Revitalizing Democracy

The Bush administration continues to try to strip as many safety and oversight regulations as it can on the way out the door. It's encouraging that these moves are getting more media attention, but it'd be nice if more mainstream outlets really pressed the question – how do any of these actions serve the public good? Perhaps Bush, or at least Dana Perino, can explain how these moves are a positive addition to the Bush legacy.more »

Among the many decisions facing Barack Obama is what to do about the military prison at the Guantánamo Bay Naval Base, and the many prisoners held there for years, in most cases without trials or charges. On a larger scale, Obama and his team will be judging the Bush administration's very notions of justice, and the world will be watching. more »

Plenty of folks have already noted the absurdity of pundits and politicians in 2004 declaring that Bush's narrow victory gave him a "mandate" while now in 2008 they're saying that Obama's much more significant victory means he needs to govern in a centrist or even "center-right" fashion. more »

Washington Post reporter Barton Gellman's book Angler expands on his Pulitzer-winning series with Jo Becker and takes one of the closest looks yet into the Cheney Vice Presidency. Its account also raises major questions about transparency, oversight and accountability for the next administration. In a recent article, "How to Angle: 10 Tips for the Next Vice President," Gellman listed his "Cheney Rules": more »

One of the things I hoped for when Michelle Obama spoke at the Democratic convention, was that she would introduce Americans to the America that she came from and the America that was the setting of her story. One of the biggest shames in this campaign is the lack of any discussion of the reality that we don't all live in the same America. It's one reality that both progressives and conservatives must grapple with between now and November, and beyond.more »

You may differ on the merits with the supporters of the District of Columbia's gun ban, who were handed a major defeat by the Supreme Court on Thursday. But progressives can't deny this: The conservative bloc on the court is a rogue band of ideological thugs who care less about strict constructionism and all of the other conservative legal buzzwords they use, but are all about furthering a conservative political agenda.more »

The Bush administration's gross abuse of presidential power demands that we insist on the next president reversing the damage done to the constitutional principle of separation of powers. more »

Ruling impeachment off the table hasn't hurt congressional Democrats politically. But the constitutional implications are far more disturbing. According to the leading case on presidential powers, if Bush's extreme assertions of power are not challenged by the Congress, they end up not simply creating new law, they could end up rewriting the Constitution itself.more »