Why This Mid-Term Election Says a LOT About Our Constitution and Constitutional Government

The Nation, as always, has some very thought-provoking as well as informative pieces available online, including the following:

The Torture Election
At issue in the coming election, Jonathan Schell writes, is nothing less than the future of our constitutional government, which the President and his party have put in serious jeopardy.

Oversight? Nah, Don't Need It
Katrina vanden Heuvel With the stroke of a pen, the President has made oversight of Iraq reconstruction projects significantly weaker.

Stem Cell Politics
John Nichols Paul Wellstone predicted the people would be heard on the issue of stem-cell research. It could happen this fall.

How Big Will the Anti-GOP Wave Be?
David Corn Independent analyst Charlie Cook says the Rs can expect to lose the House, maybe the Senate--unless there's a pre-election surprise.

The South Changes Course
Katrina vanden Heuvel New survey shows that Southerners doubt US policy in Iraq as much as citizens in other regions, and in some cases more so.

Whitewater to Blackwater
Jeremy Scahill and Garrett Ordower report Blackwater USA has a new attorney to defend it against wrongful death lawsuits: Kenneth Starr.

Driving Planned Parenthood
Jennifer Baumgardner Cecile Richards, Planned Parenthood's new president, leads an organization searching for new national strategies, as a crucial vote in South Dakota tests its grassroots clout.