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WASHINGTON – In moments of great peril and uncertainty, the question of who actually runs Washington – who they are, what they think, what they know, what they think they know – takes on even more importance than it might under normal circumstances. In this, the first in a three-part series, Asia Times will examine the current power dynamics that shape the Biden White House and his national security team. Needless to say, the most important players in Washington are, as one might expect, the ones closest to the President, even if, for the most part, they remain unknown by...

Little Rock, Arkansas (CNN) -- A cache of new -- largely unvarnished -- interviews with former members of the Bill Clinton White House were released on Friday and offer a glimpse into both the triumphs and tribulations of the Clinton White House. Everyone from former aides like Leon Panetta and Bruce Reed to world leaders like Vaclav Havel, the former President of the Czech Republic, and Kim Dae-jung, the former president of South Korea, were interviewed for the project. Released by the University of Virginia's Miller Center and conducted after President Bill Clinton left office, the transcripts will be a...

In his inaugural address Wednesday, incoming New York Mayor Bill de Blasio tried to establish an intellectual pedigree for his focus on economic inequality. He invoked Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Franklin Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, Al Smith, Frances Perkins, Fiorello La Guardia, Jacob Riis, David Dinkins, Mario Cuomo, and Harry Belafonte. It reminded me of when Democrats, eager to prove their national-security bona fides, tell audiences they hail from the party of Roosevelt, Truman, and Kennedy. As if there wasn’t some other Democrat after Kennedy who dabbled at war and peace, some guy from Texas. De Blasio’s speech was a bit...

I just finished reading THE PLAN and found the part about Universal Civilian Service very interesting. As a military verteran I know the average recruit goes through two months 0f training. In their book Emanuel and Reed stated Universal Civilian Service recruits will train for three months. My question is what is the extra month for? Anyone care to speculate?

Why haven't Democratic elites embraced Clintonism, given the former president's success? As the 2006 and 2008 elections loom ever nearer, Democrats are racking their brains for a political philosophy that can return the party to power. Everywhere, we hear the same lament: If only Democrats had a proven formula for winning elections and governing the country. Fortunately, we do: It's called Clintonism. By any logical standard, Democrats of every stripe ought to be embracing Clintonism and its central tenets -- providing people with more opportunity while demanding more responsibility, and being willing to try new methods to realize progressive ideals....

Love Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry: Today, RNC chair Ken Mehlman will apologize for the Republicans' divisive, racist Southern strategy: "Some Republicans gave up on winning the African American vote, looking the other way or trying to benefit politically from racial polarization. I am here today as the Republican chairman to tell you we were wrong." Even in what is fast becoming the sorriest year in American politics, Mehlman's apology may be the most galling. If not for its Southern strategy, Ken Mehlman would be stuck in Baltimore and the modern Republican party simply would not exist. From...

In the new issue of Blueprint Magazine (the DLC's house organ) Al From and Bruce Reed take yet another whack at convincing Democrats that moving to the middle is the only way to stop the party's slide. From and Reed argue that the first thing the party must do is to face up to some ugly political facts: For the first time since before the New Deal, Republicans are now the majority party from the top of the ballot to the bottom. That's reality -- and we delude ourselves if we take false comfort in the closeness of our loss....