Columns

"This election has been long, and it has been difficult. It has exposed raw nerves at the core of the American psyche: race, and fear of Arabs and Muslims (long a problem, but exacerbated by the horrific terror of 9-11) are problems we must now address. As long as they remain unaddressed, they can be the fodder of incitement, used to prey off of fear and insecurity. No doubt, a dangerous situation. But there is a lesson to be learned from the Gayle Quinnell and McCain episode, and that is: If left unchecked, the hatred will grow, but when challenged, it can be defeated."

[Stephen] Harper’s increased standing in Parliament is the result of apathy, stupidity and perfidy. Democracy had nothing to do with it, because no rational electorate would knowingly elect a party of traitors.

"And what about the ostensible main reason for the humongous bailout in the first place -- unfreezing the credit markets? Well, in spite of the enormous media outcry for the bailout to get credit flowing, it didn’t. And the key economic factor in the recession -- housing -- remained just as stuck as before."

"...this is a complicated process, to be sure, with no shortage of critics. But there is also a genius to this system. If the U.S. had a simple majority vote presidential election the campaigns would expend all their energy and resources on national advertising. And they would spend most of their time in the states with the largest populations.

"...I say that it is important to listen to what she says, not how badly she says it. And don't make fun: be afraid."

"Along with throwing mud and benefitting from racism, McCain stands to gain from the fact that the national Republican Party now has a lot more money in the bank than the Democratic Party does. And in many states, a wide range of anti-democratic measures -- including purges of voter rolls and very unreasonable requirements for voter ID on Election Day -- will work to the benefit of the McCain-Palin ticket."

"This is "The House that George Built" and it, like the famed Yankee Stadium of old, will be with us for generations. Make no mistake, history will be a harsh judge. There will be no monuments built to George W. Bush and no one eager to see his records broken. Only a dramatic change in direction and hard work will enable the U.S. to recoup the stature it has lost and rebuild the fractured nations and tattered relationships this president leaves behind."

While supplying the ostensible first draft of history, U.S. media filtered out vital information that could refute the claims of Washington’s exalted war planners. “Journalists, too many of them -- some quite explicitly -- have said that they see their mission as helping the war effort,” an American media critic warned during the lead-up to the invasion of Iraq. “And if you define your mission that way, you'll end up suppressing news that might be important, accurate, but maybe isn't helpful to the war effort.”