archive

Canada and the US

From The Toronto Star, a review of Canadians: A Portrait of a Country and Its People by Roy MacGregor. "Canadian": It may be just one word, but it houses a multitude of ideas. On our nation’s birthday, we decode the ones that define our collective identity; Canadianism, A-Z(ed): To be a citizen of this country means to belong to a secular religion with its own rituals, apostates and articles of faith and they need to pay: Call for reparations in Canada being met with silence and refusal. From National Post, is Canada governable? Andrew Coyne investigates. From The Ottawa Citizen, a great tossed salad of humanity: Is multiculturalism working? That depends on what kind of multiculturalism you mean.

From Enter Stage Right, a series of articles on the Tory tradition in Canada from the 1980s to today (in 6 parts). From The Globe and Mail, a review of Intent for a Nation by Michael Byers; Canada's Young Activists: A Generation Stands Up for Change; and Great Questions of Canada. A review of Holding the Bully's Coat Canada and the U.S. Empire by Linda McQuaig. Live in Ajax? You must like NASCAR, hockey and family trips to the U.S. No? Researchers claim they can pin down your tastes, values and buying habits according to your postal code. Why is T.O. the capital of Facebook? Toronto claims more members of the popular social networking site than any other city in the world and it's not just because we're geeks. 

From The Washington Post, a president besieged and isolated, yet at ease: Bush, grasping for answers and fixated on Iraq, remains resolute (and more). From Political Affairs, Ball and Cheney: How the Vice President is dragging down the administration. Washington's Zelig: Vic Gold, a longtime confidant of the Bush and Cheney families, describes the dangerous influence of the vice president. John Dean on The Misunderestimated Mr. Cheney: The Vice President's record of willfully violating the law, and wrongly claiming authority to do so. From the new magazine Taki's Top Drawer, an article on Bush & Cheney: It’s Time to Resign. Will President Bush pardon I. Lewis (Scooter) Libby? Everyone is wondering. But it is the wrong question. The right question is: Will he pardon anyone else?

From NYRB, can we know her? Michael Tomasky reviews A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton by Carl Bernstein and Her Way: The Hopes and Ambitions of Hillary Rodham Clinton by Jeff Gerth and Don Van Natta Jr. McCain Drain: Here's how his struggling campaign could recover. An interview with Rudy Giuliani on his case to be Reagan's heir. Welcome back, 1912: An article on Bloomberg, Schwarzenegger and the dream of larger-than-life politics. A Political Force With Many Philosophies: A survey of independents, who could be key in 2008, finds attitudes from partisan to apathetic.

Undercover, under fire: Ken Silverstein on why the Washington press corps is too busy cozying up to the people it covers to get at the truth. A new report by the Center for American Progress and the Free Press has the right up-in-arms. Its message: right-wingers' dominance of talkradio is a classic market failure. Glenn Greenwald interviews Helen Thomas. Jay Rosen on how printing press progressives at Mother Jones try to debunk the political Web.