LettermanGate: One Week Later

Bruce Kluger, 10.08.2009

Member of USA Today’s Board of Contributors

David Letterman successfully navigated his way through three explosive crises -- personal, professional and legal -- by simply telling the truth.

Turning the Corner on Drug Law Reform

Norm Stamper, 10.07.2009

Retired Seattle police chief, member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition

Australians are acutely aware that the U.S. is and has been since 1971 the chest-thumping, fist-banging four-star general in the global war on drugs. Their willingness to stand up to our bullying ways is growing.

Argentina's Mercedes Sosa: "She Died in Peace, a Free Woman"

Georgianne Nienaber, 10.05.2009

Investigative journalist, searcher, and author

"Music can't solve problems. Human beings have to resolve their own problems. But music can console people who suffer from problems, and perhaps it ca...

Pro Mujer: Journey Towards Women's Empowerment In Latin America

Jim Luce, 09.22.2009

Thought Leaders and Global Citizens

Pro Mujer is helping some of the poorest women in Latin America to increase their income, develop their full potential, and claim their basic human rights, enabling them to become agents of change.

Women in Hip-Hop: The B-girl Be Festival

Lauri Lyons, 09.18.2009

Photographer, artist, author, journalist

When it comes to women in hip-hop, don't call it a comeback. Women have been here for years.

The "Hand of God" Haunts Ex-Superstar Maradona and Argentina's World Cup Hopes

Eric Ehrmann, 09.17.2009

Writes on sports and global issues from Brazil; a member of PEN

In a nation where sports and politics cooperate to form a sense of national identity, the Argentine Football Association selected Maradona, who has been out of the game for a decade, over a group of more qualified candidates.

Honduras: Who's The Real Drug Trafficker?

Nikolas Kozloff, 09.16.2009

Author, Revolution! South America and the Rise of the New Left

In December 2008, just months before Manuel Zelaya was ousted from power by the Honduran military, he wrote Barack Obama and complained of U.S. "interventionism."

Tensions Flare in South America Over U.S. Troops in Colombia

Adam Isacson, 09.28.2009

Director of programs and Latin America specialist at the Center for International Policy

The meeting between Chávez and Uribe could, years from now, be seen as a crucial turning point for South America's political stability. Latin America, as a whole, is suddenly in bad shape.

Mexico and Argentina Move to Decriminalize Marijuana and Other Drugs

Tony Newman, 09.26.2009

Drug Policy Alliance Network, Director of Media Relations

In the last week both Mexico and Argentina made international news by passing a law and making a major Supreme Court ruling calling for low-level drug offenders to receive treatment instead of jail.

The Only Thing Weirder Than The Birthers....

Mark Joseph, 08.30.2009

Mark Joseph is a producer, author, talk show host and editor of Bullypulpit.com

Weirder than the Birthers are the anti-Birthers, who call Birthers conspiracy theorists yet feed the conspiracy by refusing to call for Obama to release his birth certificate.

Helping Women: Eliminating Obstetric Fistula in Developing World

Jim Luce, 08.28.2009

Thought Leaders and Global Citizens

EngenderHealth focuses on far more than fistula repair and prevention. They are dedicated to improving the overall health and well-being of people in the countries where they work.

Why Cats Are Abandoning Obama

Dave Astor, 08.15.2009

Award-winning columnist for The Montclair (N.J.) Times

Many independent voters are reconsidering their support of Barack Obama. Cats don't vote (because most are younger than 18), but they're as independen...

To Beaver or Not to Beaver? In Pursuit of Greatness

Isha Judd, 08.08.2009

Spiritual teacher and author of "Why Walk When You Can Fly?"

The distraught entrepreneurs soon learned that the beaver's coat grows thick when the animal experiences fear. With no bears, there was no fear, and so their coats did not grow!

Mark Sanford and the Argentine Therapy Angle

Mary Battiata, 08.05.2009

In all the cherchez- la-femme commentary about the governor's behavior and motives, there's one angle that's been overlooked.

Mark Sanford is the Luckiest Politician on the Planet

Elizabeth Rigby, 08.05.2009

Political Scientist, University of Houston

It has been merely twelve days since Mark Sanford's disastrously-rambling press conference in which he admits to an on-going affair, not to mention le...

Did Mark Sanford And Maria Belen Chapur Fall Victim To The Dance?

Diane Tucker, 08.22.2009

Writer/producer/director living in Washington DC

"It was innocent," insisted Mark Sanford, while recollecting his first encounter with Maria Belen Chapur on an Uruguayan dance floor. Oh, really?

Governor Sanford and the Failure of Moral Politics

Emma Ruby-Sachs, 07.31.2009

Lawyer

It's satisfying to lambast a staunch social conservative for an extramarital affair on another continent. But the real failure in this sad story is a political platform based on a personal moral code.

You Can be Great at Soccer or Globally Dominant -- You Can't be Both

Zachary Karabell, 07.31.2009

President, River Twice Research

The United States lost to Brazil in the final of the FIFA Confederations cup. All I can say is, thank God.

Sanford Should Apologize to Bill Clinton and Gay Couples

Cenk Uygur, 07.26.2009

Host of The Young Turks

Sanford built his career on questioning other people's morals. He was on his moral high horse, all along, and now he's undermined everything.

What Sanford, Ensign, and Spitzer Have in Common

Julie Menin, 10.18.2009

Host of "Give and Take," seen on NBC In New York and juliemenin.com.

It is hard to conceive of Hillary Clinton or Sarah Palin holding a news conference to say they had been conducting an affair, disappeared to another country to call off an affair or visited a male prostitute.

Sanford Transfers Extramarital Affair to Lieutenant Governor

Andy Borowitz, 06.25.2009

BorowitzReport.com

In a press conference this morning, Mr. Bauer was philosophical about his new duties, telling reporters, "Well, boys, I guess I'll be hitting the Appalachian Trail."