'Dear Mr. Sulzberger, won't you reconsider?' ASK THIS A copy of a letter sent to the publisher of the New York Times, regarding the newspaper's decision to do away with a stand-alone Metro section.

An original copy of the Bill of Rights, being handled with care (2001 AP photo) How deep is the candidates’ faith in the Constitution? COMMENTARY John Hanrahan writes that the moderators in the presidential debates need to ask a question like this one, first posed by reporter Charlie Savage: “Is there any executive power the Bush administration has claimed or exercised that you think is unconstitutional? Anything you simply think is a bad idea?” And they need to follow up so that the candidates answer it. (Second of two articles)

Questions for McCain and Obama on Russia and NATO ASK THIS The plot of the Georgia-Russia-U.S. situation, in which all participants have been overreaching, could have been lifted from the 1959 movie, “The Mouse that Roared.” Except the movie, a Cold War satire, was funny and the real-world situation is a very serious mess.

The great populist divide Historian Michael Kazin on populist rhetoric Republican style since Sen. Joseph McCarthy, and the failure of Democrats to counter it. (The Washington Independent)

FBI's civil rights initiative: no trials yet Flanked by officials from the NAACP and the Southern Poverty Law Center, FBI Director Robert Mueller last year announced with considerable fanfare a new partnership between his agency and civil rights organizations. The goal: To bring justice in long-ignored murders from the civil rights era. The outcome: Not one case has been prosecuted under the FBI's Cold Case Initiative, which actually began two years ago with no fanfare at all. (Associated Press)

3,400 ballots missing in Florida election: recount flips race Palm Beach County, Florida, is in the news again for another election mishap. This time the culprit isn't the county's infamous butterfly ballot that made headlines in the 2000 presidential race. Instead, the problem is ballots used with the county's new $5.5 million optical-scan machines made by Sequoia Voting Systems. (Wired)

Soldier suicides increasing The number for 2008 could eclipse the 115 of last year--and the rate per 100,000 could surpass that of the civilian population. The main factors in soldier suicides continue to be problems with their personal relationships, legal and financial issues, work problems and the repeated deployments. (Associated Press)

WHO report on social inequality and life expectancy "Social injustice is killing people on a grand scale," concludes a recent World Health Organization report, pointing to factors such as poverty and bad housing. In the United States, 886,202 deaths would have been averted between 1991 and 2000 if mortality rates between white and African-Americans were equalized. This contrasts to 176,633 lives saved in the U.S. by medical advances in the same period. (World Health Organization)

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| Forget flag pins. Ask about assaults on the Constitution COMMENTARY Bush and Cheney grabbed more power than almost anyone could have imagined. After their excesses—unchecked by Congress—reporters and debate moderators need to ask tough questions to help determine Obama’s and McCain’s views and intentions. (First of two articles)

'Daredevil clowning' | Ask about McCain’s Navy career, aside from the POW part of it
ASK THIS
McCain has made his military experience a key reason to vote for him. Reporters should examine his military records, including reports on air mishaps he was involved in before he was shot down over Hanoi. And McCain should see to it that all reports are made public.

The candidates, privatization and the '45% trigger' | Is Medicare important to Obama? To McCain?
ASK THIS
How high a priority is Medicare for Obama and McCain? Both have positions on it but reporters should try to draw out their true understanding of the issues, or lack of it. Under Bush, Medicare is being privatized and is en route to extinction. Is one candidate more likely than the other to reverse that?

Election 2008 | How unscrupulous campaign strategists are taking advantage of a quirk in our brains – and what reporters can do to stop helping them
COMMENTARY| August 25, 2008
Because of the way humans process information, political journalists who think they are dispelling false beliefs may actually be spreading them. Two brain experts offer ground rules for reporters who want to avoid becoming accessories to disinformation campaigns. Rule one: Stop repeating things that aren't true.

Cameras everywhere? | A little too much license for Homeland Security
ASK THIS
Marc Rotenberg writes that news reports on the government’s push to track vehicles by recording license plates have overlooked important issues, such as who the vendors will be, who will make sure the rules are being followed, and how the program will be evaluated.

Russia Revisited | Is this the beginning of a major geopolitical conflict?
ASK THIS
Richard Falk warns that the Russian invasion of Georgia could be the first significant collision between the U.S.’s new global conception of security and the more traditional sphere-of-influence view. And he suggests it's time to consider the adverse consequences of antagonizing Russia.

A wake-up call for journalists | A court case of vital importance
COMMENTARY
The decision in Wyeth v. Levine could determine whether documents that expose massive, lethal misconduct are accessible to reporters and the public.

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