The Democrats can’t afford to underestimate Palin as they did Bush. Not because of the candidate herself is anything special, but because the RNC knows how to frame the debate, and they don’t.

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Why were we stupid enough to push out Blair? Not many of us agreed with everything he did, but still- the most talented politician of a generation, and one who, despite his flaws, gave the genuine impression that he believed something. Even in his darkest days, his support rarely dipped below 30% because at the [...]

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When Richard Nixon went up on national TV following the announcement that he was under investigation for Watergate, he uttered the infamous line: “I am not a crook”.
And everyone instantly, regardless of their opinion on the affair, involuntarily thought of him as a crook. According to the linguist (hold in here, this is actually quite [...]

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From the Democratic debate in New Hampshire last night, it’s now clear that the contest between the candidates has effectively come down to two key characteristics which, in 2008 will matter the most to voters. These are experience and change. The third, electability, is an equally important issue likely to be on the minds of [...]

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Benizir Bhutto’s assassination this week rightly sparked widespread revulsion and protests across the globe, from ordinary people and politicians alike. Love her or loathe her, the murder of a political figure by their opponents (whoever, in this case, they turn out to be) flies in the face of everything the words ‘democracy’ and ‘liberalism’ are [...]

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No issue exposes the deep divisions in the American political landscape like that of abortion. Ever since the handing down of Roe vs. Wade by the US Supreme Court in 1973, enshrining a woman’s right to abortion, the defence or assault of this historic decision has been cast as a major goal of both sides [...]

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Notes from First Proposition Speaker in KES Debating Society Motion, Oct 2004
Well firstly, I’m here to tell you that the war on terror can’t be won, because it doesn’t exist.
What is terror? Can you fight it? How do you fight it? Why do we face terror?
Why hasn’t anyone asked any of these questions?
Nope, they’re [...]

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Two years on from the atrocities of September 11, and the unveiling of George Bush’s ‘war on terror’, is the World a safer place? The death of 3,000 Americans has resulted in the deaths of hundreds more Americans in armed conflict in Afghanistan and Iraq and the death and injury of millions of civilians all [...]

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The war we will inevitably face in sooner or later against the regime of Saddam Hussein is one of hidden dangers that go much further than the security risks posed by Iraq. The war we are squaring up to fight, and inevitably win, is one of the scariest situations we have faced since the Cuban [...]

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That’s it then. We’ve got the blessing of the UN, and so we’re going into Iraq to remove a tyrant, free the world of terror, and to bring peace and democracy to those persecuted by Saddam. But will this bring about the end of terrorism? No. Sustained bombing and propaganda will not win the war [...]

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