Memories of the last nine years have turned Ground Zero from a site of horror, to a reminder of grief, to an occasion for ludicrous artistic posturing - and now to something very close to parody.

The classic rule of thumb is that if you are an intellectual ideological magazine, you do better in opposition than you do if your views are reflected by people in power.

The sad truth is that you can have peace processes all you like, but if one side is committed to war, then it's war.

Unquestionably, American political rhetoric can be repugnant, and the Right can certainly be as guilty as the Left.

America may be in a dour condition, but it is not going to elect a dour president.

The real story of the Ground Zero mosque is that the project only became feasible because of the appalling and astonishing fecklessness of the officials who were charged with the reconstruction of the site and the neighborhood all the way back in 2001.

I think making a pretense of civility toward Eric Alterman is like making a pretense of civility to a scorpion.