Michael Hale

Rapprochement — here at home

The greatest opportunity in the ongoing Parliamentary circus is the very thing we are being told to fear — engagement with the Bloc.

this is our time

Every American woke up on Wednesday one step closer to grace. With the nomination of Barack Obama, the Democratic Party continued its long history…

ditching the hangover

It was fun while it lasted, but now the Democratic primary seems like one of those parties that should have ended a few hours (and gin n’…

now comes the hard part

It’s finally over. The epic battle between Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama is over in all but name, and Obama has emerged as the…

It ain’t about fair — it’s about winnin

If Hillary Clinton wins this nomination, it will be a theft. For her to win, she will have to convince her party and its superdelegates that despite…

Now, it’s her turn

It’s time for Hillary Clinton to step up. Over the past six months, Barack Obama has demonstrated an incredible ability to make big gains in…

is clinton winning by losing

Hillary Clinton’s best chance lay in Barack Obama’s immense popularity. At first blush, that seems a bit absurd.

If Democrats are the good guys, will they always finish last?

For all the hoopla and all the fundraising and all the rah-rah rallies, Democrats are facing the prospect of a slaughter in the general election.

Discomfited Democrats

There’s trouble brewing with the Democratic election prospects, and it has everything to do with issues and nothing to do with politicking.

The nightmare ticket

There is no worse ticket available to the Democrats than any combination of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

Democracy matters more than delegates

The Democratic race is not about who has the most delegates. Or better put, it’s not about who has the most delegates in February or March or…

There’s something happening here…

...And what it is ain’t exactly clear. African American superdelegates are complaining that they are being “targetted, harassed and…

will the real electorate please stand up

OK, so let me get this straight. The US presidential campaign (if it ever begins) will be fought around the provision of universal health care,…

obamas path to 1600 pennsylvania avenue

Martin Luther King Jr. and Karl Rove — two very different men with very different purposes in life.

that hissing sound is the fuse

Super Tuesday settled it. All of us are absolutely positive who the candidate will be — for the Republicans, anyway.

A pint, a smoke and an opinion

The French is the most honest place in America. Looking at the bar’s burnt-out neon sign from the main road running through the heart of…

The comfort of scapegoats

Since we’ve had politics, we’ve had scapegoats. The term, itself, has been around since William Tyndale’s translation of the Bible…

The power of nothing

t’s official — US Vice-President Dick Cheney is above the law. All you have to do is ask him, and he’ll tell you straight up.

Take another look

Have you seen the pictures? The ones with the naked boys curled up on the concrete floor, their angular bones pressing out from their onionskin-thin…

Bush and Harper are our best hope for climate change

If the world is ever going to succeed in negotiating a comprehensive, binding strategy on climate change, it must happen when American President…