Press
Op-eds and Articles
Obama’s Nuclear Policy — An Opportunity for Bipartisanship
04.07.2010
The following is an excerpt from Jim Arkedis’s op-ed published today in AolNews.com: In today’s polarized political debate — with congressional Republicans refusing to cooperate on much of anything and their Democratic counterparts not terribly inclined to include them anyway — finding common ground on any issue has been nearly impossible. But this coming week…
In D.C., Public Defenders Aren’t Where the System Falls Short
03.29.2010
On this one, I stepped out of my comfort zone. While I normally write about national security, foreign policy, and the military, yesterday I placed an op-ed in the Washington Post about none of the above. Rather, the piece was about my experience as a “mentor” (a term that seems funny) to my friend, Tim Cofield. We…
How to Beat the Demagogues
03.29.2010
The following is an excerpt from Mike Signer’s column published this weekend in the Daily Beast: In the last few days following the passage of a new health care system in the United States, Tea Partiers have spit at U.S. representatives entering the Capitol. They’ve thrown bricks through the windows of congressional district offices. On…
US News & World Report: Democrats See a Healthcare Victory as a Springboard
03.19.2010
Will Marshall in U.S. News & World Report: But despite the GOP opposition, the Democrats do have cause for some optimism. Voters are about evenly split over Obama’s plan in Congress, with 41 percent in favor and 43 percent opposed, and many Americans’ views remain in flux. “Public opinion is not immutable,” says Will Marshall,…
It’s All About Democratic Unity
03.17.2010
Forget about reconciliation and other parliamentary maneuvers. Forget, too, about Cadillac plans and the Cornhusker Kickback. On health care, we’re down to the heart of the matter: Can Democrats act like a disciplined, cohesive political party? For decades, they’ve fought for the principle of universal and affordable health coverage. If they don’t pass health reform…
Reason #178 Not to Negotiate with the Taliban: Women’s Issues
03.16.2010
I’ve written before about why we shouldn’t negotiate with any Taliban member who ranks higher than “low- and mid-level fighters.” I think it’s a fool’s errand to believe that the Taliban’s leadership would negotiate in good faith, especially when the likes of Taliban chief Mullah Omar starts sounding like he’d rather spend his time in Haight-Ashbury in…
On the Right Nuclear Weapons Track
03.08.2010
The following is an excerpt from Will Marshall’s op-ed published today in AolNews.com: President Barack Obama has resumed a vital post-Cold War chore interrupted by his predecessor — reducing America’s nuclear arsenal. The White House reportedly is putting the final touches on its Nuclear Posture Review, which aims to reinforce the world’s nonproliferation regime without…
USA Today: Among Democrats, a conflicting consensus on Massachusetts
02.19.2010
Will Marshall in USA Today: Centrist policy activist Will Marshall, president of the Progressive Policy Institute, says it’s “gut-check time for Democrats.” Marshall is urging the White House and congressional Democrats to push forward on health care reform. He says Obama is caught in a “progressive paradox,” in which Americans still support the president’s goals…
Is Obama Too Thoughtful?
02.15.2010
The following is an excerpt from Mike Signer’s column published this weekend in the Daily Beast: “[W]e need a commander in chief, not a professor of law standing at the lectern.” That’s what Sarah Palin told Tea Partiers in Nashville last weekend, triggering uproarious cheers. A few weeks earlier, she had dismissed Obama’s State of…