In the department of "you've got to be freaking kidding me," some on the (far) right are arguing that Americans should refuse to buy Chrysler and General Motors products as long as the Government (and in some cases the United Auto Workers) own a stake.

Let's start with that...

Let me start this post by noting that, just as I am not a lawyer, I am neither a doctor or a scientist. But as those of you who read my posts (or my day blog) know, I am rarely inhibited by my ignorance.

Here's a thought about the...

This is a post I did not want to write.

For most of his career, John McCain has been an outspoken advocate against torture.  So you would think that Senator McCain would have cheered the White House's decision to release the torture memos.

Unfortunately, you would be wrong (h/t):

Back in the 1960s, when my dad was the editor of the Ypsilanti Press, the city held a referendum on whether to fluoridate the water supply. My dad decided to publish an editorial listing those in favor of and those opposed to the measure. Supporters included doctors, dentists, businesses, union...

Back in the 1960s, MIT's Sloan School of Management developed something called the "beer game," which -- much to the dismay of MIT students -- did not involve shot glasses, ping pongs, or even beer. The purpose of the exercise was...

When I read Marc Ambinder's report of Obama's meeting today with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, the following passage stuck out:

At a briefing with reporters this morning, senior administration officials seemed to go out of their way to define the content of the developing Obama-Medvevev relationship as being...

In case you haven't seen it, the extreme right has mounted a massive smear campaign against my good friend and former boss, Harold Hongju Koh. As Dahlia Lithwick notes in Slate, it's all based on an allegation by Meghan Clyne that Harold once said that Sharia law...

So which story do you think will get more coverage over the next few days?

A-Rod, a.k.a. Alex Rodriguez, who has kinda sorta almost not really admitted that he used steroids for a couple of years maybe and then probably not except for the fact that relatives kept randomly...

As the Senate debates how many stimulus angels it can fit on a pin, and corporate executives continue to get caught using bailout money to score hookers and blow give themselves perks, the New York Times shared some incredibly distressing news:

Because of the economic downturn,

With President Obama's announcement that he is closing Guantanamo, our long national torture nightmare -- also known as the the legacy of the Bush Administration -- is starting to end.

But we're not there yet.

First, let's hit the basics of what Obama did today:

1. U.S. policy will...

It doesn't look like the Rick Warren controversy is going away anytime soon. Over at Undiplomatic, my day blog, my colleague Annie Oakley has explained why so many are outraged by President-elect Barack Obama's decision to invite Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration.

I...

Over the past few weeks, the heads of the so-called "Big Three" American automakers have repeatedly gone to Congress to plead for a bailout. At first media coverage focused on the (legitimate) outrage over the CEOs using separate private jets to come to DC. Then, this week, we've had...

Forget what Obama has said about foreign policy in the past (or what his surrogates have said in his name). In his acceptance speech on Tuesday, Obama succinctly outlined his vision of the future of America's relationship with the rest of the world:

And to all those watching...

It's been over a week since Joe Biden said that world events would test Obama in his first six months in office:

"Mark my words. It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama. . . . The world is looking. . . . We're going...

On Sunday, Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama for President. I was moved by his statement, particularly his challenge to Republicans about their demonization of Islam.

Despite this, I do not welcome his endorsement.

Like many others, I had a great deal of respect for Powell before he joined...

Unless something unexpected happens in the next nineteen days, the American people will elect Barack Obama to be the next President of the United States, and will do so by a large enough margin to give him the mandate he needs to address the numerous problems caused by that disaster...

Over the past week, we have seen a coarsening of political discourse in this country that hasn't been seen in forty years. In a last, desperate attempt to regain momentum, Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin have started referring to Senator Barack Obama in terms that would make even...

Remember the rules:

1. First rule of the bailout is you don't talk about the bailout.
2. You don't talk about why we need the bailout.
3. When someone says stop, or goes limp, even if he's just faking it, he needs a bailout.
4. Only...

Imagine, just for a moment, that President Bush decided to appoint Carly Fiorina as U.S. Ambassador for Global Financial Issues, and then sent her overseas to meet with allies to discuss how they should adopt the American financial services model. After the events of the past few days, she'd be...