Download the full issue (PDF, 840K)

Notebook

A Long Lost To-Do List

Point-Counterpoint

Cheney’s Got a Gun

DumbAss!

The Smart Ass Index

Domestic Policy

The Future of Energy: The Prospects for Weaning America Off Oil – Marshall Geck

Those watching the President’s State of the Union may have been surprised by his observation that the United States is “addicted” to oil (unless they listened to President Carter make the same observation back in 1980). Given the President’s background, his observation was a bit like a drug dealer telling an addict that they need to lay off the crack pipe a bit. In other words, America’s dependence on oil has gotten way out of hand. [more]

A Loss of Choice: South Dakota Passes Law At Odds with Legal Precedent – Sarah Gold and Michelle Wasserman

On March 6, 2006, South Dakota Governor Michael Rounds signed into law a bill that, if upheld, will make it a felony to perform an abortion within the state except as a lifesaving measure. Supporters of the law hope that it will pave the way for an eventual overturning of the 1973 landmark Supreme Court decision; opponents argue that the law’s singular allowance for the life of the mother is too restrictive, and that abortion should be legal in case of rape and incest as well—a position that even President Bush supports. [more]

National

In the Wake of Katrina: America Still Not Ready Months After the Storm – Natalie Nava

As the public continues to learn more about the complete failure at all levels of government to respond to the biggest natural disaster in the United States in years, Republicans find themselves playing the blame game—with themselves. Michael Brown, the former director of FEMA, the agency in charge of Katrina relief, received the bulk of the criticism directed at the government’s response to the hurricane. Officials from the Department of Homeland Security told the Governmental Affairs Committee that neither they, nor the president, knew about the extent of the damage caused by Katrina until August 30. This was 24 hours after Brown was first warned of the storm, a claim which Brown fervently denies. [more]

It’s Not Dubai, It’s Dubya: What the Deal Showed About Bush and National Security – Jamie Beard

If you’ve tuned into CNN in the last few weeks (we’ll forgive you this time if you’ve been watching Fox), you’ve heard about the Bush Administration’s latest misstep. Their mistake wasn’t the authorization of a deal that would have sold six U.S. ports to a company based in the United Arab Emirates. It wasn’t even their failure to recognize the political volatility of such an arrangement. [more]

Opinion

Hamas’ Rise to Power: Hamas, Israel, and the Prospects for Peace – David Denney

As news of Hamas’ victory in the recent Palestinian elections spread, hundreds joined in mass celebrations in the West Bank, Gaza strip and elsewhere in the Middle East. Palestinians voted overwhelmingly for a change in government, from Fatah, the largest constituency of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), to Hamas, an organization classified by the United States and European Union governments as a terrorist group. [more]

Cartoons and Free Speech: The Fine Line Between Free Speech and Intolerance – Itamar Haritan

Once upon a time, an author named Salman Rushdie said, “Free speech is the whole thing, the whole ball game. Free speech is life itself.” A Muslim author, Rushdie wrote a book in 1988 called The Satanic Verses, a book critical of Islam and irreverent of the prophet Muhammad. The book immediately sparked a fanatical response from the Muslim world. [more]

The Effects of Fear: A Take on the Cartoon Controversy – Andy Sponring

From Nigeria to Indonesia, people have died in the streets as chaotic riots erupted over the now-infamous Danish cartoons of the prophet Mohammed. Watching the violence in the news, it was hard to avoid asking oneself whether Muslim societies simply have a penchant for rioting? For an American used to seeing extremely irreverent portrayals of religious and political leaders, the outrage over what might do little more than caused raised eyebrows if found in the editorial section of the New York Times is a bit hard to understand. [more]

Election 2006

Battleground District: Two Candidates Vying for the Democratic Nomination – Travis Garcia and Andrea Olson

A look at Jerry McNerney and Steve Filson, two Democrats seeking to oust Richard Pombo (R-Tracy) from Congress.

We Band of Brothers: Democratic War Veterans Gear Up for 2006 Elections – Brian Wantz

On February 8th, forty members of a group called “Band of Brothers: Veterans for a Secure America” gathered on the Capitol mall. No gathering of such size had taken place since 1946, the year after World War II ended. Introduced by Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, a veteran himself, each man and woman present was given time to say their piece. Each one is a veteran, and each one is running for Congress this year—as a Democrat. [more]

Presidential Spotlight

More Than a Fallback Plan: Mark Warner—The Anti-Hillary – Sarah Edwards

The next presidential election is nearly one thousand days ahead of us, but this fact hasn’t stopped the political world—everyone from activists to bloggers to consultants to fundraisers to the average voter—from speculating as to which individual each party will put forth as their nominee in 2008. At this early date, a favorite has emerged. [more]