Africa

"Those who are tutoring the president that he has a case to fight back are not his friends."

"If we are to advance as a nation in the important work of including all of our citizens in the political process, we must not allow a return to "the bad old days." And if we are to take advantage of the incredible resources provided by the Arab American and American Muslim communities, then we must include them - not only because it is the right thing to do, but because our inclusion of them and their involvement in all aspects of our society and politics is so critically important in our efforts to engage the world in which we live."

"Both Oxford and Cambridge are large towns (or small cities by Canadian standards) of about 100,000 whose populations include some 25,000 students; each summer the regular students are replaced by tourists and foreign-language students."

"Israel will celebrate the occasion by releasing some Palestinian prisoners, possibly including Marwan Barghouti. The Bush administration will promise generous aid. The Israeli and Palestinian leaders will declare, perhaps on the White House lawn, that the agreement will be implemented once it has been ratified by the two parliaments and when security conditions permit. This will be stating the obvious."

"...Israeli occupation or even the Israeli practices that consolidate that occupation, especially Israeli settlement building in and around Jerusalem. Such a result is as bad as no result and will further convince Palestinians that the negotiations process is a dead end. This, in turn, will translate into further support for Hamas."

A human rights hearing into allegations of editorial misconduct represents a threat to The Lobby’s ability to defame without shame. Not surprisingly, Maclean’s enthusiastically endorses political efforts to strip commissions of the power to investigate and rule on free speech issues.

John Edwards’ sleazy extramarital affair reminded me of the excesses in the final days of the Roman Empire. In 2006, Edwards began his trysts with his mistress. He stopped lying about the seedy affair on Aug. 8, 2008. Meanwhile, about 1,955 U.S. troops died in the Iraq War. While Edwards was “doing” his paramour, others in Washington, D.C., like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have been “doing” the public about ending the war and impeachment.

"As the dust of 9/11 settles down and the bloodstains of Iraq dry up, American people will realize that it is not terrorism that is the greatest threat to their national security. But it is their very democracy - increasingly manipulated by a powerful coterie - that is the greatest threat to their national security."