Today is World AIDS Day. I know, big yawn. Another day devoted to another horrific pandemic and then after feeling terrible--or not--we'll all forget about it. But here in South Africa, where I have been traveling the past two days with a group of American and South African bloggers,...

Over the next few months, in homes across America, seventeen and eighteen-year-olds will be conferring with one another and with their parents about a life changing decision: What college to go to! After months of research, visits, and advice from "experts," these young men and women must now decide: Where...

So things are heating up in the Great White North, with the three Opposition parties attempting to overthrow a right-wing government that acts like it won with the will of the majority, but only limped into power with 38% of the total vote count.

Where it gets really...

There's an old inside-the-Beltway joke where a new House member is being shown around by a veteran of his own party. He is awed by entering the House floor for the first time, and is shown his new seat. He asks, pointing across the aisle to where the other party...

There is a savage irony to the fact that the unfolding horror in Mumbai began with terrorists docking near the Gateway of India. The magnificent arch, built in 1911 to welcome the King-Emperor, has ever since stood as a symbol of the openness of the city. Crowds flock around it,...

Lately I'd begun to worry that the victory of Barack Obama and the Democratic Party would bring an end to the sort of right-wing rhetorical shamelessness we've come to depend on for amusement and diversion.

I feared -- silly me -- that the thought-buffoons of the right would either...

In his recent column, Prof. Robert Reich is saying that the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer; and that this is not good for the economy. I can agree.

As a remedy, Prof. Reich is recommending extended government spending. He does not say where the...

As we all saw on the morning of December 1, President-elect Barack Obama has clearly assembled a compelling national security team. As secretary of state, Hillary Clinton has the potential to be a highly effective and respected global diplomat. As secretary of defense, Robert Gates will provide excellent judgment and...

The Battle Over Obama's Birth

Circulating the Internet for months have been the claims Barack Obama was not born in the United States, is not a natural born U.S. citizen, and, in fact, was born in Kenya. Of course, if Obama were not a U.S. citizen, he could not have...

Much was made before the 2008 Presidential election of the potential impact of the African American or youth vote on the election. Pundits claimed that both voting blocks would "carry" the election for Barack Obama. But what about women voters? The truth is that they came out in full force...

The debate among progressive activists and commentators in recent weeks has tended to range from the leave-Obama-alone-and-he'll-fix- everything position to the stage-a-protest- at-Obama's-house-for-the-next-month position, including numerous stances in between those extremes. What all these positions share is acceptance of the incredible shift of power from Congress to the White House...

Here's the count. You decide.

Dwight Eisenhower: 2 recessions
Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford: 2 recessions
Ronald Reagan: 1 recession
George H.W. Bush: 1 recession
George W. Bush: 2 recessions

Here are the Democrats:

John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson: no recessions
Jimmy Carter: one recession,...

President-elect Barack Obama holds an unprecedented meeting tomorrow with the nation's governors at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. He has called the meeting to discuss the impact of the ailing economy on state budgets and to outline key steps that need to be taken to revive the nation's economy. This...

Today I am unveiling the first three webisodes of my web-only "Interactive State of the City" simultaneously on San Francisco's city website, sfgov.org, and on YouTube.

Instead of a traditional speech behind a podium, this year I am delivering my State of the City address directly...

Forces calling for Healthcare Reform Now are gaining momentum. I share their sense of urgency -- assuming that they are talking about the "reforms" needed to create an effective, affordable, patient-centered health care system. But if by "reform," they simply mean "universal coverage," I have to disagree.

Granted, giving...

Welcome to the first in a three part installment on leadership challenges Barack Obama will face in guiding our country through these difficult times.

President-Elect Obama's words rang clear and true... "I came here today, not just to hold an office, but to gather with you to transform a nation...to...

Historic changes are rattling this country to the core. Rising economic fear, a reordering of global power, an assault on trust, the energizing promise of new leadership -- all are coming together to reshape the future and alter our expectations.

Last week's blog created a little bit of tension with some Zimbabweans, who felt that I exaggerated the situation in Zimbabwe. I stand by what I wrote, and believe that the current crisis in Zimbabwe is worse than the outside world knows.

It is no accident that a Human...

The times are unprecedented. Not since 1861 have we watched the last gasps of an outgoing administration with such anxiety. Then the nation was concerned with drift and inertia; now we watch for further ideological mischief.

Republicans were aghast in 2001 to discover that President Bill Clinton's staff allegedly...