Four months on planet bin Laden French journalist Georges Malbrunot recounts his horrific days in captivity and how he is now convinced of one thing: America's Iraq policy is doomed.
By Jody K. Biehl [01/22/05]

Boxer's rebellion As the GOP celebrates, the junior senator from California emerges as a fierce -- and lonely -- voice of opposition.
By Tim Grieve [01/21/05]

Giving Bush a pass -- again The D.C. press corps failed to ask hard questions about the inauguration's huge cost and its unprecedented security.
By Eric Boehlert [01/20/05]

The song remains the same Any vague hope that a second Bush term will be different was crushed by Condoleezza Rice Tuesday. Yes, the U.S. will have a new secretary of state. It will not have a new foreign policy.
By Tim Grieve [01/19/05]

The scandal sheet Print it out, send it to Harry Reid, or just read it and weep. Here are 34 scandals from the first four years of George W. Bush's presidency -- every one of them worse than Whitewater.
By Peter Dizikes [01/18/05]

Ain't gonna study war no more Sgt. Kevin Benderman, a veteran of a tour in Iraq, refused to return. Why did a 10-year military man become a conscientious objector?
By Phillip Babich [01/17/05]

Gonzales' unbelievable argument The attorney general nominee claims he and then Texas Gov. Bush held "rolling" discussions before executions were approved. He's almost certainly not telling the truth.
By Alan Berlow [01/14/05]

Supreme Court to Congress: Here's what you really meant An expert explains why the unusual decision striking down mandatory sentencing guidelines has enraged Republicans -- and what effect it'll have.
By Andrew Leonard [01/14/05]

The buried village A "Dateline" film crew gets in the way as I make my way to a former surfing hot spot, where families line up for hygiene kits, and a hotel owner, who reminds me of Lenny Bruce, reclaims fishing boats.
By Jeff Greenwald [01/12/05]

No pundit left behind After Armstrong Williams pocketed $240,000 from the Department of Education, he conducted a flattering interview with Education Secretary Rod Paige for Sinclair Broadcasting.
By Eric Boehlert [01/13/05]

Israel's security fence, dividing lives The wall that slices deep into Palestinian land has made Israelis feel safer, but left Palestinians bitter.
By Carolin Emcke and Annette Grossbongardt [01/13/05]

Tsunami, ground zero After the waves hit, I dared myself to do something. Now I'm in Sri Lanka, where nothing will ever be the same again.
By Jeff Greenwald [01/11/05]

Behind the firings at CBS An independent investigation reveals that the team that produced the Bush National Guard story made shocking, rudimentary mistakes.
By Eric Boehlert [01/12/05]

The new Monkey Trial By persuading the Dover, Pa., school board to teach creationism, Christian zealots have provoked a showdown over the status of not just evolutionary theory, but science itself.
By Michelle Goldberg [01/11/05]

Not with a bang but a whimper As the protest against Bush's certification fell flat and they rolled over for Gonzales, it was a day of humiliation and futility for Democrats.
By Tim Grieve [01/07/05]

Morocco: The price of anti-Americanism It's what America wants: A moderate Muslim country moving toward democracy. But Bush's policies have so enraged Moroccans that urgently needed reforms are seen as a U.S. plot.
By Craig Charney [01/07/05]

Fox News gets blown away Fox's weak coverage of the tsunami in South Asia proves that when it comes to stories with global significance, the nasty, partisan network isn't ready for prime time.
By Eric Boehlert [01/08/05]

The facilitator When Alberto Gonzales briefed George W. Bush on the cases of Texas death row inmates up for clemency, his memos were so shabby they seemed intended solely to make it easy for Bush to send prisoners to their deaths.
By Alan Berlow [01/06/05]

Payola is dead! Now what will we listen to? The bizarre, sleazy system of independent radio promotion may finally have bitten the dust. But believe it or not, pop radio may get even worse.
By Eric Boehlert [01/06/05]

The day after Gaza Just talking about withdrawing from Gaza, which even Ariel Sharon doesn't want, has traumatized Israel. What will happen when the real prize -- the West Bank -- is on the table?
By Aluf Benn [01/05/05]

Rushing for Jesus Reggie White used to thank God for helping him sack quarterbacks. But before his death, the football star confessed that sports trivialized faith and religion. Will his message be heard?
By Tom Krattenmaker [01/04/05]

Syria at the crossroads The nation that "punches above its weight" in the Middle East is caught between the desire to come in from the cold and its old habits of militancy -- and now it's facing U.S. troops across its border.
By Ferry Biedermann [01/05/05]

Suicide mission The mess-hall bombing in Mosul, say military analysts, signals the final unraveling of the U.S. war effort in Iraq.
By David DeBatto [12/24/04]

Vlad the terrible Two years ago Russia's Vladimir Putin was a celebrated champion of democracy. Now he's being called "the Mussolini of Moscow."
By Walter Mayr [12/23/04]

If you like Iraq, you'll love Iran Kenneth Pollack says the Bush administration doesn't have a clue about what to do in Iran and doesn't have much time to get it right.
By Jeff Horwitz [12/22/04]

Selling the forest for the trees In a gift to timber industry patrons, the Bush administration is thinning national forests and cutting down government scientists who stand in the way.
By Rebecca Clarren [12/22/04]

The year in sports Miracle comebacks, working-class heroes and gracious champions. Flying chairs, rape charges and steroids. 2004 was all about taking the bad with the good.
By King Kaufman [12/21/04]

Investigating Ohio Rep. John Conyers isn't ready to declare the election stolen, but he'll continue to dig into the droves of complaints -- and fight to fix the broken U.S. election system.
By Tim Grieve [12/21/04]

Back by unpopular demand Come next month, Bush's Inauguration Day approval ratings may be the worst of any president in modern-day history.
By Eric Boehlert [12/22/04]

The Grinch who saved Christmas Battling the homosexuals, liberals and Jews, Bill O'Reilly and friends are making America safe for Christmas.
By Eric Boehlert [12/16/04]

End of the "big happy family" In answer to critics of MoveOn, Wes Boyd says that mobilizing a vibrant opposition to Bush's policies was just the first step. And he doesn't blame Kerry for the Democrats' loss.
By Farhad Manjoo [12/16/04]

The revolution that failed -- for now Groups like ACT and MoveOn promised to remake American politics, but they didn't beat Bush. Is there a future for liberal People Power?
By Farhad Manjoo [12/15/04]

They shoot elephants, don't they? A plan to kill 25,000 elephants a year -- with trophy hunters doing some of the shooting -- has divided African wildlife experts and revived old charges of colonialism.
By Ted Kerasote [12/13/04]