Bullpen
Robert Shrum
Afghanistan could decide this presidency
Despite the false hopes of Republicans, Obama will prevail on health care and preside over a growing economy. The fateful test is Afghanistan.
The trillion-dollar tedium of health reform
Crucial decisions are being made on health reform, with vast amounts of money and power at stake. Too bad the public won't know what's been decided until after the fact.
How cap-and-trade is like ritual self-flagellation
Climate legislation signals to the world that we repent our selfish ways and we'll now take our lumps for the team. But are we ready for a green hair shirt?
Sarah Palin's monologue with America
Palin uses one-way communication—from speeches to Twitter—to inject herself into the public sphere while removing herself from accountability.
Obama's cynical Afghan ploy
As a candidate, Barack Obama demanded that we commit ourselves to the "real war" in Afghanistan. Now that he's in office, is he about to declare "mission accomplished?"
Why hasn't Charlie Rangel stepped down?
After documented reports of his sweetheart deals, influence peddling, unreported assets, and untaxed income, Charlie Rangel is still chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means. Can't anyone tell him to move aside?
GOP foreign policy elite still clueless
On foreign policy, Obama is trying to undo the damage of the Bush years. Why do David Frum and other Republicans want to stop him?
Obama plays to the anti-American crowd
At the U.N., the president told anti-Americans what they like to hear. The danger is that he believes not only in his inflated view of himself, but in his words, too.
What do we do about John Yoo?
Law professor John Yoo, author of the infamous Bush administration torture memos, is a controversial presence here at Berkeley. Did Yoo really write those memos in good faith?
Does the GOP stand for anything?
Republicans have concluded that by opposing everything, they can end up winning in 2010 and 2012. But can a party with no platform succeed?
Making a fetish of democracy
From Iraq to Afghanistan and beyond, Washington remains in thrall to the idea that democratization will make other nations more peaceful and reliable allies. It isn't true.
Obama heads for foreign policy disaster
Convinced of his righteousness, President Obama has set a sure course on foreign policy. It's doubtful he sees the train wreck up ahead.
The real school indoctrination scandal
Conservatives recoiled in horror from Obama's bland speech to students last week. But for anyone truly interested in indoctrinating the next generation of voters, the nation's mass-market textbooks are the preferred battleground.
After health care, the deluge
Later this fall, President Obama will sign into law a landmark health-reform bill. Then the hard part begins.
Chinese women redraw the social map
No longer bound by ancient village ties, urbanization has unleashed a new generation of Chinese women. For some, it means a Western haircut and a degree from an elite technical college. For others, it means a chance to forage in the city garbage heap.
Give health insurers more clout
Health-insurance companies may be widely detested by the public, but the trouble with American health care is not that these insurers are too strong. It's that they are too weak.
Looking Back: How health reform passed
Things may look bleak for President Obama in the first week of September. They'll look a lot different a few months from now.
Afghanistan—a quagmire worth fighting for
George Will may be right that Afghanistan is not the Good War. But it's a "good enough" war, and despite all the travails, the U.S. can't afford to lose it.
Krugman and Douthat both wrong on Kennedy
The Op-Ed page of The New York Times published two columns on Sen. Edward M. Kennedy on the same day. From Paul Krugman on the Left, and Ross Douthat on the Right, we got two fistfuls of error.
Why health-care reform failed last time
There were 80 votes available for health-care reform in the Senate in 1994, but securing them required the endorsement of one man. When Bob Dole turned his back on reform, he doomed it. He also doomed himself.
