The New Republic

Of all the reasons President Bush and his conservative allies have given for opposing an expansion of government-financed health insurance for children, the one that sounds most persuasive is that a lot of these kids--or, more precisely, their families--don't need the help. READ MORE >>

The chances that quarterback Michael Vick will be calling signals for the Atlanta Falcons this year seem pretty remote at this point. Several of his associates have now pled guilty to running a dog-fighting ring out of Vick's Virginia home. And as part of their plea agreements, they've said Vick both financed the operation and helped to run it, executing several dogs himself. Vick has maintained his innocence and could still stand trial. READ MORE >>

In New Hampshire on Tuesday, Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani released a new health care plan--except that it is not really new and it's not much of a plan. READ MORE >>

You hear it over and over again, in casual conversation and in serious debates among experts: If we create universal health insurance here in the U.S., then we'll end up with less responsive, less advanced medical care. Few arguments have done as much political damage to the cause of universal health care. And, as wonks like me have been arguing in recent months, few arguments fall apart more quickly under scrutiny. READ MORE >>

DETROIT, Michigan Unless you are Abraham Lincoln and you're dedicating a Civil War memorial, it is virtually impossible to say something meaningful in three minutes. You can get through five or maybe six hundred words, which is the equivalent of two or three paragraphs, at best. And if you're appearing at a public event, you'll have to spend some of your time profusely thanking your hosts and flattering the audience. That leaves even less time to make an impression. READ MORE >>

It's hard not to mistake the parallels between the career of Mitt Romney and the career of his father, former Michigan Governor George Romney. Both men became famous, and wealthy, in the world of business. Both then heard the call of public service, becoming the governor of relatively liberal states. From there, both sought the Republican presidential nomination. READ MORE >>

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The warnings went out in a 2004 company newsletter: Watch out for "ascruffy guy in a baseball cap." The scruffy guy was Michael Mooreand the company was pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline, whoseexecutives had gotten wind of Moore's new project: a documentaryabout the health care system called Sicko. The executives figuredit was only a matter of time before Moore showed up on theirdoorstep, camera in hand--if he hadn't already. "We have sixbusiness centers nationwide," a Glaxo official confided to the LosAngeles Times, "all of which report sightings." READ MORE >>

Thursday night's Democratic presidential debate revealed about as much as the previous ones did--which is to say, not that much. Eight candidates shared the stage at Howard University, for an exchange that lasted only an hour--in part because the opening formalities inexplicably soaked up nearly 20 minutes of air time. And it wasn't even an exchange per se. Instead, after each question, each candidate got a turn to answer, making for a tedious and rushed dialogue. READ MORE >>

In the last 30 years or so, few arguments have hindered liberalism more than the charge that government programs are miserable failures. And it is true: Some government programs really have turned out pretty badly. Building colossal concrete housing projects and then filling them exclusively with very poor people, for example, didn't turn out to be such a hot idea. READ MORE >>