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 Editorials
Incoming
 William Rivers Pitt
All of official Washington is at this moment waiting with bated breath for the avalanche. Jack Abramoff, the disgraced super-lobbyist, has made a plea agreement in the massive prosecution against him and his cronies. The fallout from this plea deal will almost certainly result in the largest scandal to hit the capital in decades.more »»»
Border Walls
 Dick J. Reavis
If the Bush administration doesn't revise its border control legislation or enact a guest worker program by Jan. 18, it will force Mexico's next president to adopt the rhetoric of anti-American nationalism.more »»»
Immigration Death Trap
 Bill Ong Hing
If anti-immigrant forces in Congress have their way, illegal immigration would be a crime punishable by death. When the Senate returns from its holiday break, one of the first items on the agenda is dealing with immigration enforcement legislation (HR 4437) that was passed by the House just before Christmas.more »»»
A Mexican’s Resolution – Out With The Old And In With The New
 Carlos Luken
Mexico’s road to modernism has only began, with Vicente Fox into the fifth year of his administration. The generation that has reached maturity during his term was only 15 or 16 years old when Fox was inaugurated. But Mexico’s generation X is huge, and some estimate that it represents nearly 50 percent of the population.more »»»
Has Bush Gone Too Far?
 Richard Lacayo
Bush's secret directive to let the NSA snoop without warrants sounds all too much like Richard Nixon's solipsism: "When the President does it, that means that it is not illegal."more »»»
I Have a Hammer
 Marc Ash
TruthOut as a project did not get off the ground right away; it lacked a lightning rod. That changed on December 13th, 2000. The decision by five Republican Supreme Court justices to intercede on behalf of George W. Bush, effectively installing him as President of the United States, rocked the world and fired TO from the mouth of a cannon, ready or not.more »»»
Impeachment Buzz
 Ruth Conniff
In the last few weeks, the political climate has been changing, so that more people are seriously considering whether Bush has committed one or more impeachable offenses. The revelations about Bush's spying on Americans through the NSA helped change things a bit.more »»»
A Different Latin America
 NYTimes
The political balance in Latin America has clearly been shifting to the left. Nearly 300 million of South America's 365 million people live under left-wing governments. While many of these governments, like Brazil's and Chile's, have worked hard to cooperate with the US, others, like Venezuela's, have gone out of their way to bait Washington.more »»»
Where 'Che' Left Off
 LATimes
Things just keep getting more complicated down south. Evo Morales, the president-elect of Bolivia, has promised to make himself America's "nightmare." Two days after his election Dec. 18, he referred to President Bush as a "terrorist." Oh, and have we mentioned that he used to be the leader of a coca-growers' federation?more »»»
How Latins View the US
 Alvaro Vargas Llosa
The latest in-depth survey of attitudes and values across the hemisphere conducted by Latinobarómetro, a prestigious research organization, indicates that Latin Americans are now a lot "closer to God" and "farther from the U.S." than in Porfirio Díaz's time.more »»»
The Corrido of Death Row
 John Ross
Even as the United States celebrated its 1,000th execution since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976, Mexico has finally wiped its own death penalty off the books, with President Vicente Fox signing off on constitutional amendments that abolished capital punishment in both civil courts and military codes.more »»»
Uncivil Liberties
 Dahlia Lithwick
In the days after Sept. 11, everyone agreed that we needed to recalibrate the delicate balance that had been struck between security and civil liberties. It now appears, however, that while the American people thought they were bargaining in good faith with their president, he was taking what he wanted in secret.more »»»
Intelligent Design Derailed
 NYTimes
By now, the Christian conservatives who once dominated the school board in Dover, Pa., ought to rue their recklessness in forcing biology classes to hear about "intelligent design" as an alternative to the theory of evolution.more »»»
From a Tough Past to a Daunting Future in Impoverished Bolivia
 Patrick J. McDonnell
Some community leaders are talking about giving Morales 90 days from his Jan. 22 inauguration to make good on his many promises, among them nationalizing the oil and gas industries, convening a constitutional assembly and revamping the entire government and economic structure. more »»»
Illegal Immigration Concerns Could Split Both Parties
 Ron Harris
Americans are upset about the government's inability to control illegal immigration, which now accounts for about 11 million illegal residents inside the U.S. borders. Early next year, the Senate will take up the issue, a complex subject that threatens to split both parties as lawmakers try to walk a tightrope between good policy and good politics.more »»»
Big Brother Bush: The President Took a Step toward a Police State
 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Bush administration is continuing its assault on Americans' privacy and freedom in the name of the war on terrorism while maintaining information on Americans, reminiscent of the Johnson and Nixon administrations' approach to Vietnam War protesters.more »»»
The Border - Dividing Line or Common Ground?
 David Bacon
Immigration "reform" as touted in Washington is anything but. Emphasizing failed and dangerous enforcement policies, President Bush's proposal would greatly expand a growing form of corporate welfare and would make no real change in the status of the 12 million people already in the United States who have no immigration documents.more »»»
Fun Bits About American Torture
 Mark Morford
Oh my God, yes, yes we do torture, America that is, and we do it a lot, and we do it in ways that would make you sick to hear about, and we're doing it right now, all over the world.more »»»
In the Footsteps of Che Guevara: Democracy in South America
 Daniel Howden
Thirty-eight years after the revolutionary perished in the Bolivian foothills, Evo Morales is poised to become the first indigenous president of the impoverished country which has been run by politicians of European descent since independence in 1825.more »»»
Ban Torture. Period.
 The New York Times
It should have been unmitigated good news when President Bush finally announced yesterday that he would back Senator John McCain's proposal to ban torture and "cruel, inhuman or degrading" treatment at United States prison camps. However, on closer inspection, the feeling of relief faded fast.more »»»
Neither Party has Answers to Immigration
 Dick Little
Illegal immigration. We can't live with it. We can't live without it, particularly when it comes from Mexico. Democrats and Republicans both profit from it. Because of organizations like the Minute Men, Republicans are under more pressure to crack down on border security, while Democrats provide no constructive solutions.more »»»
Rove's Moment of Truth?
 Joe Conason
Stripped of deniability in the CIA leak investigation, the Bush White House now must confront the increasing possibility that the president's top political advisor will be indicted sometime soon for testifying falsely about his role in that affair.more »»»
Bolivia's Election Deserves a History Lesson
 Saul Landau
The prospect of socialist peasant leader Evo Morales as Bolivia's next president disturbed Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Charles Shapiro. "It would not be welcome news in Washington to see the increasingly belligerent Cuban-Venezuelan combo become a trio," he emailed.more »»»
At the Gates of San Quentin
 Norman Solomon
Outside the gates of San Quentin, people gathered to protest the impending execution of Stanley Tookie Williams. Hundreds became thousands as the midnight hour approached. Rage and calming prayers were in the air. On the shore of a stunning bay at a placid moment, the state prepared to kill.more »»»
Death of an American City
 NYTimes
We are about to lose New Orleans. Whether it is a conscious plan to let the city rot until no one is willing to move back or honest paralysis over difficult questions, the moment is upon us when a major American city will die, leaving nothing but a few shells for tourists to visit like a museum.more »»»
GOP Faction Wants to Change 'Birthright Citizenship' Policy
 Warren Vieth
For nearly 140 years, any child born on U.S. soil, even to an illegal immigrant, has been given American citizenship. Now, some conservatives in Congress are determined to change that.more »»»
Our Ailing Nation
 Kato Ychrana
When I joined the army almost 15 years ago, I had confidence that the leadership appointed to lead our armed forces. I would not have the same level of confidence today. Our country is ailing under this administration.more »»»
The Liberal on Karl Rove's Case
 Richard Leiby
Karl Rove's greatest defender in Washington these days is a Democratic lawyer and onetime newspaper reporter named Robert Luskin. He is Rove's attorney in the high-stakes CIA leak case, and is widely credited with sparing his client from indictment so far.more »»»
America Can't Take It Anymore
 Mark Follman
The Bush administration has embraced torture as a key part of the "war on terror." Finally, members of Congress, the military and the CIA are speaking out against the abuse.more »»»
Business as Usual: Corrupt
 Michael Kinsley
It used to be said that the moral arc of a Washington career could be divided into four parts: idealism, pragmatism, ambition and corruption. You arrive with a passion for a cause, determined to challenge the system. Then you learn to work for your cause within the system. Then rising in the system becomes your cause. Then, finally, you exploit the system - your connections in it, and your understanding of it - for personal profit. And it remains true, sort of, but faster.more »»»
Divided We Fall
 David Bacon
If Congress's current proposals for immigration reform pass this year or next, would they help the immigrant workers now doing reconstruction on the Gulf Coast? What about the residents hoping to return home - what would these proposals mean for racial divisions?more »»»
Victory, Mr. President?
 Rupert Cornwell
President George Bush said yesterday that America was on course for "complete victory" and he ruled out any firm timetable for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. Instead he declared that Iraqi forces were beginning to take the lead in the battle against the insurgency.more »»»
Shake and Bake
 NYTimes
Let us pause and count the ways the conduct of the war in Iraq has damaged America's image and needlessly endangered the lives of those in the military, and further tarnished America's credibility on international treaties and the rules of warfare.more »»»
An Exit Strategy Bush Can't Ignore
 Joe Conason
Agitated over their declining credibility, President Bush and Vice President Cheney are answering accusations that they misled the nation into war with characteristic aggressiveness. They're understandably alarmed by the increasing consensus among Americans that they exaggerated and distorted intelligence to justify invading Iraq.more »»»
How Should U.S. Prepare for a Post-Castro Cuba?
 Warren Richey
Amid reports of Castro's fragile health and conflicting expectations about the shape of a post-Castro Cuba, the U.S. government is facing a choice about how aggressively it should press for democratic reforms in Havana after Castro's reign.more »»»
US vs. Latin America - No Neutral Corner
 toni solo
Mediocrity detests talent. On one level, the recent exchange of abuse between Lilliputian Vicente Fox and Hugo Chavez reflects no more than that. Chavez looms large over Fox for many reasons, not least because 80 years ago Mexico under President Calles defied the United States the way Chavez does now.more »»»
Bush Clan Cashing in on Iraq War
 Circles Robinson
With the troops shooting at shadows and the body bags flying home on a daily basis, President Bush says the Iraq war is right on course, despite the fact he said it was over 2 ½ years ago. I often wonder if that outlandish claim might mean more than meets the eye?more »»»
"As General Motors Goes..."
 Peter Wells Scott
It is a stroke out of the 40's, but the saying went, "As General Motors goes, so goes the nation." But, times change. General Motors is still the world's largest automaker, but, just recently they have announced the closing of 12 plants, and the return to profitability has to break through many clouds.more »»»
Mexico’s Fox Woos Washington at Great Cost
 Larry Birns & Michael Lettieri
The current spat between Venezuela and Mexico will soon pass, yet it should be seen as far more than a trivial matter, springing as it does from deep roots in the collective psyche of each country.more »»»
Che's Second Coming?
 David Rieff
US Administration officials are reluctant to speak on the record about Bolivia's presidential candidate, Evo Morales, but in private they link him both to narco-trafficking and to the two most militant Latin American leaders: Hugo Chávez, Venezuela's leftist populist military strongman, and Cuba's Fidel Castro.more »»»
A Rush to Executions
 LATimes
China has a brutally efficient system of capital punishment. Sentences can be carried out within months of conviction, sometimes in mobile lethal-injection vans. The cost is low — $87 per execution. Most Americans would be appalled at China's system, yet efficiency is one of the main arguments for proposed US federal legislation.more »»»
Withdrawal Is Not Retreat
 William M. Arkin
The President and Vice President may argue that politicians are playing politics and their feelings may be hurt that their competence and motives are called into question, but when one of the Pentagon's best friends speaks out against continuing the Iraq enterprise, the voices at the White House seem ever more puny and defensive.more »»»
Woodward Could Be a Boon to Libby
 Carol D. Leonnig & Jim VandeHei
The revelation that The Washington Post's Bob Woodward may have been the first reporter to learn about CIA operative Valerie Plame could provide a boost to the only person indicted in the leak case: I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby.more »»»
Wag the Dog
 Michael T. Klare
American presidents have often sought to distract attention from their political woes at home by heating up a war or crisis somewhere else. Now that the current occupant of the White House is facing roiling political scandals of his own, he may be thinking along such lines.more »»»
A Rancorous Primary Leaves 3-Way Race to Lead Mexico
 James C. Mckinley Jr.
It was a bitter primary campaign, full of mudslinging, scandals and party schisms, the sort of political donnybrook seldom seen in Mexico. But as the last returns came in from Sunday's final primary, voters were left with three candidates standing for president.more »»»
Gulf Coast Slaves
 Roberto Lovato
Arnulfo Martinez recalls seeing lots of hombres del ejercito standing at attention. Though he was living on the Belle Chasse Naval Base near New Orleans when President Bush spoke there on Oct. 11, he didn't understand anything the ruddy man in the rolled-up sleeves was saying to the troops.more »»»
Bush Flies South and Goes from the Frying Pan into the Fire
 Max J. Castro
If George W. Bush thought he would get some relief from his administration's many troubles by getting out of Washington and journeying to South America, he had a big surprise coming.more »»»
US Goliath, an All-Time Loser
 Elsy Fors
For 14 years in a row, a modern David has bashed a Goliath with only evidence and reason as its major weapons at the UN General Assembly, and Tuesday 182 members once again voted yes to a resolution demanding an end to the US blockade against Cuba.more »»»
Voters Just Say No
 LATimes
Special elections are no longer so special for the governor who was dispatched to Sacramento two years ago to fix state government in an extraordinary recall election. On Tuesday, the California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's two most important proposals lost by wide margins.more »»»
Why the Americas Summit Failed
 Olivier Knox
US President George W. Bush and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva celebrated warm US-Brazil relations Sunday but failed to banish differences on slashing trade barriers in the Western Hemisphere.more »»»
Shake-Up of the Republic
 Serge Truffaut
First limited to the Paris region's cités [French housing projects], the conflagration of violence has now reached several provincial cities. Up to now, over 1000 vehicles have been burned and close to 400 people wounded. Given the scope of the events, Prime Minister Villepin has decided to allow local representatives the right to impose a curfew.more »»»
Groups March to Honor Lives Lost Crossing Mexico Border
 Seth Mauzy
Tucsonans observed Dia de los Muertos on Saturday, honoring those who have died during the dangerous trek across the Mexican-American border, as part of a weekend full of celebration and remembrance.more »»»
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