Topic: Barack Obama
Top galleries, list articles, quizzes
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Playing the IRS card: Six presidents who used the IRS to bash political foes
Since the advent of the federal income tax about a century ago, several presidents – or their zealous underlings – have directed the IRS to use its formidable police powers to harass or punish enemies, political rivals, and administration critics. Here are six infamous episodes.
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Briefing
IRS 101: Seven questions about the tea party scandal
How the tables have turned: The Internal Revenue Service is the one under the microscope now, as revelations emerged Friday that the agency wrongly targeted conservative groups seeking nonprofit status. Here’s an accounting of what has happened, along with the ramifications.
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3 priorities for Pakistan's new government
After 14 years, Nawaz Sharif is back at the helm in Pakistan. The nuclear-armed country faces a welter of problems, from terrorism to tensions with Afghanistan, India, and the United States. To move Pakistan forward, Mr. Sharif must focus on three priorities.
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Five ways to improve Obama's pre-k plan
President Obama’s Preschool for All plan is well intentioned but includes features that are not justified by research and won’t help it pass in Congress. The plan must make the following five adjustments.
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5 myths about amnesty for illegal immigrants in Senate bill
Under a bipartisan Senate immigration bill, immigrants who have come to the United States illegally are given a "path to citizenship." On close inspection, each of the following five claims about the requirements for illegal immigrants to earn amnesty are not what they seem.
All Content
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Letters to the Editor
Readers write about whether college is necessary for every American student, and looking for new solutions to America's educational problems.
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US economy's gloom expected to begin lifting by late '09
Until then, employment, output, and housing prices will keep falling.
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Letters to the Editor
Readers write about helping the hungry by donating fruit, the benefits of capturing carbon at the source, and Obama's pick for secretary of Education.
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Opinion: A food agenda for Obama
Now's the time to reinvent America's farm and food policies.
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Major foreign policy test awaits Obama in Somalia
Ethiopia confirmed this week that it will pull troops out of the troubled nation, a move that experts worry could allow the country to fall into the hands of Islamist insurgents.
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Afghan voter registration marred
Insecurity and charges of fraud could hamper election officials' ability to ensure popular acceptance of next year's presidential poll results.
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USA
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Etc.
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Obama "slights" the South in picking his team
Regional rivalries may no longer count, especially in tough times like these.
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Will Obama’s plans help the middle class?
Presidential policies aim to tackle average Americans’ widening insecurity.
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Letters to the Editor
Readers write about how Obama should approach global challenges, encouraging Americans to save as a means of creating wealth, and why math should be taught the old-fashioned way in American schools.
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Opinion: Want green jobs? Watch California.
Instead of waffling on green energy, the US must offer consistent support.
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The Monitor's View: To hear the angels sing
2008 took many folks down a notch. All the better to hear the Christmas message.
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Housing: More help may be needed
As home prices continue their dramatic fall, policymakers debate how much to intervene.
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Azerbaijan threatens to muzzle independent radio
Foreign licenses, such as the BBC's, could be yanked as Baku tilts away from the West.
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USA
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'Nothing inappropriate' in Obama-Blagojevich contacts, report finds
Emanuel offered names for Obama's Senate seat but discussed no benefits to the Illinois governor as a result, concludes an internal report.
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Can America spend its way to economic recovery?
Conservatives, resisting big government outlays on principle, begin to build the case for other options.
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A surge of Special Forces for Afghanistan likely
Defense officials say it will fill urgent gaps but Special Forces officers are skeptical.
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Bush pushes Persian Gulf nuclear agreement
But critics say the US should go slowly on a deal that would help a crucial trading partner for Iran.
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Opinion: Corruption's cost, beyond Blagojevich
'Rent-seeking' hurts society and perverts the work of government.
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The Monitor's View: Obama's fusion cabinet
He's expanding the definition of diversity beyond race and gender to include differing views.
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Court reinstates EPA clean-air rule
A federal appeals court on Tuesday temporarily reinstated a Bush administration rule that sought to cut harmful pollution from power plants and other facilities in the Eastern US.
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USA
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Obama weighs a supersized stimulus plan
His team looks ready to spend at least $675 billion on projects to jolt the US economy.
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