People say he was only hyped because of his skin color.They say he was never as good as he was made out to be; folks were just desperate to see a player of his race do well.I am not talking about Donovan McNabb and the controversy that just led Rush Limbaugh to resign from ESPN, […]

It’s a story worthy of a John le Carre novel.A CIA operative’s cover is blown, allegedly by someone high on the Bush team. The likely reason: Her ex-diplomat husband, Joseph Wilson IV, challenged White House claims about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, and the White House wanted to get even.This piece of vindictiveness crosses all […]

Negotiations in Congress to develop a prescription drug benefit for Medicare are stalled, and the prognosis is poor for a bill that can satisfy Republicans, Democrats and a skeptical public.There are many problems with the legislation and the differences between the House and Senate versions make middle ground tough to find. It’s likely, in fact, […]

We know the Bush administration has mismanaged the conflict in Iraq and that it deceived the nation in advance about its costs in ways that are shocking.We know also that President Bush’s pals are setting up “consulting firms” to parlay their access to the administration into millions, advising companies that lust after the billions in […]

The following is part of a continuing series analyzing political advertising this campaign season.Political action committee: Citizens to Reduce Local Property Taxes StatewideParty: NonpartisanTV ad: “Broken Promise”Length: 60 secondsProducer: The Henninger Group, Arlington, Va.Market: StatewideAnnouncer: Man’s voiceVisuals: The ad opens with close-ups of a number of local government officials, then shows family members gathered around […]

President Bush has requested $87 billion to fund operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, about $20.3 billion of that would go for reconstruction.There’s a movement in the House and Senate to change the terms for providing the money. A growing number of lawmakers would provide the reconstruction funding, but only if some or all of it […]

Bangor Daily News, Sept. 27The first referendum question voters will see on their ballots in November will also be the most attractive. Question 1A asks whether voters want “the state to pay 55 percent of the cost of public education, which includes all special education costs, for the purpose of shifting costs from the property […]

I have a complaint for CNN, USA Today, People, Newsweek, Fox News, the “Today Show” and This Newspaper:There hasn’t been nearly enough media coverage of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez.Sometimes when I turn on the television, I have to wait as long as five minutes before someone mentions Ben and Jen. I can flip three […]

The Bush administration is proposing to spend another $87 billion ($20 billion for Iraq reconstruction) on top of what has already been spent in Iraq and Afghanistan. Instead, this country should be calling on Iraq and the rest of the oil-producing states to rebuild those nations. Freedom costs, but it should not just cost the […]

Warren C. Cook Sr. is an important man. He has done many good things for the region and the state and built his reputation as an entrepreneur, businessman, philanthropist and adviser to the governor.He is also a liar and a charlatan.He lied about having a master’s degree. He lied about being a member of the […]