The Dignity Index: It’s Hard to Top Andy Dick | Newsweek Scope

POLITICS
One-Two Punch for GOP
Joe Miller 1/7/2008 12:00:00 AM
SummaryIn the final debate before New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary election, five Republican candidates appeared on Fox News. We found no shortage of recycled bunk, and a new twist or two:
POLITICS
The Whoppers of 2007
1/2/2008 12:00:00 AM
SummaryThe year 2007 wasn't a good one for political honesty. Though not even technically an election year, it provided a bumper crop of falsehoods and distortions nonetheless.
POLITICS
Falsehoods, exaggerations and stumbles
Brooks Jackson 11/30/2007 12:00:00 AM
SummaryThe CNN/YouTube debate among Republicans lacked any talking snowmen, but we did note a few false and misleading statements by the candidates.
CAMPAIGN 2008
In The Shadow of Bush
Evan Thomas
We are all stars in the movies that play in our minds: not true-life stories, exactly, but life as we imagine it could or should be. Little imperfections are conveniently forgotten or smoothed over, messy relationships downplayed or deep-sixed. The future beckons brightly, even if the past was dark or dreary. This need to believe in an idealized self is especially strong in politicians. They must get up every day and sell a vision—fanciful, perhaps, but inspiring: Morning in America, or a Bridge to the 21st Century, a New Frontier or a New Deal. To fulfill these myths, our leaders must be Born in a Log Cabin, or be the Man From Hope, or Speak Softly But Carry a Big Stick. A certain amount of hooey is tolerated, even required. In real life, Teddy Roosevelt didn't speak softly at all. He more often brayed like a donkey. But he could make people listen out of fear and respect.
Mail Call: A Burst of Innovative Global Giving Pays Off

Readers hailed the health initiatives and proposals in our cover story "How to Heal The World." "Helping spread technology to students in poor countries by giving them $200 solar-powered laptops is a great idea," one wrote. Another praised an initiative that awards a large financial prize for democratic leaders in Africa, noting that "it encourages them to promote the good of their countries rather than serve themselves." But some also urged caution. "Keeping HIV-positive people alive, eliminating malaria … and pouring additional millions into fighting tuberculosis is laudable only if such programs are accompanied by contraceptives and education," one wrote.
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