Recent Accountability Commentaries

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EO 9066
In the hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan, Franklin Roosevelt had to make a number of critical decisions for the country; not the least of which was standing before Congress and the American people to clearly explain what had happened and what America’s response would be. While Roosevelt was responsible for a number of significant decisions in...
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December 12, 2011
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“Guilty, Your Honor”
I’ve written about Major John Baldwin, (Ret.) before. A vascular surgeon who served with distinction in Viet Nam and several hospitals after the war, John’s ‘moment of principle’ was featured in my book, “What Do You Stand For?” John has since become a valued friend and supporter of this writer. Commenting on ethics in general and Joe Paterno in particular,...
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December 2, 2011
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Say it ain’t so, Joe!
Like a lot of fans of Penn State, I was shocked to learn of the allegations of sexual assault on at least 8 young boys over a 15-year period by former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky. However, I was completely unprepared to learn of head coach Joe Paterno’s lack of action when he first heard of the abuse in 2002...
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November 11, 2011
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11/23
That’s the deadline facing the bipartisan Congressional committee on a plan to reduce the country’s deficit by at least $1.2 trillion over the next ten years. “I am worried you’re going to fail – fail the country.” That’s what Erskine Bowles recently said to the committee. Bowles was one of the co-chairs of the president’s fiscal commission originally set-up to...
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November 7, 2011
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The Obameter
Politifact, the Pulitzer Prize winning fact-check group has carefully kept track of all 508 campaign promises made by then candidate Obama. Politifact breaks them down into the following categories: “Promises Kept,” “Compromised,” “Promises Broken,” “Stalled,” “In the Works” and “Not yet rated.” According to Politifact, President Obama has kept 151 promises; among them: Establish a Credit Card Bill of Rights; Expand loan programs for...
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October 28, 2011
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Rodeo Round-up, Washington Style
Yee-Haa! That’s right, boys and girls it’s time once again for anotherPolitifact Rodeo Round-up. Who’s shootin’ straight and who’s fibbin’ from the lip. First out of the chute is the round-up’s most sensational newcomer, Herman “Yes, we” Cain. Of  21 statements checked, Politifact rated 14% as Mostly True, 19% Half True, 14% Mostly False, 43% False and 10% Pants-on-Fire.  » Read more about: Rodeo...
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October 26, 2011
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Crossroads, revised
On August 5th, I posted a commentary entitled, America at a Crossroads. The original image used (below) is a photograph entitled “Crossroads after a night of rain” photographed and copyrighted by Martin Liebemann. I had originally believed the use of the photo to fall under the “fair use” category of U.S. copyright law whereby I could use such a photo as...
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September 28, 2011
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Bachmannian Ethics
While Aristotle is often referred to as the “philosopher of common sense” due to his works on logic, being, nature and ethics, Tea Party Presidential candidate Michele Bachmann eschews all of that in bringing forth all manner of false facts and flawed thinking. This is the same congresswoman who declared at a Florida rally, “I don’t know how much God...
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September 21, 2011
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Politifact and the Debt Talks
Six weeks ago, a friendly conversation ended with a wager. “I’ll bet they settle the NFL strike before the debt-ceiling issue.” When it comes to wagering, my track record is far from sterling. This time, however, I came out a winner. Why? Simple, money… $9 billion, to be exact. No matter what details the players and owners were haggling over,...
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July 27, 2011
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The Answer Man
Writer Arlen Faber is a god. After authoring the global phenomenon, Me and God, everyone and their grandmother wants answers to the great unanswered questions in life. The problem is world famous (J.K. Rowling famous) Arlen doesn’t want to talk to anyone. Well, that’s not entirely correct. Arlen is a perennial misanthrope… Okay, he’s an a#$&hole who only begins to think...
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July 22, 2011

Read Some of the Most Recent Articles
The Latest... And Often Greatest
The Supreme Court is Broken. How Do We Fix It?
As distilled from an email update from Michael Waldman, President and CEO of the Brennan Center for Justice. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court struck down...
Leadership as a Moral Act
Britain’s King Charles III spoke to a chamber that, for a moment, set aside party labels—Democrat and Republican—and listened not as factions, but as participants...
Unity is Not a Declaration. It’s a Discipline.
How does a country move from argument to action? The shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner is not an isolated event. It is part...
When the Line No Longer Holds
There are moments when events reveal more than they intend. What unfolded Saturday at the Washington Hilton was not simply an isolated act. It was...
How High Can Leadership Rise?
What is power accountable to when it no longer accepts limits? We have seen what happens when power turns inward—when it begins to believe it...
The Burden of Command
What does leadership require when decisions send others into harm’s way, and uncertainty is shared not just by those in command, but by the nation...