Clippings for 9 October 2008

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Chris Hedges Interviews Dennis Kucinich on the Bailout
Chris Hedges writes for Truthdig.com: "The passing of the $850-billion bailout pulled the plug on the New Deal. The Great Society is now gasping for air, mortally wounded, coughing up blood. It will not recover. It was murdered by the Democratic Party."

New US Intelligence Report Warns "Victory" Not Certain in Iraq
Jonathan S. Landay, Warren P. Strobel and Nancy A. Youssef write for McClatchy Newspapers: "A nearly completed high-level US intelligence analysis warns that unresolved ethnic and sectarian tensions in Iraq could unleash a new wave of violence, potentially reversing the major security and political gains achieved over the last year."

Evidence of Warming Growing: Pachauri
Alister Doyle reports for Reuters: "Evidence is mounting day by day that mankind is to blame for climate change, and the financial crisis is a temporary setback in the hunt for solutions, the head of the UN Climate Panel said on Tuesday. Rajendra Pachauri, whose panel shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former US Vice President Al Gore, said the downturn could dominate for two to three months before politicians return to focus on fixing long-term problems like global warming."

How T. Boone Pickens' Energy Plan Just Got Killed
David Morris writes for AlterNet that the new bailout plan passed by Congress may have put the nail in the coffin on Pickens' dangerous energy proposal.

Citizens Want Debate Moderators to Challenge Candidate Spin
FreePress reports: "John McCain's supporters seemed happy with the ground rules of the second presidential debate in Nashville. Barack Obama's supporters seemed happy with the results. By large margins, an online panel of more than 2,800 volunteers thought that Brokaw's decision not to fact-check the candidates or challenge their spin was a problem."

Progressive Voter Guide to the Economy
AlterNet takes a look - from the housing crisis to the minimum wage - at where the candidates stand on nine important economic issues.

The Terror of Loving and Losing
Cathy Albisa writes for On the Issues Magazine: "Data and common experience reveal that it is women who primarily take care of the sick without pay, raise and nurture children, or make sure the elderly in their orbit eat well, get medical care and are protected from the threat posed by loneliness and isolation. As a result, the benefits and deficits of the system of social support - and the level of protection of economic and social rights - have a disproportionate effect on women."

The FBI Prevents Agents from Telling the 'Truth' about 9-11 Attacks on PBS.
MediaChannel reports: "The FBI has blocked two of its veteran counterterrorism agents from going public with accusations that the CIA deliberately withheld crucial intelligence before the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks."

Politics of Attack
The New York Times comments: "It is a sorry fact of American political life that campaigns get ugly, often in their final weeks. But Senator John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin have been running one of the most appalling campaigns we can remember. They have gone far beyond the usual fare of quotes taken out of context and distortions of an opponent’s record - into the dark territory of race-baiting and xenophobia. Senator Barack Obama has taken some cheap shots at Mr. McCain, but there is no comparison."

FCC Examining TV Networks, Military Advisors
Joelle Tessler reports for the Associated Press: "The FCC said it is investigating whether five television networks and 19 former military officers violated government disclosure rules in providing on-air analysis of the war in Iraq and other issues."

First Royality Rates Set for Digital Music
Ben Sisario writes for the New York Times: "In a decision closely watched by the music industry, a panel of federal judges who determine royalty rates for recordings ruled on Thursday to renew the current royalty rate for CDs and other physical recordings, while setting rates for the first time for downloads, ring tones and other services."

Where's the Outrage Over Mistreatment of the Press at the RNC?
Adam Reilly writes for the Boston Phoenix: "Given the media’s reputation for self-absorption, it’s remarkable how little attention the press has paid to the crackdown on journalists during September’s Republican National Convention."

Who Else Reads Your E-mails?
Harry Lewis writes for the Christian Science Monitor: "Because e-mail resembles a telephone conversation, we too often assume it's private. It's not. Who can see your e-mail -- even en route -- is a complicated question, made more uncertain by a recent court decision. The Fourth Amendment doesn't protect you from the government clandestinely searching your e-mail."

Audio: Truthdig podcast - Bill Boyarsky on McCain’s Low Blows
Truthdig’s chief political correspondent weighs in on the week in politics. From “pallin’ around with terrorists” to Tuesday’s debate, Team McCain is “going for the gut,” but will it work?

The Dirty Details of Voter Purges
David Rosenfeld writes for Miller-McCune Magazine: "Thousands of Americans will likely show up at the polls on November 4 to find they are no longer registered to vote. That's an estimate based on past elections and the findings of two leading research groups that found state-sanctioned voter purges are widely inaccurate."