Author Archives: RagBlog

NBC Battles To Keep Kucinich Out of Las Vegas Debateby John Nichols Some principles are worth fighting for: like the cherished right of television networks to decide who is and who is not a legitimate candidate for president.0115 03 NBC … Continue reading →

The ‘I’ Wordby Cindy Sheehan Once, when my children were young, one of them rushed into me and said: “Mama, so-and-so said the ‘K’ word.” I don’t remember which one of my children was the tattler, or which one was … Continue reading →

MLK, LBJ, Clinton, Obama and the Politics of Memoryby John Nichols In the agonizingly absurd civil rights “debate” between the supporters of Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, I’m with the Lion of Anacostia. “If there is no … Continue reading →

Is There Any Politician Reading These Polls? Big Business is Even More Unpopular Than You ThoughtBy Robert Weissman 15/01/08 “Counterpunch” — — The U.S. public holds Big Business in shockingly low regard. A November 2007 Harris poll found that less … Continue reading →

Repress U: How to Build a Homeland Security Campus in Seven StepsBy Michael Gould-Wartofsky Free speech zones. Taser guns. Hidden cameras. Data mining. A new security curriculum. Private security contractors… Welcome to the new homeland security campus From Harvard to … Continue reading →

Bush Prods Saudi Arabia on High Oil PricesBy STEVEN LEE MYERSPublished: January 16, 2008 RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — President Bush on Tuesday urged the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to take into account the cost high oil prices were having … Continue reading →

Jose Padilla’s Suit Against John Yoo: An Interesting Idea, But Will It Get Far?By ELAINE CASSEL—-Monday, Jan. 14, 2008 As readers will likely recall, Jose Padilla is the first American citizen to be designated an “enemy combatant.” His detention without … Continue reading →

U.S. corporate elite fear candidate Edwards* Reuters, Friday January 11 2008By Kevin Drawbaugh WASHINGTON, Jan 11 (Reuters) – Ask corporate lobbyists which presidential contender is most feared by their clients and the answer is almost always the same — Democrat … Continue reading →

State secrets: Government officials making it harder and harder to hold them accountablePublished: Monday, January 14, 2008 7:13 AM EST\“Democracies die behind closed doors.” If that’s the case, democracy in America is in dire need of CPR. Since President Bush … Continue reading →

The End of the Road for George W. Bushby Chris Hedges The Gilbert and Sullivan charade of statesmanship played out by George W. Bush and his enabler, Condoleezza Rice, as they wander the Middle East is a fitting end to … Continue reading →

New Highway Blocked by Protesting Raccoons: Road KillBy ZOE BLUNT The barricade at the end of the road is decorated with freshly-planted poinsettias in a mound of earth. Yellow plastic sunflowers, two graffitied TV sets and an oversize truck tire … Continue reading →

Going Old South on Obama: Ma and Pa Clinton Flog Uppity Black ManBy ISHMAEL REED During Bill Clinton’s first run for President, I appeared on a New York radio panel with some of his black supporters, including Paul Robeson, Jr., … Continue reading →