Fineman: Obama Nomination Makes History | Newsweek Politics: Conventions

Toward an Era of Trust
Sergey Lavrov 6/27/2009 12:00:00 AM
There is a new dynamic in Russia-U.S. relations—a positive change that reflects the imperatives of these challenging times. The "London spirit" of the first meeting of Presidents Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama in London revitalized the equality, mutual respect, and mutual benefit that must form the basis of our two countries' cooperation. These are fundamental first steps. As President Medvedev has noted, a crisis of trust developed between us in recent years. Our political relationship became too adversarial. Overcoming this legacy will take time. So Russia and the U.S. must jointly manage expectations to ensure that attempts to "reset" our relationship succeed. This does not mean shying away from setting ambitious goals. But it does require a sober assessment of what is really possible, and the time it will take to accomplish these goals.
The Wall Isn’t Falling
Fareed Zakaria 6/27/2009 12:00:00 AM
whenever we see the kinds of images that have been coming out of Iran over the past two weeks, we tend to think back to 1989 and Eastern Europe. That time, when people took to the streets and challenged their governments, those seemingly stable regimes proved to be hollow and quickly collapsed. What emerged was liberal democracy. Could Iran yet undergo its own velvet revolution?
Brains Are Back!
Michael Hirsh 11/7/2008 12:00:00 AM
For two days now, Americans have celebrated the idea that we may have finally atoned for our nation's original sin, slavery, along with its long legacy of racism. We can rejoice in the world's accolades over the election of a multicultural African-American to the presidency after nearly eight years of cringing in shame as the Bush administration methodically curdled our Constitutional values and sullied our global reputation as a beacon of hope. Every once in a while, it seems, we Americans do manage to live up to our ideals rather than betray them. Hooray!
FACING FACTS | Ellis Cose
Journalist of the Year
Ellis Cose 10/17/2008 12:00:00 AM
If only more journalists were like David Letterman. On Thursday night's "Late Show," Letterman confronted Sen. John McCain. He tenaciously pressed the presidential candidate on the accusation repeatedly hurled about by his running mate, Sarah Palin, that Barack Obama "pals around with terrorists." And he eventually got McCain to concede (if only in the most backhanded and ungracious way) that the charges—which happen to be ridiculous on their face—were just "words."
Message to Superdelegates: Stand Aside
Eleanor Clift 2/15/2008 12:00:00 AM
Think of it as the air war and the ground war, Eli Pariser explains. He's the executive director of MoveOn.org, the progressive Internet assemblage of 3.2 million members mobilizing its forces to put a Democrat in the White House. Tall with dark hair and a shy smile, Pariser is a self-described "geek--a Web and IT guy." A Web site he created in 2001 called 911Peace (advocating a multilateral foreign policy) attracted a half million visitors. He remembers being in his pajamas in his apartment in Boston trying to figure out what to do with the tens of thousands of e-mails pouring in. He was 20 years old.
THE LAST WORD
The Final Repudiation
George F. Will
In a Presidential contest replete with novelties, none was more significant than this: A candidate's campaign—for his party's nomination, then for the presidency—was itself virtually the entire validation of his candidacy. Voters have endorsed Barack Obama's audacious—but not, they have said, presumptuous—proposition, which was: The skill, tenacity, strategic vision and tactical nimbleness of my campaign is proof that I am presidential timber.