online archive

American history and politics

From American Heritage, why does America have such strange borders? A review of The Fabric of America: How Our Borders and Boundaries Shaped the Country and Forged Our National Identity by Andro Linklater (and more). Form Alternet, an interview with Christopher M. Finan, author of From the Palmer Raids to the Patriot Act: A History of the Fight for Free Speech in America. From The Brooklyn Rail, a review of From Welfare State to Real Estate: Regime Change in New York City, 1974 to the Present by Kim Moody. A review of The Second Gilded Age: The Great Reaction in the United States, 1973-2001 by Michael McHugh. A review of Rationing Justice: Poverty and Poor People in the Deep South by Kris Shepard.

From TNR, Benjamin Wittes on the Supreme Court's looming legitimacy crisis. Are we all Legal Realists now? Dahlia Lithwick to: Walter Dellinger debate. One-Off Offing: Why you won't see a disbarment like Mike Nifong's again. From Truthdig, an interview with Troy Duster on the forgotten War on Drugs. From Harper's, would you lobby on behalf of a bloodthirsty dictatorship? Some of DC's most prominent lobby firms wouldn't blink. Prepare to be appalled at the utterly amoral practises of DC's lobbying world as the author exposes Washington's underbelly. From The Washington Post, a series examines Dick Cheney's largely hidden and little-understood role in crafting policies for the War on Terror, the economy and the environment. The 'I' word: Why a growing grassroots movement on the left wants to impeach the president — and why Democrats in Washington don't even want to talk about it.

From National Journal, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., has taken on an increasingly visible and influential role six months into her party's new majority — one that few would have predicted when she first ran for the Senate in 1992 as "just a mom in tennis shoes." From Cracked, a look at the 5 biggest pricks in Congress. From The Ripon Society: The Conscience of the Republican Party, the search for common ground: An interview with Howard Baker; and Bob Michel on the truth about Congressional gridlock; and are Americans overtaxed? Robert Greenstein and Ernie Christian debate.

From The Boston Globe, a series on The Making of Mitt Romney. Republican Fred Thompson aims for blogger-in-chief. Navigating certain lawmakers’ websites can be like stumbling through a virtual maze. Other sites are colorful voyages into a member’s life on Capitol Hill. From TAP, long-shot Democratic candidates are the ones taking a stance on many worthy, yet unsung, policy problems. Time for the front-runners to start paying attention. EJ Dionne on how the "good ideas" that voters are demanding mostly have to do with problems that have been framed by the left, not the right. Jonathan Chait on Michael Bloomberg and the David Broderization of America. Rolling Stone political writer Matt Taibbi responds to questions.