Even though some on each side of the increasingly bloody conflict in Gaza see clear-cut choices and their side as correct, the reality may be quite different. In this Guest Voice, Professor Barry Rubin, director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center and editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Journal looks at the issue and explains why there are choices, not...

What is the depth of the good-will generally facing President Elect Barack Obama? One sign is the fact that he will be taking office with some of the strongest polling numbers a President Elect has had since Ronald Reagan. Another: a new book of comprehensive, behind-the-scenes photos of Obama, Power House Book’s “Yes We Can” sold out its first 55,000 copy printing before it even hit the...

President Elect Barack Obama often notes that until he’s sworn in there is only “one President at a time.” But, in this Guest Voice Post, conservative talk show host Michael Reagan wonders whether that’s the reality or an excuse. Guest Voice posts do not necessarily reflect the opinion of TMV or its writers. Barack in Limbo by Michael Reagan As he stands on the sidelines, seemingly oblivious...

The furor over Illinois Gov. Ron “Senate Seat For Sale” Scandal Blogojevich thumbing his nose at the political establishment and incoming President has led some to suggest that it’s time for a new consittutional amendment. In this Guest Voice post, founder of the Equal Rights Allliance, suggests that a certain other amendment should not be forgo tten. Don’t Forget The OTHER Constitutional...

Iran remains a big topic as the U.S. heads into 2009. TMV has run several Guest Voice posts by Iranian freelance writer and blogger Kourosh Ziabari who has long contended that Iran’s image in the media is misleading. In this Guest Voice interview, he talks to Harvard University’s Professor James Russell for some perspective on Iran. TMV runs Guest Voice posts of various viewpoints. Guest Voice posts...

What’s going on with Israel, Hamas and the Gaza Strip? In this Guest Voice, columnist Bill Steigerwald interviews Aaron David Miller, a top Middle East adviser to six secretaries of state (Shultz to Powell) and Woodrow Wilson International Center scholar, and gets some answers. The Gamble in Gaza — Interview With Aaron David Miller by Bill Steigerwald If anyone can explain the worst flare up of Israeli-Palestinian...

Is the way people are paid in the United States way out of whack? In this Guest Voice post, journalism professor and author Walter Brasch looks at the issue. The $6 Million Social Worker by Walter Brasch The New York Yankees just bought a first baseman for $180 million. For the next eight years, Mark Teixeira will earn about $22.5 million a season. The week before, the Yanks bought seven years...

It’s that time of year again to take out your pen, pencil or laptop and write a bunch of New Year’s resolutions that you probably won’t keep. But in this Guest Voice post, author Martha Randolph Carr suggests some that she thinks we need to keep. Happy New Year Resolutions By Martha Randolph Carr New Year’s resolutions are all about throwing ourselves into the future, which can ruin the present...

So 2008 was a sad, tragic, scary and catastrophic year? Think again: political humorist Will Durst offers this list of some of the funniest developments in the news: The Top-Ten Comedic News Stories of 2008 Raging Moderate, by Will Durst Okay. Just so you know: The Top-Ten Comedic News Stories of the Year are as different from the Top-Ten Legitimate News Stories of the Year as a tower of giraffes is from a small...

The election of Barack Obama was a watershed moment for the United States in many ways. One way: it was a key moment for independent voters. Some independent are exactly that — totally off by themselves. But there are other independent voters who see the need for an independent voter movement. In this Guest Voice post cross-posted on the independent blog The Hankster, Jacqueline Salit, executive editor...

President Elect Barack Obama released his team’s report indicating there was nothing inappropriate in its actions in the Senate Seat For Sale scandal involving Illinois’ Governor Blagojevich, a politician now as famous for his tape-revealed four-letter word vocabulary as for his hair. To some, it settled the issue. To others, it raised questions. In this Guest Voice post, authors Floyd and Mary Beth...

President George W. Bush’s poster has reportedly become popular in Iran, where it’s being used as the target in a shoe-throwing competition: Organizers of a shoe-throwing competition at Iran’s Tehran University said the Friday event used a picture of U.S. President George W. Bush as a target. The organizers said the event was an “expression of solidarity for the respected Iraqi journalist,”...

Christmas is a time of joy but December 2008 is also a time of stress for many this year and, after the presents are opened, reality will show its face after the presents are opened and the wrappings are discarded. Yet, can this also be time of joy in another sense? Are Americans starting to reaffirm some values that were ignored in recent years? Humor columnist Tom Purcell gives you his thought in this Guest...

Some people are ticking off the days when George Bush will leave the White House. And Democrats are, too…In this Guest Voice post, author Martha Randolph Carr notes that this doesn’t seem like the normal, pro forma change of administrations this time. Guest Voice posts do Not necessarily reflect the opinion of TMV or its authors. Four Weeks and Counting by Martha Randolph Carr Every four years...

Tis the season to be jolly…Peace on earth…Goodwill towards all men. Really? In this Guest Voice post authors and speakers Floyd and Mary Beth Brown look at the case of an atheist sign that not only doesn’t have religion, but doesn’t have a healing spirit. Guest Voice posts do not necessarily reflect the opinion of TMV or its writers. Atheists Post Hateful Christmas Sign By Floyd and Mary...

A top Republican party sent out an email warning about the Democrats’ radical agenda — but in this guest voice post, journalism professor and author Walter Brasch asks: just who are the REAL radicals? Guest Voice posts do not necessarily reflect the opinion of TMV or its writers. One Leg Raised on the Bush–Cheney Legacy: Deconstructing the Spin and Propaganda by Walter Brasch The chairman of...

There’s been a lot of talk about how Abraham Lincoln would be shocked at the scandal swirling around Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. But would he? In this Guest Interview conducted by columnist Bill Steigerwald with historian Thomas DiLorenzo, the Loyola College professor argues that Lincoln wouldn’t be reeling in horror since this is the kind of politics he played himself. Dishonest Abe: Interview...

The incoming Obama administration will have to deal wit Syria and Iran. In this Guest Voice post, Barry Rubin, director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center and editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Journal, offers some advice. Guest Voice posts do not necessarily reflect the view of TMV or its writers. KNOW WHO YOU’RE DEALING WITH By Barry Rubin ...

The first question: What will Barack Obama do as President? The second question: what would YOU do as President. In this Guest Voice post, conservative talk show host Michael Reagan, son of former President Ronald Reagan, gives you his answer. Guest Voice posts do not necessarily reflect the opinion of TMV or its writers. If I Were President by Michael Reagan Who needs gigantic bailouts when there are far less...

Is President Elect Barack Obama a quintessential pragmatist? There’s some debate about that and whether pragmatism means being at conflict with ideology. In his second Guest Voice post Calgary-based writer Scott Payne argues that it may not be as clear-cut as many think. Obama’s Ideology and Pragmatism: More Common Law Than We Might Think By Scott Payne There has been a great deal of talk and debate...

How bad is Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich? In this Guest Voice post “raging moderate” writer and political comic Will Durst says the Senate Seat For Sale guy is giving governors a bad name and has also done the unthinkable: he has damaged the image of Chicago politics. Blagojevich: Giving Governors a Bad Name Raging Moderate, by Will Durst Hats off to the Illinois governor for shooting so high...

In this Guest Voice Interview, columnist Bill Steigerwald asks Fox News Washington bureau managing editor Bill Sammon for his impressions of how President Elect Barack Obama is doing so far: A D.C. Pro Handicaps Obama by Bill Steigerwald Bill Sammon has been the deputy managing editor of the Fox News bureau in Washington only since August, but he’s no rookie inside the Beltway. A former White House correspondent...

To bailout the big three automakers or not to bailout the big three automakers? In this Guest Voice post journalism professor and author Walter Brasch says, as distasteful as it seems, it needs to be done. Hit me, Congress, One More Time: Bailing Out the Auto Industry by Walter Brasch Congress should bend over, dig into the public coffers once again, and give the auto industry everything it wants...

Same-sex marriage has been in the news, particularly in California where Proposition 8 unleashed a firestorm of emotions on both sides. Centrist writer Scott Payne steps back and looks at the issue in this Guest Voice post. Marriage Equality: A Help, Not a Hindrance by Scott Payne For a month now the issue of same sex marriage has taken the spotlight in America’s culture wars. Whether it is fair to say...

Is President Barack Obama poised to bring about real change or preside over an administration that will basically be (more or less) politics and policies as usual? In this Guest Voice post, Michael Winship, senior writer for PBS’s Bill Moyers Journal, notes that he’s starting to get bad vibes from what he sees. Guest Voice posts do not necessarily reflect the opinion of TMV or its writers. Obama’s...