Recent Politics Commentaries

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There’s No Place Like Nome
I have serious doubts about Sarah Palin’s ability to serve as vice-president. Here’s Palin’s response to CBS News anchor Katie Couric’s question regarding Palin’s foreign-policy experience. Palin: “It’s very important when you consider even national security issues with Russia. As Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United States of America, where do they go?...
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October 3, 2008
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The Way it Should Be
“Let me be as clear as possible.  I have said before and I will repeat again, I think people’s families are off-limits, and people’s children are especially off-limits.  This shouldn’t be part of our politics.”  That’s what Senator Barack Obama said to a group of reporters when asked for his reaction to the news that the 17-year-old, unmarried daughter of vice-presidential candidate...
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September 3, 2008
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The Good, the Bad and the Ridiculous
On the last night of the Democratic convention, before Senator Barack Obama gave his acceptance speech as the Party’s nominee for president, I saw something that I have never before seen in a political ad. Senator John McCain looks into the camera and congratulates his opponent, Senator Obama, on his achievements.  In thirty seconds I couldn’t help but be touched by...
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September 1, 2008
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The Pledge
As promised, Jennifer, a congressional staffer who’s helped me navigate the Denver convention, came through with tickets for the big Kanye West concert. “Is everybody ready to PARTY?” she shouts. “YESSSS!” we all cheer. Suddenly, Jennifer’s BlackBerry rings.  “I have to take this.  Uh-huh, uh-huh… uh-oh!”  She turns to the crowd.  “We can’t go.” “WHAT?” everyone shouts in unison.  » Read more...
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August 29, 2008
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A Night at the Oprah
The Visa party went well.  Who knew Rham Emanuel was so fluent in Kantian ethics, (and that Wolf Blitzer could devour a whole tray of crab puffs)? The media has descended upon Denver like a biblical cloud of locusts.  According to CNN, there are approximately 15,000 media to 4,367 delegates at this year’s Democratic convention.  However, thanks to my new...
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August 27, 2008
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Diary of an Ethical Hack
It’s Sunday, and eighty-two degrees at the Pepsi Center in downtown Denver, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi looks cool and relaxed quietly nursing a Corona at Panzano’s, the tony Italian eatery on 17th street. Most of the patrons, Nancy included, keep glancing up at the 42-inch plasma above the bar watching the final Olympic ceremonies play out.  Party Chair Howard...
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August 25, 2008

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...