George Wilson’s column | Targeted assassinations abroad could lead to a police state at home COMMENTARY Retaliation is a chilling but real possibility, writes George Wilson, and it might bring about drastic losses of freedoms we now take for granted. Are we sowing the seeds for our own destruction as a democracy?

Are the CIA torture tapes next? | New questions raised about prosecutor who cleared Bush officials in U.S. Attorney firings
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Four days before Nora Dannehy was appointed to investigate the Bush administration’s U.S. attorney firing scandal, a team of lawyers she led was found to have illegally suppressed evidence in a major political corruption case. Andrew Kreig writes that this previously unreported fact calls her entire investigation into question as well as that of a similar investigation by her colleague John Durham of DOJ and CIA decision-making involving torture.

| Bob Giles on the U.S. refusal to allow entry to a Nieman Fellow
COMMENTARY
In the 60 years since international journalists have been awarded Nieman fellowships, Hollman Morris of Colombia is the first to be denied entry to the United States by our government. Nieman curator Giles says that if the denial holds, it would an alarming, major recasting of the doctrine of press freedom – opening journalists to charges of terrorist activities because they established contacts with and reported on terrorist organizations.

What’s next: Ratchet up, or pull out? | Was it the four-letter words, used over and over, that brought down McChrystal? ASK THIS Would the Rolling Stone piece have had the same impact without so many curse words? And has the press focused too much on the personal slurs, and not enough on writer Michael Hastings's informative but bleak assessment of the war in Afghanistan?

'Regulatory capture' | The BP disaster underscores government as the problem, not the solution
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After decades of planned neglect, mismanagement and ideological attack, the American government, across the board, has gotten out of the way of corporate America – and the country is paying a heavy price. Obama promised to make government service “cool” again. Ask him to show where he's doing that.

Vietnam revisited? | Locked into an expanding war in Afghanistan
COMMENTARY
The appointment of a new Afghan commander with great press clippings but a deeply troubling record suggests the Obama administration is going for broke in the region. TomDispatch.com founder Tom Engelhardt warns, however, that the application of force has failed for years -- and when things don't go according to plan, Obama may find himself locked into an escalation without end.

Behind the Federal Direct Loan Program | Sweeping change for the better in student loans
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Obama’s proposed overhaul of the student financial aid system would pump in more funding and still result in savings to taxpayers. Naturally, therefore, it is generating controversy and misinformation.

From Congress Daily | Lobbyist William Lynn, at the Defense Department
COMMENTARY| March 10, 2009
So much for Obama’s vow to break up the old boy network and not bring lobbyists into his administration.

Stopping privatization | These orthopedists are a step ahead of Obama
COMMENTARY
A Des Moines orthopedic practice has cut off Medicare Advantage insurers. Gil Cranberg thinks they’ve got the right idea—and wants reporters and editorial writers to start paying attention as Obama tries to end subsidies that have been draining the traditional Medicare program.

The new administration | Is Bagram Obama's Guantanamo?
COMMENTARY
The first and last legacy of the Bush detention era is the prison at Bagram Air Base. But torture expert Karen Greenberg writes that there are no signs so far that the Obama administration is going to make any changes there. And still unclear: Who is being held there? Are they classified as 'prisoners of war' or as Bushian 'unlawful enemy combatants'? How are they being treated?

The new administration | A wake-up call for the 111th Congress
COMMENTARY
Andrew Rudalevige, author of 'The New Imperial Presidency,' calls on Congress to reassert itself as a coequal branch of government, reclaim powers it abdicated to the executive branch under President Bush, demand information, conduct aggressive oversight and use its power of the purse.

The new administration | What’s the outlook for broadband and Internet?
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The congressional stimulus packages could go either way, writes consumer advocate Bruce Kushnick. They could mark a new, promising beginning—or they could be a new boondoggle for AT&T, Verizon and rural phone companies.

The new administration | Will Obama reassess the threat posed by al Qaeda?
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Terrorism skeptic John Mueller wonders if Obama has considered the possibility that the al Qaeda threat has been overhyped – and he wonders how Obama's foreign policy team fares on a key litmus test.

Skyrocketing weapons costs | Dear Mr. President, about your defense budget…
COMMENTARY
Military spending is taking us to the poor house, writes George Wilson in an open letter to President Obama. 'No politician wants to look weak on national defense. But cutting fat and insisting on accountability for cost overruns on weapons aren't signs of weakness.'

The new administration | Rethinking how we cover the White House
COMMENTARY
Faced with an opaque presidency these past eight years, journalists grew too accustomed to trading in superficiality and trivia. But Obama's promise of transparency means we may now have more substantial things to talk about. Dan Froomkin writes that we should embrace the opportunity to publicly explore the important issues and decisions facing our nation and our world.

The new administration | Will Obama stem the tide of patronage?
ASK THIS| January 14, 2009
Political scientist David Lewis wonders whether loyalists, donors and party officials will get rewarded with appointed positions that are under the media’s radar. And if Obama is really trying to change the way Washington works, why doesn't he reduce the overall number of appointed positions?

The new administration | What will Obama do when goals collide?
ASK THIS| January 12, 2009
Going green is indeed one way to create jobs. But it can also lead to higher food costs, higher fuel costs and the erosion of property rights. Public Citizen's Tyson Slocum wants to know Obama's views on the various tradeoffs involved.

The new administration | Just how 'transformational' does Obama intend to be?
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Political scientist Jeffrey Tulis writes that the press should ask a series of questions designed to illuminate the meaning of Obama's promise to change Washington. What does 'post-partisan' really mean, practically speaking?

Probing Obama | Questions for the new administration regarding the use and misuse of intelligence
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Former senior CIA official Paul Pillar thinks the public needs to hear a lot more about the Obama Administration's views of the intelligence community and its complicated but crucial relationship with policymakers, Congress and the public.

Inauguration thoughts | It's time for a Wiki White House
COMMENTARY
The next White House Web site should tell us a lot about whether Obama believes what he has said about bringing transparency and accountability to the government.

Infrastructure | What now for broadband and the telecoms?
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Will Obama and Congress be satisfied to leave the U.S. as 15th among developed nations in broadband use? Will the FCC under Democratic control be less of a tool for large corporations? Questions and proposals from Bruce Kushnick.