Financial Times

The following is an excerpt from Financial Times' analysis of the 2008 presidential campaigns:

Much less impressive has been [the candidates’] studious avoidance of America’s deteriorating long-term fiscal picture. Mrs Clinton, whose economics team is the most experienced and well-known (it includes Gene Sperling, Mr Clinton’s former economic adviser, and Roger Altman, his former deputy Treasury secretary), is considered to be closest to her husband on fiscal responsibility. “Hillary really does believe in fiscal responsibility,” says a former senior official… more

U.S. healthcare reform yesterday [September 26, 2007] appeared to have lost one of its strongest advocates with the tentative contract agreement by General Motors and the United Auto Workers.

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Now with its biggest healthcare threat contained, healthcare policy experts expect GM to become more muted on the issue.

Len Nichols, health policy director at think-tank New America Foundation, said: "Yes, we're losing an ally on some level. GM has been an articulate voice demanding national reform since I… more

...The White House says it will veto anything that takes next year's discretionary domestic budget above the Dollars 933bn (Euros 663bn, Pounds 464bn) that Mr. Bush proposed earlier this year. Congress is proposing a discretionary budget that is Dollars 23bn, or about 2 per cent, higher than the president's version.

But many, including a number of Republican fiscal conservatives, believe the flurry of veto threats comes too little, too late, after Mr Bush failed to curb any of the… more

Even western observers who criticise human rights groups for naivety or irresponsibility generally give them credit for purity of intentions -- and, of course, this noble character is indeed true of many groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. But it is not always true, and western public debate would benefit greatly from a recognition of the moral ambiguities involved in some contemporary human rights advocacy.

The uses of such advocacy for imperial propaganda are alive… more

Should the US ever rule out the use of nuclear weapons in particular circumstances?

This question is at the heart of the latest exchange between senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama as they compete for the presidential nomination of the Democratic party.

The tussle began when Mr. Obama told a reporter that he would rule out using nuclear weapons in Afghanistan or Pakistan to target al-Qaeda as "a profound mistake." Mrs. Clinton countered by suggesting it was unwise to be specific about… more

Barack Obama said yesterday that he would not hesitate to order military strikes against al-Qaeda targets on Pakistani soil with or without the permission of General Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's military ruler.Mr Obama's speech - one of the most belligerent by a Democratic presidential candidate - appeared to be have been prompted by Hillary Clinton, the frontrunner, who has portrayed her rival as doveish and inexperienced. Mr Obama sought to allay the impression that he would be slow to… more

In recent years US spending on the military, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and military aid to particular allies has exceeded US foreign development aid by more than 10 times. This is despite the fact that the administration, its Republican supporters, the Democrats and the vast majority of the foreign policy community all agree in principle that such development is critical to the struggle against Islamist extremism.

Even odder is the fact that, although US security structures remain profoundly… more

Something predictable has happened to Barack Obama's breathtaking ascent. His star is still in the sky but the shine is fading. Almost six months after launching his presidential bid, Mr Obama's poll numbers remain stubbornly behind those of Hillary Clinton.At the national level, Mrs Clinton's lead over Mr Obama averages 35 per cent to Mr Obama's 22 per cent. In the small states where the crucial early primary elections will be staged next January to determine the Democratic… more

Between record petrol prices at home, growing geopolitical instability abroad and mounting concern over climate change, the case for fundamental energy reform has never been stronger. Yet the U.S. energy debate remains disproportionately focused on the supply side: how to secure future supplies and finance alternative sources. Too often ignored is the other -- and far more cost-effective -- alternative: how Americans can use the energy they consume more efficiently.

New research by the McKinsey Global Institute finds that a concerted… more

Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, recently surprised George W. Bush, his US counterpart, by proposing co-operation on missile defence. While Washington welcomed the move, experts question whether both sides can find common ground.The US wants to place 10 missile interceptors in Poland and a powerful radar in the Czech Republic to protect the US and Europe from Iranian missile threats. Moscow argues that the shield appears to be aimed at Russia, since Iran is years away from developing… more