugh, and why he decided to stay in Washington and fight on our side. An interview with David Brock.
May 21, 2004 | By Tara McKelvey | web only

Bringin' Down the House
A Baptist preacher fights swearing, idleness, and floozying on reality TV -- and points up a few things about nation building along the way.
May 21, 2004 | By Noy Thrupkaew | web only

Citizen Rupert
Murdoch is officially moving the News Corp. to the United States. The motive is not exactly patriotism. The first installment of a new TAP online column.
May 20, 2004 | By Jarrett Murphy | web only

Purple People Watch
A weekly roundup of news from the swing states.
May 20, 2004 | By The American Prospect Staff | web only

Chalabi Smackdown
So now we're against him all of a sudden? Former CIA Middle East specialist Reuel Marc Gerecht explains why in an interview.
May 20, 2004 | By Laura Rozen | web only

Kerry Konfusion
A candidate in search of a theme seeks our correspondent's advice.
May 20, 2004 | By Tony Hendra | web only

The Secret Lives of Negotiators
An Israeli official and a PLO leader share a private mission -- and try to move beyond history. An interview with Yossi Beilin.
May 20, 2004 | By Jo-Ann Mort | web only

Death of a Salesman
Why Nick Berg was in Iraq.
May 20, 2004 | By Harold Meyerson | web only

History 101
Is contemporary liberalism cut off from its rich history? The first installment of a new TAP online column
May 20, 2004 | By Mark Schmitt | web only

Ending the "Working Poor"
The fight over the minimum wage.
May 19, 2004 | By Robert B. Reich | web only

McCainiacs
John McCain doesn't have to join anybody's administration in order to be useful to the Democrats.
May 19, 2004 | By Garance Franke-Ruta | web only

History Schmistory
Why history is a lousy guide when it comes to predicting presidential elections.
May 18, 2004 | By Matthew Yglesias | web only

Beyond Abu Ghraib
True, no Saddam. But there are ways in which Iraqis aren't much better off.
May 18, 2004 | By Jeffrey Dubner | web only

Ye of Little Feith
Why one of Doug Feith's underlings thinks he might go to jail.
May 18, 2004 | By Laura Rozen | web only

End Times
The Bushies may be accomplishing what liberals never could -- bringing the era of conservative morality to a close.
May 17, 2004 | By Michael Tomasky | web only

Food Fight
Hill Republicans are not just slinging scraps at Dems. They're shoving them away from the table entirely.
May 17, 2004 | By Mary Lynn F. Jones | web only

China Blues
An unhappy wife, a distant husband, and an out-of-town guest -- in other words, a love story.
May 14, 2004 | By Noy Thrupkaew | web only

Fantastical Occupation
Bush's feckless fantasy remains unfulfilled
May 14, 2004 | By Harold Meyerson | web only

Greenspan Speak
The Fed chairman brings home the gold for hypocrisy
May 14, 2004 | By Robert Kuttner | web only

Horse Sense
What I learned about capitalism by going to the track.
May 14, 2004 | By Jane Smiley | web only

Exodus
This election, tough talk on terrorism, not pandering, will win the Jewish-American vote.
May 14, 2004 | By Kenneth S. Baer | web only

A Dream Deferred
Fifty years after Brown v. Board of Education, we're starting to see deep flaws in the Supreme Court decision, says Derrick Bell.
May 14, 2004 | By Alex P. Kellogg | web only

Trust Busted
How American moral authority died, who killed it, and why nincompoops like James Inhofe will never learn.
May 13, 2004 | By Jason Vest | web only

Mr. Christ
On Meet the Press, Tim Russert nails another sissy flip-flopper.
May 13, 2004 | By Charles P. Pierce | web only

War Words
If you're explaining, you're losing. Look who's doing a lot of explaining on Capitol Hill these days.
May 13, 2004 | By Terence Samuel | web only

Workers, Stiffed
Bush and Co. are doing their best to keep wages low for those who make the least.
May 12, 2004 | By Jared Bernstein | web only

Choice Cuts
Cost-benefit analysis is often used to support industry wish lists. Should we blame the method or the masters?
May 12, 2004 | By Frank Ackerman, Kerry Smith and Lisa Heinzerling | web only

New World Order
Rumsfeld thinks most people in other countries like the United States. He'd better think again.
May 11, 2004 | By Matthew Yglesias | web only

Picture This
Abu Ghraib proves that when it comes to weapons of war, nothing packs as much firepower as a camera.
May 11, 2004 | By Richard B. Woodward | web only

The Mixed-Up Politics of the Deficit
May 11, 2004 | By Robert B. Reich | web only

Republican Cowboys
The GOP is shooting down its opposition on the Hill.
May 10, 2004 | By Mary Lynn F. Jones | web only

Sick People
And no, we don't mean Lynndie England and the other guards at Abu Ghraib.
May 10, 2004 | By Michael Tomasky | web only

Big-Mac Attack
A filmmaker tries to change the world -- by stuffing himself at McDonald's.
May 7, 2004 | By Noy Thrupkaew | web only

'Bell Curve' -- Levant Version
Wherein our intrepid correspondent unearths some fascinating right-wing research.
May 6, 2004 | By Tony Hendra | web only

Baghdad Blues
Bush's Iraq is a disaster, and Kerry should steer clear of it.
May 6, 2004 | By Robert Kuttner | web only

Kerry's Iraq Choices
Does John Kerry run the risk of being too consistent on Iraq?
May 6, 2004 | By Harold Meyerson | web only

Rocky Mountain High
Sure, Bush won Colorado last time. Come November, though, he'd better watch out.
May 6, 2004 | By Terence Samuel | web only

The Next Step in Iraq
Should we stay? Can we go? TAP debates the U.S. military presence in Iraq. Moderated by Jeffrey Dubner.
May 5, 2004 | By Dennis Kucinich and Michael O'Hanlon | web only

Bias Crimes
David Brock once worked inside the "Republican noise machine." Now, with a new Web site, he's trying to silence it.
May 4, 2004 | By Tara McKelvey | web only

On the Ground
Official reports on the progress of Iraqi reconstruction are anything but encouraging.
May 4, 2004 | By Matthew Yglesias | web only

Patriot Act
Nine months after Valerie Plame was outed, her husband blames Scooter, Karl, and that “lying SOB” Dick Cheney. An interview with Ambassador Joseph Wilson.
May 3, 2004 | By Tara McKelvey | web only

Roadkill
In an effort to steamroll Democrats, Republicans are holding up an important bill that would help U.S. highways.
May 3, 2004 | By Mary Lynn F. Jones | web only

Outsmarting Outsourcing
Time-tested policies can keep the American middle class strong in the new global economy.
May 2, 2004 | By Robert Kuttner | web only