Items by Jon Margolis

Western Republicans have a few things to crow about
The writer cheers up Republicans by noting that the election could have gone worse
Character in politicians is vastly overrated
The writer surveys the increasing number of attack ads as election day nears, and offers some advice
In politics, it's not about who you want to drink a beer with
The so-called "character issue" in politics – often defined as voting for the person you’d most like to have a beer with – is absurd for many reasons...
The green Republican: back from the dead?
Worried about falling poll numbers, some Republicans, led by Sen. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, are resisting some of the Bush administration’s more far-reaching attacks on environmental protection
Just why did Gale Norton leave the interior department?
The writer thinks he knows why Gale Norton quit
Why did Norton really leave Interior?
If outgoing Interior Secretary Gale Norton didn’t receive a push out the door, she certainly deserved one after her involvement in the sleazy Jack Abramoff scandal
Dems contract case of self-delusion — or not
The Democratic bloggers on the netroots seem to be prone to wildly optimistic self-delusion – and then again, maybe they’re not so crazy after all
In Washington, a broad-based effort aims to kick the oil habit
The Set America Free Coalition is a new organization that brings together liberals and conservatives to try to reduce America’s dependency on imported fossil fuels
What’s behind all these natural disasters
The writer looks behind natural disasters that bedevil our time
The many problems of Richard Pombo
The writer thinks re-election for Richard Pombo won’t be easy this time
The many problems of Richard Pombo
California Republican Rep. Richard Pombo is having a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad year
In Washington, the most outrageous sins are legal
Given the incestuous nature of politics and lobbying in Washington, D.C., and the corruption inherent in the gambling industry, the rise of an opportunist like Jack Abramoff was all but inevitable
In Bush's Supreme Court, who's on first?
Newly confirmed Chief Justice John Roberts may not be the umpire he claims to be, but he could be worse: a counter-revolutionary, like Judge Janice Rogers Brown
The return of the hodgepodge
The new transportation bill makes the day-to-day working of transportation policy more political than it’s ever been – and also serves up some amazing helpings of pork
The West shared in a meal of highway pork
The writer analyzes the recent federal transportation bill – a classic case of pork distribution
The race for president is already on
The writer says Democratic candidates are quietly jockeying for a place on the ticket in 2008
Energy Bill rewards the fattest cats
The writer finds the Energy Bill loaded with gifts for wealthy producers and a kick in the pants for critics
A sleeping green giant may yet awake
The writer says ultra-conservatives want to roll back many environmental protections, yet sportsmen haven’t noticed — yet
Brace yourselves for the counterrevolution
Don’t worry so much about what President Bush will do to the environment; worry instead about the three new justices he might put on the Supreme Court
So much for sticking to the center
The writer says Republican control of Congress and a docile media give the Bush administration the freedom to push its agenda
So much for sticking to the center
George W. Bush has refused to govern from the center, and with the Republicans in charge of the government, a mandate from the voters doesn’t matter
Of global warming and White House elephants
The Bush administration needs to start dealing with global climate change, and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger may help to point the way
Bush is audacious, but should that be surprising?
The writer says it’s no surprise that Republicans press every advantage
Bush is a man of his word: He's audacious, but should that be surprising?
Democrats can learn a thing or two from the way Bush and the conservative Republicans are using political power
The Bush administration - Sinister motives, or just ‘veracity-challenged’?
As Deputy Interior Secretary J. Steven Griles comes under scrutiny for conflict of interest, larger questions arise about the Bush administration’s "ideology-dishonesty nexus"
While America waits for war, the environment suffers
In these duct-tape, Code Orange days, only a small political elite seems to be keeping an eye on the environment.
Bush's energy push meets unintended consequences
The Bush administrations' push to drill and drill yet more in the West is likely to have surprising consequences, arousing even some Republicans to protest.
Presidential hopeful plays with fire
Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., is in hot water over his attempt to appeal-proof a controversial thinning project in his home state, but the situation is more complicated than his gleeful Republican opponents admit.
Congress goes barmy over the Army
Congress spends little time examining military requests before giving the OK, even when it comes to training in areas that affect wildlife or destroy ecosystems.
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