When a federal judge ruled in August that Texas can withhold millions of dollars from Planned Parenthood and other family planning clinics, Governor Rick Perry proclaimed it a "win for Texas women." As it turns out, Perry's crusade against Planned Parenthood isn't a win for either the women of Texas or the budget of the […]

It's bad enough that obstructionist Republicans in Congress have shattered the record for filibusters, blocked President Obama's judicial at an unprecedented rate and stonewalled economy-boosting legislation like the American Jobs Act. Now for the second time in as many years, extortionist GOP leaders like South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham are again refusing to raise the […]

Among the very worst practices of American broadcast news is the "focus group of one." That is, reporters casually substitute the tale of a single person, company or community for actual analysis of a complex issue. And so it was Sunday, when CBS Evening News profiled Rod Hudson of Quicksilver Analytics to warn that small […]

For Democrats, the 2012 presidential campaign has produced some delicious ironies. For starters, Mitt Romney's share of the final vote will come in at a memorable 47 percent, the same figure he used to disparage half the electorate as self-described "victims" bought off by "free stuff" and "gifts" from President Obama. But for pure schadenfreude, […]

This week, former President Bill Clinton urged calm in the face of Washington's stand-off over the so-called fiscal cliff. "They are moving toward a deal," Clinton assured Americans, suggesting that the current posturing by both parties is "just a Kabuki dance." Unfortunately, Republicans have called President Obama's $4 trillion debt reduction plan something else: a […]

During the 2012 presidential campaign, Mitt Romney like many of his GOP colleagues insisted that Americans without health insurance can always go to an emergency room. But for some with health coverage--especially Medicare--that ER is the "front door" to an unnecessary hospital admission. And as it turns out, while those filled beds and needless tests […]

If an enemy declared war on the American economy, the United States would spare no effort to remove that threat to its prosperity and national security. So it was with Osama Bin Laden, who in 2004 described his goal as "bleeding America to the point of bankruptcy." And as it turns out, by 2020 Uncle […]

Reports this week that UN Ambassador Susan Rice and her Canadian husband Ian Cameron have investments in firms involved with the Keystone XL pipeline project and past energy deals in Iran are drawing scrutiny across the political spectrum. But conservatives eager to link Rice to Tehran might want to think twice. For starters, Rice's holdings […]

On Thursday, President Obama as promised will host Mitt Romney in a private lunch meeting at the White House. There, a magnanimous Obama should offer a parting gift to the small man who accused him of buying reelection by dispensing "gifts" to women, African-Americans, Hispanics, college students and other self-proclaimed "victims" supposedly comprising the 47 […]

Appearing on Fox News Sunday morning, Arizona Senator John McCain urged his Republican Party to leave the abortion issue "alone." Given the drubbing among women voters the GOP endured thanks in part to anti-abortion extremists like Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock, McCain's fear is well-founded. Well-founded and very personal. After all, the same John McCain […]