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The other war | What's the plan in Afghanistan? ASK THIS Even as President Obama sends more troops to Afghanistan, a former CIA station chief raises questions about the administration's goals there, and whether they are remotely achievable. 
Q&A with Mike Roselle | Civil disobedience at Coal River Mountain ASK THIS An activist protesting mountaintop removal in West Virginia says people's garbage is more regulated than fly ash and sludge from coal mining. He asks what gives mining companies 'the right to disregard every environmental law and regulation that we have to protect our air and water?'
The new administration | Six key questions for Obama on health care reform ASK THIS There are some critical decisions that need to be made on the way to universal health care. Distinguished medical economist Rashi Fein wants to know if the new president is of the 'strike while the iron is hot' school – or the 'haste makes waste' school? Which does he think comes first: universal health care or cost containment? And four other questions.
The new administration | What’s the outlook for broadband and Internet? ASK THIS The congressional stimulus packages could go either way, writes consumer advocate Bruce Kushnick. They could mark a new, promising beginning—or they could be a new boondoggle for AT&T, Verizon and rural phone companies.
The new administration | Will Obama reassess the threat posed by al Qaeda? ASK THIS Terrorism skeptic John Mueller wonders if Obama has considered the possibility that the al Qaeda threat has been overhyped – and he wonders how Obama's foreign policy team fares on a key litmus test.
The new administration | Will Obama stem the tide of patronage? ASK THIS| January 14, 2009 Political scientist David Lewis wonders whether loyalists, donors and party officials will get rewarded with appointed positions that are under the media’s radar. And if Obama is really trying to change the way Washington works, why doesn't he reduce the overall number of appointed positions?
The new administration | What will Obama do when goals collide? ASK THIS| January 12, 2009 Going green is indeed one way to create jobs. But it can also lead to higher food costs, higher fuel costs and the erosion of property rights. Public Citizen's Tyson Slocum wants to know Obama's views on the various tradeoffs involved.
The new administration | Just how 'transformational' does Obama intend to be? ASK THIS Political scientist Jeffrey Tulis writes that the press should ask a series of questions designed to illuminate the meaning of Obama's promise to change Washington. What does 'post-partisan' really mean, practically speaking?
Probing Obama | Questions for the new administration regarding the use and misuse of intelligence ASK THIS Former senior CIA official Paul Pillar thinks the public needs to hear a lot more about the Obama Administration's views of the intelligence community and its complicated but crucial relationship with policymakers, Congress and the public.
A role for Twitter | Why are Tennessee residents buried in coal ash? ASK THIS West Virginia reporter Ken Ward, Jr., an expert on the coal industry, says some good reporting has been done on the Dec. 22 TVA dam break, but a lot more needs to be done—including following the paper trail to find out why the dam broke in the first place.
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