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Michelle Goldberg on why, inside Sarah Palin’s world, her move might have seemed like a good idea: Most observers outside of conservative circles find it hard to believe that Sarah Palin has abandoned the Alaska governorship for a possible run for the presidency. It’s simply too irrational — being governor was her only conceivable qualification […]

Courtney Martin on why the grass-roots movement shouldn’t be forgotten in the debate on climate change: The House spent last week arguing over the specifics of the pending climate legislation, which is now headed to the Senate. Will it be done in time for the big meeting in Copenhagen so the U.S. can rescue its […]

Christopher Moraff on the effort to legalize drugs in Mexico: A call for drug-policy reform is echoing across Latin America, where a decades-long, U.S.-sponsored battle against drug production and distribution has fostered a climate of fear, insecurity, and death. Throughout the region, former and current political leaders have allied with academics, medical professionals, and community […]

Gershom Gorenberg on the future of the two-state strategy in Israel-Palestine: Let’s face it: When Barack Obama said in Cairo that “the only resolution” of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is two separate states, he was courageously insisting — well, on what’s become conventional wisdom. But not the unanimous wisdom. The hardliners on each side aren’t alone […]

Dana Goldstein on the challenges of creating national education standards: A year ago, the idea of setting national education standards was a lot like the idea of legalizing marijuana: Despite all common sense, it just wasn’t going to happen. Yet on June 1, the National Governors’ Association announced that 49 states and territories have signed […]

Asawin Suebsaeng engages satirist P.J. O’Rourke in some debate: P.J. O’Rourke, the libertarian political satirist, is famous for his hilarious — though usually wrongheaded — skewering of all things government-related. But these days, as President Barack Obama rolls out nearly $800 billion in stimulus spending and meddles with the financial sector, O’Rourke isn’t joking when […]

Paul Waldman on why 2009 isn’t 1993 in the battle for health-care reform: Talk to progressives on the subject of health care, and you will find they’ve gotten more and more nervous in the last couple of weeks. They are acutely aware that momentum for health-care reform seems to gain sufficient speed to make real […]

Dana Goldstein on why most women lack bargaining power during the recession, and what it means for work-life balance. You can’t always get what you want. Especially in a recession. Unfortunately, Katty Kay and Claire Shipman, network television correspondents on a nationwide book tour and media blitz, haven’t gotten the memo. In their book, Womenomics, […]

Eli Sanders on what’s next for drugs in America. The “war on drugs” may be over, but that doesn’t mean legalization is around the corner: As far as statements from high government officials go, it was a radical declaration. Kerlikowske, and by extension Barack Obama, was rejecting four decades of federal government marching orders — […]