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Letter from Melbourne | What a broken Senate looks like from far away...and why it matters COMMENTARY Our correspondent in Australia has ideas on how to improve things a little. But he’s not optimistic that anyone on Capitol Hill will be interested. 
George Wilson’s column | Is Petraeus figuring on perpetual war? COMMENTARY In his confirmation testimony, General David Petraeus said the U.S. would allow no sanctuaries for al Qaida or other extremist elements, anywhere. Just what does that mean? Does it mean U.S. troops in Yemen, for example?
George Wilson’s column | The ‘white feather' problem in Afghanistan COMMENTARY| June 22, 2010 Getting in was easy. Getting out is another question. And in the U.S. Senate, there is a great divide between those who want a lesser American role and those, who like McCain, want “the president to state unequivocally that we will stay in Afghanistan until we succeed.”
George Wilson’s column | Suppose a terrorist succeeds in setting off a nuclear attack. What then? ASK THIS President Obama has put the unthinkable into words, saying there is “no greater or more urgent danger than a terrorist attack with a nuclear weapon.” Now isn’t it up to Congress to follow up and try to ensure that there would be a thought-out response to such a disaster?
Blind devotion to a failed idea | Why is it so hard for the press to ask such an easy question? ASK THIS Republicans are clear and consistent in their economic policies. The problem is, they are the policies that led to the worst crisis in 70 years, and, to the comfort of the very rich, the largest shift of wealth in American history. So why won’t reporters ask what it is exactly that the Republicans want and expect if they are successful? (And yes, ask the same question to the many Democrats who have gone along for the ride.)
A low point | Institutional anemia cripples congressional oversight SHOWCASE Reformer Danielle Brian looks back on her 20 years of pushing for more government accountability and concludes that the U.S. Congress has forgotten its role, and as a result, congressional oversight has never been worse.
George Wilson’s column | A plea to deal with soldiers’ invisible wounds COMMENTARY House veterans affairs chairman Filner, citing suicides, says he will push for more psychological aid for veterans but that the VA and Pentagon bureaucracies are stuck in an old ‘never’ mindset.
Initiatives show amazing results, but who notices? | Bill Gates wants money from Congress COMMENTARY The multi-billionaire testifies on behalf of global health spending, saying vaccines, drugs and innovative approaches are saving millions of lives. It’s a cause that’s not well understood, he says, and not very well covered.
George Wilson’s column | QDR, the Pentagon’s kabuki dance with Congress COMMENTARY QDR stands for Quadrennial Defense Review. It could also stand for Quite Disappointing Report. ‘Rebalance’ is said to be a goal but military analyst George Wilson has heard that kind of euphemism before.
Culpable Congress? | Tax favors, IBM, and the murder of Vernon Hunter COMMENTARY| March 03, 2010 David Cay Johnston examines how a 1986 tax favor for IBM led a Texas man to crash his plane into an IRS office building 24 years later. He sees an early warning sign of deep trouble in America, rooted in Congress's abuse of its power to tax.
‘A feigned democracy breeds cynicism’ | Will the states intervene to get our democracy back? ASK THIS Congress needs to turn to public financing to restore its integrity and it’s not likely to do that, writes Lawrence Lessig in the Nation. But something needs to be done, he writes, and the answer may lie in the long, difficult workings of a constitutional convention.
Hard pressed to find a kind word | How Iowans are looking at Grassley COMMENTARY| September 01, 2009 Back home, the five-term senator is regarded as a hard worker, likeable, and a person of integrity. But his actions and statements on health care reform are drawing sharp rebukes.
From CongressDaily | Push is coming to shove over the Pentagon budget COMMENTARY George C. Wilson writes that President Obama and Secretary Gates are at risk of being steamrolled by Congress, which is treating military spending as a jobs program for hard times.
‘They dump the sick’ | Wendell Potter, speaking from experience, exposes health insurers’ misleading, profit-driven tactics COMMENTARY “They are trying to make you worry,” says the former Cigna executive, “and fear a government bureaucrat between you and your doctor. What you have now is a corporate bureaucrat between you and your doctor.”
| You thought it was only Republicans who’d block a government-run health insurance alternative? Maybe not. ASK THIS Twenty-one Senate Democrats oppose or are undecided about a public option. Reporters should ask them why, and check out their ties to the health and insurance industries.
The new administration | A wake-up call for the 111th Congress COMMENTARY Andrew Rudalevige, author of 'The New Imperial Presidency,' calls on Congress to reassert itself as a coequal branch of government, reclaim powers it abdicated to the executive branch under President Bush, demand information, conduct aggressive oversight and use its power of the purse.
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.
Infrastructure | What now for broadband and the telecoms? ASK THIS Will Obama and Congress be satisfied to leave the U.S. as 15th among developed nations in broadband use? Will the FCC under Democratic control be less of a tool for large corporations? Questions and proposals from Bruce Kushnick.
Public interest groups | There's an element missing in the sub-prime discussion COMMENTARY The useful, often vital voice of public interest groups is mostly absent in the debate over the sub-prime crisis, writes Henry M. Banta. He puts some of the blame for that on newsroom cuts in staff, newshole and investigative capability.
A $1 bagel? | The farm bill and the food crisis ASK THIS What with soaring prices, shortages of staples and energy concerns, this year’s farm bill, now in conference, could have major national and international ramifications.
Oversight | It’s time for a new Church Committee ASK THIS The Senate took a hard look at intelligence activities in the 1970s, and questions asked then bear repeating now, verbatim. Starting with, “Which governmental agencies have engaged in domestic spying,” and, “How many citizens have been targets of Governmental intelligence activity?”
Waiting for Petraeus | Questions for Congress, for Bush and for Petraeus ASK THIS General William Odom, a longtime advocate of pulling American troops out of Iraq, sees legislators as irresponsible and bamboozled by Bush. He calls the new twists in Bush’s war policies muddled, contradictory, ludicrous and tragic.
Saving billions and, perhaps, lives | Will Congress create a new 'Truman Committee?' ASK THIS In December, Nancy Pelosi said Democrats would dig into what she called staggering, breathtaking corruption in Iraq War contracting. Now they’re in position to do it. Will they, and if they do, what are chances they’ll have anywhere near the success of the World War II era Truman Committee?
Oversight recommendations | GAO list could be a guide for reporters ASK THIS Immigration, transportation security, status of nuclear weaponry and proliferation are among issues the press, as well as Congress, should be investigating. (Second in a series)
One in a series | GAO weighs in with suggestions for congressional oversight ASK THIS Areas of concern include taxes, government contracting, Defense spending, Homeland Security and intelligence. There’s a lot to be looked at, the question is how probing the Democrats will be. (First in a series)
A to-do list for Congress | Let the oversight begin! COMMENTARY Andrew Rudalevige, author of 'The New Imperial Presidency,' proposes a to-do list for the 110th Congress.
$20-billion discrepancies | Pentagon spending? Don't ask Congress COMMENTARY Government agencies can't even agree on how much Congress has appropriated for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and anti-terrorism efforts in the U.S., let alone on how much has been spent
Time for a refresher | Whatever happened to Article 1, Section 8? ASK THIS A New York Times reporter wonders if Congress has forgotten its powers, and why the press isn't asking.
A big PAC spender | Report sees Boehner as a leader in the DeLay mold SHOWCASE Center for Public Integrity tracks new House Majority Leader's trips to some of the world’s premier golf spots and locales, and 45 rides on special-interest corporate airplanes.
Rumsfeld's 'WMDs' | The Defense budget: ‘A shrinking force at a higher cost’ ASK THIS Defense expert Winslow Wheeler tells reporters how the 2007 Pentagon budget and the new Quadrennial Defense Review are high on gimmicks but low on effectiveness for combating terror.
A Washington, DC, tutorial | Defense budget pork: 2,966 items costing $11.1 billion ASK THIS Winslow Wheeler, a Capitol Hill veteran of many years, walks reporters through the pork in the Defense budget. He tells how to find it, how it gets there and what to do about it.
Oversight lacking | Imperial presidency, invisible Congress ASK THIS The post-Watergate checks to presidential power have crumbled. Andrew Rudalevige, author of ‘The New Imperial Presidency,’ proposes that reporters ask members of Congress when and if they plan to reassert themselves.
Oversight, out of mind | Why is Congress failing to keep watch? ASK THIS It used to be that the oversight role – the 'informing function' – of Congress was considered even more important than its legislating one. A law professor identifies some areas that beg for increased Congressional vigilance.
Back to basics | As we begin to look at Alberto Gonzales... ASK THIS Morton Mintz poses questions for the Senate Judiciary Committee to ask of President Bush's attorney general nominee.
Buying loyalty, maybe | Senators and House members dole out lots of cash. What's that about? ASK THIS Through so-called "leadership PACs," Tom DeLay, Hillary Clinton and others in Congress raise money and pass it on to colleagues. What do they get in return?
Congressional gridlock | Even routine legislation, like the highway bill, is hung up because of partisan rancor ASK THIS How bad is the current political gridlock -- and is there any way out?
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