Category: Election

As the Bush administration nears its end, the debate over what Obama should do about officials who authorized torture, humiliation or systematic abuse of detainees as part of the “war on terror” has become more urgent. Even as the pressure on Obama to take action grows, some prominent legal experts are urging restraint.

Gay men and women across the country are taking part in today’s “Day Without a Gay” economic boycott. Outraged by the recent passage of California’s Proposition 8 to overturn state rules allowing same-sex couples to marry, they and their supporters want everyone to be clear on where they stand. Here is what’s happening in Huston.

When it comes to protecting George W. Bush and his administration, Attorney General Michael Mukasey is stretching legal arguments as far as his predecessor Alberto Gonzales ever did – now even invoking the “Nixon Defense” for justifying presidential wrongdoing.

New General Accounting Report serves as a peephole into the myriad internal problems of the executive branch, depicting a federal bureaucracy that is rife with mismanagement, inefficiency, and faulty communication practices—all of this combining to jeopardize both the nation’s health and security.

President-elect Barack Obama put himself on the side of the workers at the Republic Windows and Doors factory Sunday:“When it comes to the situation here in Chicago with the workers who are asking for their benefits and payments they have earned, I think they are absolutely right,” Obama said Sunday at a news conference.

BILL AYERS: In the recently concluded presidential race, I was unwillingly thrust upon the stage and asked to play a role in a profoundly dishonest drama. I refused, and here’s why. Unable to challenge the content of Barack Obama’s campaign, his opponents invented a narrative about a young politician who emerged from nowhere, a man of charm, intelligence and skill, but with an exotic background and a strange name.

TOM HAYDEN: What does the US-Iraq Security Pact mean for the antiwar movement? It certainly may cement an American perception that the war is finally over, stranding the peace movement as public opinion turns its attention to the economy and the Obama administration. If the Pact’s terms are maintained, President-elect Obama will be acquiescing in a doubling of his 16-month deadline for withdrawal of combat troops, but also for the first time accepting a date for removal of so-called residual American forces–since “all” means all counter-terrorism units, advisers, trainers and back-up forces that could total 50,000 or more.

Though many on the left put forth an analysis that appreciated the importance of defeating McCain and the Republican party, few of us were prepared for the raw emotion that surfaced in the wake of Barack Obama’s victory on November 4th. Cities across the US celebrated spontaneously in the streets and it seemed like the whole world celebrated with them. People’s feelings of joy can be attributed to a wide range of reasons, but a few of them seem primary.

San Diego neighborhoods closest to the shore that are most affected by a beach booze ban soundly rejected Proposition D, despite arguments from supporters that a permanent prohibition was needed to make beaches safer. The restrictions, which also apply to the city’s waterfront parks, trailed in virtually every precinct in Mission Beach, Ocean Beach and Pacific Beach, the epicenter of the debate, The San Diego Union-Tribune found in an analysis of the Nov. 4 election results.

Eight members of the RNC Welcoming Committee were arrested and are awaiting trial on charges of conspiracy to commit second-degree riot. They are accused of plotting to shut down the convention by blockading roads. They’re also accused of planning criminal damage to property, including use of incendiary devices. Many allegations are based on reports from the undercover personnel. A deputy sheriff and two others infiltrated the RNC Welcoming Committee before GOP convention.

The terrorist attacks in Mumbai call out to President-elect Barack Obama and his advisors to rethink the signature blunder of George W. Bush’s eight years in office – the so-called War on Terror. As US intelligence reports have made clear, the centerpiece of the supposed campaign against terror, the military occupation of Iraq, has increased the likelihood of more attacks like those in Mumbai, Madrid, London and Manhattan.
by Steve Weissman

MARK RUDD: Just the mere mention of the names Hillary Clinton and Lawrence Summers alone conjure up a litany of horrendous right-wingers appointed to top level positions. Betrayal is the name of the game.
But wait a second. Let’s talk about a few things: