Print Magazine

August 18, 2008 Issue

John Nichols on the Veepstakes, Jonathan Schell and Martin J. Sherman on Israel and Iran, Calvin Trillin on Obama’s trip abroad…

Cover art by: Cover design by Gene Case & Stephen Kling/Avenging Angels

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Editorial

When Pastors Go Postal

The case against Victoria Osteen embodies the narcissism of those who preach the Gospel of prosperity.

Barbara Ehrenreich

Paris/Britney Campaign Blowback

John McCain got more than he expected, with an ad comparing Obama to Paris Hilton. The blowback is just beginning.

Annabelle Gurwitch

Why Misgovernment Was No Accident in Bush’s Washington

The Bush Administration has simultaneously destroyed a government, left us in the lurch and yet managed to enrich itself.

Thomas Frank

Solzhenitsyn’s Life and Our Times

Despite the controversies he aroused in the West and in Russia, Solzhenitsyn remains above all else a writer who bore witness to Soviet society's long-censored suffering.

Katrina vanden Heuvel

A Magic Moment for America

The nomination of Barack Obama--so able intellectually, morally and spiritually--marks a magic moment for America, culminating the hopes of those who worked for a more perfect unio...

Rev. Jesse L. Jackson

A Devil’s Dictionary of Politics

With millions of first time-voters expected to go to the polls in November, never has an insane political system been more in need of explanation. You won't find much help here.

Nicholas von Hoffman

Israel, Iran and the Bomb

Israel and the Mideast are approaching a stark choice: nuclear holocaust or a nuclear-free region.

Jonathan Schell and Martin J. Sherwin

Olympic Trials

If China's leaders believe they've released enough steam for a smooth Olympics, they could be in for a surprise.

Dave Zirin

Noted.

Naomi Sobel on efforts to improve conditions at the notorious Postville, Iowa kosher slaughterhouse; Nation correspondents on Obama's world tour.

The Editors

Rethinking the Veepstakes

The process of picking a Vice President needn't be the craven political exercise it is today. Do we even need one?

John Nichols

Change We Can Believe In

Progressive supporters of Barack Obama urge him to stand firm on the principles he so compellingly articulated in the primary. Add your name to this open letter.

The Nation

Column

Georgia War: A Neocon Election Ploy?

Connecting the dots between Georgia's confrontation with Putin and the presidential ambitions of John McCain.

Robert Scheer

The Politics of Pandering

Until they come up with real solutions to our current economic crisis, Obama and McCain should stop trying to buy votes with fuel rebates.

Nicholas von Hoffman

Anthrax Killer: The Enemy Was Us

Our default defense is to blame the deranged outsider, but in this case, one of our own was to blame.

Robert Scheer

Why He Fears the Fist: A Response to Jonah Goldberg

You can tell right away that Goldberg didn't read a book, an article, even a fortune cookie, about the 1968 Olympics before whipping out his laptop.

Dave Zirin

Obama’s Challenge to America’s Parents

He has taken black parents to task for failing to inspire their children; it's a message that needs to be addressed to white America as well.

Nicholas von Hoffman

Flocking to Faith

Obama's incredible faith-based initiative.

Katha Pollitt

Who Wants Yesterday’s Papers?

Collapse of the old world information order.

Alexander Cockburn

A Fine Romance

A heart-to-heart talk with a troubled lover.

Victor Juhasz

What the McCain Campaign Seems To Be Saying About Obama’s Recently Concluded Trip Abroad

Calvin Trillin

Letters

Update on Sgt. Pequeño

Amherst, Mass.

Jon Wiener and Our Readers

Feature

The War We Don’t Know

Up until now, the war between Russia and Georgia was framed as a simple tale of David versus Goliath. In fact, it is far more complex than this, morally and historically.

Mark Ames

Illusions of Victory

The United States did not reinvent war after 9/11. It only thought it did.

Andrew J. Bacevich

Dispatch From Georgia

As Russian troops occupy city after city in Georgia, the feeling here that the government has overestimated how much support it will receive from the West.

Margarita Akhvlediani

Brad, Angelina and the Baby Bump Bonanza

As print journalism faces extinction, tabloids obsess over celebrity pregnancy and childbirth. What's wrong with this picture?

Meredith Blake

The Tragedy of Ehud Olmert

The fall of Ehud Olmert is a tragedy for Israel and the world--squandering a genuine opportunity for a breakthrough in Israeli-Palestinian and Israeli-Arab relations.

Hillel Schenker

The Bruja

This Week: Dieter Countryman would like to do some enhanced interrogating, while Congresswoman Kang drops in to get in the groove with a witchy woman.

Gary Phillips

Getting Georgia’s War On

Russia's war in Georgia excites John McCain and the same neocons who led us into earlier disasters.

Mark Ames

Beyond Beijing: China’s Toughest Competition

How will the Olympics play in the Chinese equivalent of Peoria, among a populace skeptical of the government's intent and eager to tout their own economic clout?

Jeffrey Wasserstrom and Kate Merkel-Hess

Does GOP Stand for Grampa’s Old Politicians?

The future of the Republican brand rests in the text message happy hands of young America--which should scare the living daylights out of John McCain.

Andy Kroll

Bush’s Time Horizon in Iraq

Everyone was baffled by the President's use of the term "time horizon" for withdrawal from Iraq. But when you consider the term's origin on Wall Street, it makes perfect, cynical s...

Allen McDuffee

Shooters

This Week: It's all bang, bang, bang, baby!

Gary Phillips

Burgers or Biofuel?

Biofuels have become the new villain in the climate change and food crisis debate. But America's consumption of meat is a bigger part of the problem than the cars and trucks we dr...

Frances Cerra Whittelsey

Truth and Consequences Under the Israeli Occupation

A Palestinian journalist's life and work shed light on the violence in Israel's "dual" society.

Mohammed Omer

Rachel Maddow’s Life and Career

The Air America host is this election season's breakout star.

Rebecca Traister

Bailing Out the Bad Guys: What Congress and Bush Do Best

We are flirting with catastrophe, and our foreign creditors are part of the story.

William Greider

Chinese Struggle Over Resources Under a Quasi-Maoist Capitalism

Across China there is a rising rural and urban class struggle as the economy moves from Maoist socialism to a strange type of quasi-Maoist capitalism.

Christian Parenti

Books & the Arts

Music’s Measures

A jazz writer pays tribute to his longtime collaborator on The Penguin Guide to Jazz.

Brian Morton

Brad, Angelina and the Baby Bump Bonanza

As print journalism faces extinction, tabloids obsess over celebrity pregnancy and childbirth. What's wrong with this picture?

Meredith Blake

Solzhenitsyn’s Life and Our Times

Despite the controversies he aroused in the West and in Russia, Solzhenitsyn remains above all else a writer who bore witness to Soviet society's long-censored suffering.

Katrina vanden Heuvel

A Magic Moment for America

The nomination of Barack Obama--so able intellectually, morally and spiritually--marks a magic moment for America, culminating the hopes of those who worked for a more perfect unio...

Rev. Jesse L. Jackson