Is Saddam really dead? Which source will be the first to raise doubts?: Huffington Post FireDogLake/BrainFire/Jane Hamster Democratic Underground Air America Ramsey Clark Cindy Sheehan Hugo Chavez RawStory All of the above... (read more)

If you know Tom Vilsack's name at all, you're either a farm-state politics junkie, or a fan of the Daily Show, which has seared the appellation of the two-term Iowa governor into the minds of America's youth by tweaking the Aflac duck call into...Vilsack! Though his name may be the butt of jokes, don't you dare question his qualifications, or worse yet, suggest he's another Kucinich candidate. He doesn't like that. And though he has nothing but praise for Hillary Clinton, he'll also bristle if you wonder aloud whether he's running to help take Iowa off the table for his friend on the Democratic Leadership Council....Full post... (read more)

Over the last several days I have had the chance to speak in a variety of forums: colleges, a management consultant meeting, with SEIU members and leaders in New York, and to SEIU's first ever national meeting of Republican members. What I find both amazing and gratifying is how much everyone loves our country, and want their children to do better economically. Americans are becoming well aware that our country is growing apart economically -- wages are at the lowest percentage of national income since the great Depression, and corporate profits are at the highest level of national income ever....Full post... (read more)

Many progressives are still suffering from post-traumatic States' Rights Syndrome. Imprinted by the battles that southern states fought against the Civil Rights movement by wrapping themselves in an anti-Federalist banner, they're gripped by an instinctive chill when local legislators take matters into their own hands. Nor are they without reason to feel icy. Across the country, we've seen a well-organized conservative movement grab control of local school boards in order to toss out the teaching of evolution and legitimize Intelligent Design, a better-packaged Creationism. Much of this happened when liberals weren't looking. ...Full post... (read more)

Labor Day is a time to reflect on and celebrate the hard work and indomitable spirit of workers that drive our economy. Throughout our nation's history, America's working families have led the fight to ensure workplace protections and fair wages and benefits. The labor movement brought us the 40-hour workweek, overtime pay, and workplace safety laws. So we should honor their efforts in both word and deed....Full post... (read more)

Comment moderator's note: When I came online today there was a balckog of hundreds of unapproved comments on all posts, inlcuding Sheldon Drobny's. The backlog is because of the weekend abscence of two of our comment moderators, due to their vacation plans. I am just starting to moderate the backlog of comments, thank you for your patience. Julia Marsh, Comment Moderator One of the nice things about being a contributor of the Huffpo is a site you get for posting called "BACKSTAGE HOME." Besides having the tools to post, you get information about approved and unapproved comments. Unapproved comments eventually show up at an almost 100% rate. It does not mean that the comments are not worthy of posting (sorry for the double negative). Some of you may have noticed that your comments do not immediately appear on a particular post....Full post... (read more)

A bold prediction: Jim Webb will be elected United States Senator from Virginia in the election shocker of 2006. A brief word about George Allen. I had never heard the word Macaca until it came out of the mouth of the incumbent Senator from Virginia. And I am even willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that he didn't exactly say it, or didn't mean it, or didn't know exactly what he meant by it. Whatever....Full post... (read more)

We need a new approach to protecting ourselves from terrorism, one that includes fresh ideas and an honest national conversation about some tough topics. We need to think imaginatively, drawing on our best and brightest from fields as diverse as law enforcement and even ... video gaming. (Yes, I said video gaming.) We need to draw on old disciplines and invent new disciplines, like the one I call "counter-anthropology." And we need to start now....Full post... (read more)

Republicans in Congress are staging a publicity stunt with a vote on increasing the minimum wage that includes "poison pill" legislation -- the estate tax reduction and other tax cuts for the wealthy. The Senate has already rejected, on a bipartisan basis, proposals that combine the estate tax with extensions of tax cuts. This minimum wage increase will therefore not be enacted. America's working families will still be forced to live on $5.15 an hour, as they have since the minimum wage as last raised 10 years ago. ...Full post... (read more)

WE TALKED WITH JOHN MCCAIN, Republican Senator from Arizona and likely 2008 Presidential candidate, about a variety of hot button topics: Immigration (which got a pretty lengthy treatment), the Second Amendment, blogs and campaign finance reform, leaks from the CIA and other intelligence agencies and, of course, earmarks and PorkBusters.......Full post... (read more)