To hear John McCain or Sarah Palin say it, "liberal" is a dirty word. They can't help sneering when they say the Senator Barack Obama if "the most liberal" U.S. Senator. What does that mean, in terms of Senator Obama's positions on legislation, and how does that compare to...

The language of intolerance is not without consequences. Unfortunately, the intolerant are too weak minded to understand the consequences of their own words. So-called "conservatives", taking their cue from the "You're with us, or with the terrorists" jargon of their President...

I have refrained from writing about John McCain’s pastor problem. I really resented the way so many people used Rev. Wright as an excuse to unleash their racism and guiltlessly attack Barack Obama for being black – and worse – attack the institution of the black church, which has provided hope and inspiration...

On the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s assassination, many people, especially politicians, have felt obliged to look back at the Reverend through the gauzy fabric of his popular image, cultivated since that time by countless elementary school lessons taught in white suburbia. Most years, the...

The so-called “surge” is a perfect metaphor for the so-called “global war on terror”. For the last year, we have had to listen to the war hawks, notably Republican presidential candidate John McCain, mindlessly repeat - as if it would make it so - “The surge is working!” This week we saw demonstrated...