Salon.com
Constitutional law attorney and contributing writer to Salon.com; writer of the blog, Unclaimed Territory; author of How Would a Patriot Act?: Defending American Values from a President Run Amok, A Tragic Legacy: How a Good vs. Evil Mentality Destroyed the Bush Presidency, Great American Hypocrites: Toppling the Big Myth of Republican Politics and With Liberty and Justice for Some: How the Law Is Used to Destroy Equality and Protect the Powerful
Obama's 'Kill List' and the Rules of War The New York Times has published a lengthy account of what it calls, "the strangest of bureaucratic rituals." At meetings held every week or so, President Obama presides and takes full responsibility for deciding which of a "kill list" of suspected terrorists will live or die.
Obama the Warrior in a New Kind of War Soon after President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize, he began authorizing the killing of individuals deemed threatening to the United States. Now he presides over regular meetings that determine which terrorist suspects will live or die, along with others who may become "collateral damage."
The Obama Record, His Re-election Campaign and the Middle Class After a first term full of disappointments, some progressive Democrats are saying that President Obama finally found his voice this week in Kansas. Obama's carefully crafted speech invoked Republican President Theodore Roosevelt, who made a speech in the same town more than 100 years ago, calling equal opportunity the cornerstone of democracy.
The Debt Ceiling, the President and Next Year's Campaign Republicans claim they made deficit reduction the price the President had to pay for increasing the debt ceiling so the US could pay its bills. Does that make Barack Obama look like a weak leader? Did he give up too much to hold on to his base or the right amount to appeal to centrist voters?
Sex, WikiLeaks and the Law Julian Assange spent last night in a London Jail, without bail on an arrest warrant from Sweden. He has not been charged with a crime, but Swedish authorities say two women have accused him of rape and sexual harassment. Assange says it’s really all about WikiLeaks .
Sex, WikiLeaks and the Law Julian Assange spent last night in a London Jail, without bail on an arrest warrant from Sweden. He has not been charged with a crime, but Swedish authorities say two women have accused him of rape and sexual harrassment. Assange says it's really all about WikiLeaks . Meantime, the international uproar over WikiLeaks continues.
Torture Memos: Will the Truth Lead to Consequences? President Obama says Attorney General Eric Holder will have to decide if lawyers in the Bush Justice Department should be prosecuted for memos justifying harsh interrogation techniques. This week, the Senate Intelligence Committee revealed that dissenting legal views were brushed aside by the Bush White House.
The Torture Memos: Truth and Consequences President Obama says Attorney General Eric Holder will have to decide if lawyers in the Bush Justice Department should be prosecuted for memos justifying harsh interrogation techniques. This week, the Senate Intelligence Committee revealed that dissenting legal views were brushed aside by the Bush White House.
DOJ Follows Bush Lead, Invokes ‘State Secrets’ in Rendition Case Candidate Barack Obama harshly criticized the Bush Administration's treatment of detainees in the so-called War on Terror and has ordered the closing of Guantánamo Bay.
Has the Bush Administration Taken Presidential Power Too Far? If Bill Clinton's impeachment was a curb on the excesses of the executive branch, it didn't last long. Even some Republicans concede that George W. Bush claimed unprecedented presidential authority, which may have led to violations of law.
Did the FBI Really Crack the Anthrax Case? Soon after September 11, seven anthrax-laced letters killed five people, injured 17 and stoked fears of a new wave of terror. Steven Hatfill was publicly identified as a “person of interest” in the case. The FBI took reporters along when they raided his home.
Lame-Duck President Gets His FISA Bill Last week the Democratic majorities in Congress passed--and the president signed --the FISA bill .
Obama: A Transcendent Figure or the Conventional Politician? Despite many months of campaigning and hours of TV exposure, Barack Obama remains a puzzle to millions of potential voters. Is he a high-minded idealist with the vision and the capacity to get America back on track, or another Machiavellian politician who just wants to win?
Terrorist Suspects and the November Election Yesterday, the House passed new rules for detaining, interrogating and prosecuting suspected terrorists . They are key to President Bush's national security agenda, which Republicans plan to showcase during the mid-term election campaigns. Today, Bush went to Capitol Hill, urging Senate approval of the bill .
Do it for the kids, Gavin Gavin Newsom’s early policy proposals offer a glimmer of hope for California’s youngest residents.
The march toward a teachers strike sounds familiar Higher salaries, larger class sizes, more counselors, librarians and nurses. Those are just some of the demands that members of United Teachers, Los Angeles - the union that represents teachers' at LAUSD - are asking for.
Left, Right & Center presents: Two Years, Diaries of a Divided Nation Listen to America change… one person at a time. For these six people, the politics of the Trump era have changed everyday life. Follow them in real time through the tumultuous two years since he became president.
Who are the political players in the LA teachers strike? Thousands of LA public school teachers are going to be back out on the picket lines for a second day. They walked off the job Monday after failing to reach a contract agreement with the LA Unified School District, despite months of negotiations.