May 2007

A Lack of Audacity
How Obama's health care plan resembles the candidate himself -- a proposal filled with "almosts" from a politician who still hasn't quite fulfilled the promise of his appeal.
May 30, 2007 | By Ezra Klein | web only

Stock Market Bull
Why is the stock market still bullish? You can thank leveraged buyouts and corporate buy-backs of stock for it. But make no mistake: This can't last.
May 30, 2007 | By Robert B. Reich | web only

A Faith in Dialogue
TAP talks to a participant in the recent delegation of American Christian leaders who visited Iran -- and met with Ahmadinejad.
May 30, 2007 | By Laura Rozen | web only

Make 'Em Vote!
The case for requiring new citizens to register to vote -- and perhaps native-born Americans, too.
May 30, 2007 | By Thomas Geoghegan | web only

Why Japan Won't Save the Whales
The Japanese government is expanding its whale catches and winning support with pseudoscience.
May 28, 2007 | By Sidney Holt and Erika Casriel | web only

The Deja Vu to Avoid on Iraq
If any of the political elements that led us to go into Iraq influence the fight over getting out of it, we're in trouble.
May 25, 2007 | By Terence Samuel | web only

Bumpy Ride
Beware of the "on ramp" myth. The road back to a full-time career after taking time off to raise kids is far from smooth.
May 25, 2007 | By Linda Hirshman | web only

Betting It All on the Maliki Government
The fatal flaw in the "benchmarks" approach to Iraq, and what an effective alternative might look like.
May 24, 2007 | By Daniel Levy | web only

The Price of Citizenship
When the super-rich use offshore tax havens to avoid paying what they owe in taxes, the consequence ought to be the loss of U.S. citizenship.
May 24, 2007 | By Robert B. Reich | web only

For a Global FDA
If we're going to globalize the food we eat and still wish to be safe, we need to get serious.
May 24, 2007 | By Harold Meyerson | web only

Wanted: A Liberal Dick Cheney
Why a progressive vice president should follow the Cheney model.
May 24, 2007 | By A.J. Rossmiller | web only

How Safe Are Imported Foods?
The tainted pet food scare shows what can happen when a country with unregulated markets becomes the world's largest producer of foodstuffs.
May 23, 2007 | By J. Goodrich | web only

Planting the Seeds for a New Ag Policy
There finally seems to be some momentum to improve U.S. agricultural policy. But will it be enough to fix the farm bill?
May 23, 2007 | By Alina Hoffman | web only

A P.R. Firm for a Christian Nation
Christian Newswire serves Jerry Falwell, Operation Rescue, Focus on the Family ... and the White House.
May 22, 2007 | By Adele M. Stan | web only

The Coming Peacekeeping Crunch
The costs of UN peacekeeping missions across the globe have ballooned -- and, along with them, so have America's arrears.
May 22, 2007 | By Mark Leon Goldberg | web only

The Spoiler
Whenever the administration shifts toward engagement, one figure is there to stop it. How Dick Cheney ensures diplomatic failure with Tehran.
May 22, 2007 | By Gareth Porter | web only

The Trauma that Remains
Soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and seeking treatment for PTSD face a flawed and spotty public system.
May 21, 2007 | By Kay Steiger | web only

Time Off for the Overworked American
Our national work ethic should make us consider passing legislation to ensure we're all taking enough vacation.
May 21, 2007 | By Courtney E. Martin | web only

The Meaning of the Midterms
A new book examines Rahm Emanuel's hardball strategy in the midterm elections, and wonders if it's the right direction for Dems.
May 21, 2007 | By Sarah Goldstein | web only

Beyond "Card Check"
What a comprehensive labor agenda would look like -- and why the Democratic candidates should be on record with their stances on it.
May 18, 2007 | By Dmitri Iglitzin | web only

The Trouble With Food Politics
Barbara Kingsolver's new book on local and homegrown food typifies the elite class outlook that too often afflicts the politics of good eating.
May 18, 2007 | By Tracie McMillan | web only

The YouTube Advantage
Bill Richardson's "job interview" ads may have been created for Iowa voters, but they're influencing political opinion makers as they circulate on the Web.
May 18, 2007 | By Terence Samuel | web only

Lipstick on a Pig
Big oil and meat processing companies are getting tax breaks for creating animal-fat biofuels that aren't any better than diesel.
May 17, 2007 | By Rina Palta | web only

The Cost of the "Voter Fraud" Fraud
The real scandal behind the U.S. attorney firings is the Republican Party's pursuit of voter suppression.
May 17, 2007 | By Harold Meyerson | web only

What Falwell Never Learned
Falwell never grasped how to brand faith for pop cultural consumption.
May 17, 2007 | By Sarah Posner | web only

The Powder Keg Up North
Why Iraqi Kurdistan may be heading for deadly trouble -- and Kirkuk may be the flash point.
May 17, 2007 | By Jason Motlagh | web only

A Better Idea for College Loans
Here's how to prevent college loans from being a straitjacket that determines graduates' career choices.
May 16, 2007 | By Robert B. Reich | web only

Is Help On the Way?
Evidence suggests that the Labor Department is seeking to limit federal compensation payouts to victims of Cold War-era nuclear contamination.
May 16, 2007 | By Audrey Dutton | web only

Rendition on Trial
TAP talks to a prosecutor in the first-ever trial of those involved in America's "extraordinary rendition" policy.
May 15, 2007 | By Laura Rozen | web only

Interventionism's Last Hold-Out
The Iraqi exile who convinced many liberal interventionists to support the war now stands alone in saying invasion was the right decision.
May 15, 2007 | By Tara McKelvey | web only

The Ghost of George Kennan
Two new books assess the nature of our alliances and what containment could mean today.
May 15, 2007 | By Aziz Huq | web only

How the Media Skew Gender Research
Studies that support traditional roles for women get popularized, while more nuanced research can't generate buzz.
May 14, 2007 | By J. Goodrich | web only

Will the GOP Make a Statement?
Why rank-and-file Republicans might opt to send a protest message by throwing the '08 fight with a statement candidate.
May 14, 2007 | By Thomas F. Schaller | web only

The Match Off the Field
Acclaimed Iranian director Jafar Panahi scores with his vibrant new film, Offside.
May 11, 2007 | By Noy Thrupkaew | web only

More Congressional Diplomacy, Please
Winning the fight at home over the war, Democrats should plan for the peace abroad -- and pursue Mid-East diplomacy themselves.
May 11, 2007 | By Terence Samuel | web only

The Private-Equity Scam
Private-equity firms enjoy a tax loophole worth billions of dollars. It's time to close it.
May 11, 2007 | By Robert B. Reich | web only

America's Imprisoned Kids
The United States is an outlier in the world when it comes to detaining and sentencing juvenile offenders as adults. But there are finally signs of change.
May 11, 2007 | By Ari Paul | web only

Feds Crack Down on Immigrant Labor Organizers
Recent immigration raids in North Carolina weren't just about deporting undocumented workers.
May 11, 2007 | By David Bacon | web only

Falling Man's Precarious Balance
In his new 9/11 novel, Don DeLillo manages to avoid "United 93 syndrome" and tell a powerful tale without heroic sentimentalism.
May 11, 2007 | By Laura Frost | web only

Trade War
Do liberals need to rethink their outlook on globalization? Two progressive economists debate.
May 10, 2007 | By Jeff Faux and James K. Galbraith | web only

All American Suck-Ups
Don't believe the "hardy independence" nonsense. Americans eagerly pander to state and throne -- and have throughout the country's history.
May 10, 2007 | By Jon Margolis | web only

Wake Me Up When September Ends
September will supposedly be the moment for a definitive verdict on the war. Don't bet on it.
May 10, 2007 | By Spencer Ackerman | web only

The Enron Enablers
It looks like the financial firms that helped the company cook its books just might get away with it.
May 10, 2007 | By Harold Meyerson | web only

Breaking the Consensus (Finally)
For the first time in a long time, it may be politically achievable to make globalization work for working Americans.
May 10, 2007 | By Jeff Faux | web only

Why Populists Need to Re-think Trade
Progressives prioritize a trade agenda that would not actually achieve the objectives they have in mind. It's time they adopted a reality-based approach.
May 10, 2007 | By James K. Galbraith | web only

Wish Upon a Czar
In the face of disastrous policies and administrative incompetence, the president has an answer every time: Appoint a new "czar."
May 9, 2007 | By Steve Benen | web only

Benedict in Brazil
The Pope visits a country now led by adherents to the liberation theology he tried to crush.
May 9, 2007 | By Adele M. Stan | web only

The Trouble with Helping Iran's Dissidents
Iranian reform activists have a love/hate relationship with the Western NGOs that often advocate on their behalf.
May 9, 2007 | By Iason Athanasiadis | web only

Spy Games
TAP talks to the author of a new book on an Italian agency's crucial role in advancing faulty pre-war intelligence on yellowcake in Niger.
May 9, 2007 | By Onnesha Roychoudhuri | web only

Why Royal Flopped
Her loss to Sarkozy marked merely the latest in a string of missed opportunities for the Socialists in France.
May 8, 2007 | By Sarah Wildman | web only

Do Low-Income Women Have a Right to Choose?
The cost of abortion makes it inaccessible to many women -- which is why the Dems should be pushing to repeal the ban on public funding for it.
May 8, 2007 | By Allison Stevens | web only

Welcome to the New TAP Online
A letter from the editors explaining why it's so great.
May 8, 2007 | By Sam Rosenfeld and Ann Friedman | web only

George Tenet's Twisted Intel
In his new memoir, the former CIA chief proves to be a master of non-apology apologies.
May 8, 2007 | By Spencer Ackerman | web only

French Disconnection
Segolene Royal isn't the one unifying the left in the French election -- Nicolas Sarkozy is.
May 4, 2007 | By Judah Grunstein | web only

The Real Iraq-Vietnam Connection
The key similarity between the two wars is how they eroded the American people's trust in their government.
May 4, 2007 | By Terence Samuel | web only

Spidey Senseless
The third time is very rarely the charm, and the angst-filled Spider-Man 3 -- all plot holes and Band-Aids -- is no exception.
May 4, 2007 | By Noy Thrupkaew | web only

Abramoff's Go-To Earmarker
How the recent indictment of a congressional staffer connects Congressman Don Young with Washington's most famous crooked lobbyist.
May 3, 2007 | By Sarah Posner | web only

Missing the Middle
Fifteen years after the riots, L.A. embodies the progress and problems of America's increasingly two-tier cities.
May 3, 2007 | By Harold Meyerson | web only

Double Decoupling
The rest of the world's major economies no longer depend on America's. Neither do America's own largest corporations.
May 2, 2007 | By Robert B. Reich | web only

They Know Best
Melody Rose's book charts the rise of paternalism in Supreme Court doctrine on abortion.
May 1, 2007 | By Scott Lemieux | web only

Rosie the Riveter
Why do right-wing pundits hate Rosie O'Donnell so much? Because she was the lone ardently progressive voice in corporate news programming.
May 1, 2007 | By Jennifer L. Pozner | web only