Bill Clinton: "Civic virtue can include harsh criticism, protest, even civil disobedience. But not violence or its advocacy. That is the bright line that protects our freedom. It has held for a long time, since President George Washington called out 13,000 troops in response to the Whiskey Rebellion.  Fifteen years ago, the line was crossed in … Continue reading What We Learned in Oklahoma City

Ben Adler: "The total result is that different strata of society pay roughly the same share of total taxes as they take home in income. And then you must consider that even the federal income-tax code is riddled with loopholes that favor the wealthy..."

LA Times: "The fraud charges may strengthen the president's campaign, against Republican resistance, to tighten regulations on Wall Street."

PBS: "Interim government officials in Kyrgyzstan confirmed Friday that they had received President Kurmanbek Bakiyev's resignation before he fled to neighboring Kazakhstan with his wife and two young children."

Jacob Weisberg argues that "Responsible Republicans are nearly extinct."   The costs? "Without some level of bipartisan cooperation, voters become increasingly cynical, the system becomes too paralyzed to function, and the whole country suffers as a consequence."

Peter Beinart: "So the press has a problem: what to call this intriguing new force in American politics? What kind of adjective suits older, grumpy, well-off Americans who believe Democrats are communists, the poor have it too easy and white people are oppressed? The term 'Republican' comes to mind."

Dana Milbank: "On the stage, I saw the great populist leader himself: Grover Norquist, who, after getting two Harvard degrees, developed his common-touch lobbying for the tropical island paradise of the Seychelles... The wealth advantage of the Tea Partiers helps to explain the rather un-populist message emanating from Freedom Plaza: Tax the wealthy less and … Continue reading Tea Party: Elite Populists?

Kathleen Parker: "Is the political environment becoming so toxic that we could see another Timothy McVeigh emerge?  No one knows the answer, but fears that anger could escalate into action beyond the ballot box are not misplaced."

Pro-life Democrat Robert Hay thinks so, and he has some evidence to back it up: "On Wednesday, Nebraska Right to Life became the most recent organization to show that partisanship was more important than pro-life issues. The group announced it would endorse Governor Dave Heineman in his next election due to his overall record on … Continue reading Is Nebraska Right to Life Engaging in Partisanship?