Rupert Cornwell

Profile: Full name: Rupert Cornwell Area of interest: US politics and affairs of state, World affairs Journals/Organisation: The Independent | The Independent on Sunday Email: r.cornwell@independent.co.uk Personal website: Website: http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/rupert-cornwell Blog: Representation: Networks: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/rupert-cornwell/6/10a/2a5

Biography: About: Education: Career: "With The Independent since its launch in 1986, he was the paper's first Moscow correspondent... Previously a foreign correspondent for the Financial Times and Reuters, he has also been a diplomatic correspondent, leader writer and columnist, and has served as Washington bureau editor." (source: The Independent) Current position/role: Chief US commentator: also contributes obituaries and occasional sports comment also writes/written for: Other roles/Main role: Other activities: Disclosures: Viewpoints/Insight: Broadcast media: Occasional broadcast appearances Video: Controversy/Criticism: Awards/Honours: Won two British Press Awards while covering the collapse of the Soviet Union for The Independent Scoops: Other: Half brother of spy novelist David John Moore Cornwell, aka John le Carre

Books & Debate: God's banker: the life and death of Roberto Calvi (1985) OCLC 12504472 (researched while Rome-based reporter for The Financial Times) Latest work: Speaking/Appearances: Debate:

The Independent: Column name: Out of America Remit/Info: International relations and US politics Section: Role: Chief US commentator Pen-name: Email: r.cornwell@independent.co.uk Website: Independent.co / Rupert Cornwell Commissioning editor: Day published: Sundays (but not always), and occasional weekdays and Saturdays Regularity: Frequent Column format: Average length:

Articles: 2012 Is this the bursting of the education bubble? - As students prepare to graduate saddled with record levels of debt, the parallels with the sub-prime mortgage crisis are hard to ignore - 20th May Gay rights sharpen the presidential divide - As Obama backs same-sex marriage, allegations about Romney's schooldays will do little to win over moderate voters - 13th May Who'd have thought it? Democrats are the new he-men - Obama's common-sense hawkishness confounds received wisdom and may win him re-election - 6th May The voices of America who ruled the world - A new play recalls the huge political influence writers once had - 29th April Pulitzers deliver slap in the face for the Great American Novel - The judges have decided not to make an award for the best work of fiction – literary folk are not happy - 22nd April Edwards trial reeks of partisan, personal bias - What the former golden boy did was despicable, but prosecuting him for campaign finance violations is nothing but Republican revenge - 15th April The strange virtue of Barack Obama - A lack of juicy stories from the White House has left Americans to get their fill of sleaze via a fictionalised TV version - 8th April Obamacare is in the hands of the unelected - The Supreme Court has the power to trump Congress and consign to history the US's boldest attempt at universal healthcare - 1st April The murderous demon of race still stalks this land - The killing of Trayvon Martin has again ruthlessly exposed the faultlines that underlie Obama-era America - 25th March Big money takes aim at the heart of Washington - Party political bankrollers are mounting a takeover of think tanks. If they succeed, US politics will become more partisan than ever - 18th March Chalk and cheese – but they're getting friendlier - Obama has made few obvious close friends among foreign leader - 13th March The nightmare on Romney Street is far from over - The torturous campaign for the Republican nomination is leaving the frontrunner battered - 11th March Magic Johnson still smiles in the face of HIV - A TV documentary next weekend and a Broadway show mark the inspirational life of the basketball legend, who retired in 1991 - 4th March The world's most charismatic couple - Excitement over a new documentary series about Bill and Hillary reveals how Americans are still captivated by the Clintons - 19th February The Romney dog-food brand still isn't selling - The Republican frontrunner can't seem to win over the party faithful - 12th February Time to tell the story of Mitt the Mormon - One of the oddest aspects of the Republican race is how little mention there is of the favourite's faith - 15th January Europe-bashing by the Republicans is nothing new – just ask George W Bush - If Mitt Romney does become President, the first thing he might have to do is mend fences with Europe - 12th January Which of these Republicans can win over the nation? - Of Romney's rivals, only Ron Paul has a genuine national organisation, built up in previous runs - 4th January

Articles: 2011 Home on the range, where the spy drones fly - Use of aerial surveillance gadget in North Dakota police case could be a sign of things to come - 18th December Supreme Court justices shy away from the cameras - When they debate Obama's healthcare reforms, they'd prefer to do it away from the glare of TV - 11th December All the candidate's women – rules for surviving a scandal - Out of America: Cain may be a goner, but sexual indiscretions do not always lead to political death - 4th December The mysterious case of the New Jersey Five - Out of America: After acquittal of prime suspect, fate of teenage boys who vanished in 1978 is as unclear as ever - 27th November No one's giving thanks for this debate marathon - Out of America: It's the season of turkey, cranberry sauce – and the Republicans' endless search for a 2012 candidate - 21st November Cover-up at Penn State exposes its skewed values - Out of America: University cared more about its football team than saving children from sexual abuse by coach - 13th November Is the American Dream at an end? - The US goes to the presidential polls a year from today, but there is little faith in the political system as recession bites - 6th November Washington's long road to racial harmony on the football pitch - The Redskins team is the one thing that unites a divided capital. But the side's history is a very chequered one - 30th October There's trouble in the pipeline for Obama - A plan to import tar-sand oil from Canada will bring jobs and energy security, but environmentalists say the president must block it - 23rd October Before Stonewall, there was Frank Kameny - Out of America: The American gay rights pioneer, who died last week, had been fighting against homophobic laws for more than half a century - 16th October Capitalism's heart occupied – where will it all lead? - Anti-corporate demonstrations in New York have struck a chord. Could they be the Democrat version of the Tea Party? - 9th October Hard line is dictated by pro-Israel bias of Congress dictates hard line - On Capitol Hill positions on the Middle East are often more rigid than even those of the Netanyahu government - 5th October This is one 2012 hopeful who's had his chips - Republicans are begging Chris Christie to take on Obama, but he brings with him a weighty problem - 2nd October US takes a flight back to a simpler, happier time - Out of America: A new TV drama chimes with the nation's need to escape its troubles - 25th September Why Obama is running into trouble with the Jewish lobby - The Democrats' election defeat in a normally supportive suburb of New York is worrying the White House - 18th September American Football: Parties, payments and Prostitutes: lurid scandal of US college football - University of Miami debacle has exposed the sham of amateurism in sport that generates billions - 9th September The day America's decline began - The US enjoyed an outpouring of global sympathy after 9/11. Within a couple of years that sympathy was squandered - 7th September Superheroes get a makeover – butcan it save them? - Battered by computer games, the internet and the slump, US comic books are seeking a new generation of readers - 4th September He had a dream – and now it's set in stone - The figure of Martin Luther King stands 30ft high, in a monumental tribute to his stirring reconciliation speech made 48 years ago today - 28th August Why Obama's seaside break is making waves - With the economy teetering on the brink of a fresh recession, many in the US seem to begrudge the President his summer holiday - 21st August Have Republicans taken leave of their senses? - On the campaign trail, the zealotry is even greater - 17th August Britain's most wanted man: Bill Bratton’s crime-fighting credentials - He's credited as the police chief who cleaned up NYC and his policies are being championed by David Cameron. But could Bill Bratton head up the Met? Yes - in theory - 16th August Republican with God on his ticket - Are you of the view that the last thing the US wants is another God-fearing governor of Texas running for president? - 17th July Grover Norquist: The man who is holding the US to ransom - Crucial talks to find $4trn of savings could fail because of the influence of one anti-tax zealot - 10th July Atlantis's mission marks end of a magnificent era - The final space shuttle flight on Friday will be a turning point - 3rd July Reagan: A president's second act - A new statue of Ronald Reagan in London confirms the reverence with which this once-mocked leader is held. And an heir is expected from the next generation of Republican candidates - 27th June Murder mystery – why have US cities become safer? - 26th June New rivals threaten Obama's second term - Michele Bachmann is the rising star for the Republicans as economic woes and troubles abroad add spice to next year's campaign - 19th June Why the US is a nation of daddy's boys - From George Bush and Frank Sinatra to George Foreman and JFK – American fathers love to name their sons after themselves - 12th June DC was never going to get the magic of pinball - For fans of flashing lights and flippers, it's a sad day as an odd tourist attraction closes its doors - 5th June Little free time in the land of the free - US workers get far less time off than their European counterparts. But they don't seem at all bothered about it - 29th May Why the US applauds Israeli defiance - Accounts vary on whether Netanyahu received 28 or 29 ovations during his address to Congress on Tuesday - 26th May The right seems reluctant to run against Obama - Six months ago, the Republicans triumphed in the midterms, but few have come forward for 2012 - 22nd May The mother who blazed a trail for Obama's career - Stanley Ann Dunham was, as the title of a new biography attests, a very singular woman - 15th May Violent, extreme and contrary (the weather, that is) - The larger-than-life meteorology of the US – its twisters, floods, and droughts – mirrors the nation - 8th May However grisly, the American public will demand the pictures - "That's not who we are. We don't trot out this stuff as trophies." With those words, Barack Obama yesterday tried to end the debate that followed the greatest national security feat of his presidency: namely, whether to release the grisly photos of the death of Osama bin Laden - 5th May America must end its 9/11 mindset - The wars into which Bin Laden drew the US became terrorism's recruiting tool - 3rd May A law born in USA a very long time ago - The 'birther' row shows how out of date the constitution has become - 1st May The Regal Republic: Why are Americans obsessed with the Royal family? - Americans' obsession with the Royal family expresses a longing for a leadership wreathed in pomp and circumstance, says Rupert Cornwell. Do they wish they hadn't cast off the monarchy? - 25th April Cast your vote for Mug Shot of the Day - A rogues' gallery website is the latest innovation in a US tradition that dates back to Wild West's 'Wanted' posters - 24th April The news gets better, but not for Obama - Barack Obama, the conventional wisdom runs, is cruising to a second term - 23rd April If a dispute is not settled, entire seasons can be lost - Major League Baseball's takeover of the Los Angeles Dodgers is but further proof of the tight, centralised control exerted by the American sports leagues – operating, in some respects almost literally, as laws unto themselves - 22nd April We live in Washington DC – but it might as well be Eritrea - For the foreseeable future, the humiliations will continue - 17th April Space: The day the Earth stood still - Feature: Exactly 50 years ago, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. His journey to the heavens was a pinnacle of human achievement – and, the defining triumph of the Soviet Union - 12th April Obama must plan for life without his loyal Republican - The retirement of Bob Gates is imminent - 10th April History repeats itself in clash with Republicans - A game of political and financial chicken, played out in a mixture of fraught backstage negotiations and shameless public posturing that threatens to bring the machinery of federal government in the US to a halt. Sound familiar? - 9th April Question the Kennedy legend at your peril - Out of America: The row over a TV biopic shows that the US unofficial 'royal family' can still pack a punch - 3rd April Cold War rules still apply in tricky game of switching sides - Benedict Arnold, Rudolf Hess. Now Moussa Koussa joins them - 1st April Americans are confused about this – none more so than their President - Arm the rebels? Foment a palace coup or a tribal revolt to overthrow Gaddafi? Step up the bombing? Or settle for a stalemate that seals a de facto partition of the country? - 31st March US college sport is big business - University games are meant to be strictly amateur – but there are millions of dollars at stake - 27th March Is this the biggest art heist in history? - Out of America: The fate of a $25bn hoard of modern masterpieces paints an ugly picture of Philadelphia's art elite - 20th March Caution is Obama's only option. But it's working - The United States appears to have been taking a back seat in coping with the Libyan crisis, leaving its European allies and the Arab world to make the running. And that is exactly how Washington wants it - 19th March These suspicious allies must worktogether, whether they like it or not - The diplomatic relationship between Pakistan and the US – testy and fraught with mutual suspicion – bears out as few others the dictum of Lord Palmerston's that countries have no permanent friends or allies, only permanent interests - 17th March A shouting shop needs the quiet voices of truth - Out of America: Conservative blowhards have it in for the nation's public broadcasters - 13th March Playing the 'what if' game is addictive - Is it as futile to rewrite history as it is to rewrite a football match after the final whistle blows? - 12th March Teachers, the new scapegoats of the right - As school standards fall, the classroom has become the latest front in the war over public spending cuts - 6th March Steel Town' shows US the art of survival - Out of America: Pittsburgh, heart of the rustbelt, reinvented itself after industrial collapse in the 1980s. Its rebirth offers hope to other smitten cities - 27th February Don't expect the UN to hurry its response - Analysis: Despite complaints to the contrary, the United Nations is addressing the increasingly bloody crisis in Libya, but in its own measured way - 26th February Tony Soprano' has the Republicans in his ample palm - Out of America: The blunt, fat, in-your-face governor of New Jersey could be the party's best bet to take on Barack Obama in 2012. But he swears he won't run - 20th February Shipwrecks, survival – and cannibalism - Historic find has links to a grisly saga that inspired 'Moby-Dick - 12th February Egyptian drama that has proved beyond America's control - A clearly disappointed Obama administration was silent last night after President Hosni Mubarak confounded every expectation by refusing to step down - 11th February An 18th-century battle for modern health care - In America, that most litigious of nations, political quarrels never die - 6th February Why the cult of Reagan still rules in Washington - In his centenary year, the late President is more influential than ever – even among Democrats - 5th February Long, hard road to black history museum - It's been a long time coming, almost a century in fact - 30th January The US may soon be regretting its Middle East 'freedom agenda' - The deepening turmoil in Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East is an especially acute example of an age-old dilemma for the US: how to foster desperately needed social and political change without unwittingly opening the gates of power to hostile regimes in a strategically vital region - 29th January More chastened Clinton than sunny Reagan, but a second term beckons - Barack Obama's State of the Union address, with its plea for bipartisanship and sober analysis of the problems facing the country, staked out the terrain for his 2012 bid for re-election bid, which – right now at least – he looks odds-on to secure - 27th January Twitter dialect says you are what you tweet - Got 'sumthin' or 'suttin' to get off your chest? Go ahead - 23rd January A pitch-perfect response restores Obama's stature - The aftermath of Tucson showed the President at his best - 16th January The Senate: land where time stands still - Democratic leader Harry Reid is using the age-old filibuster to strike a deal with the Republicans - 9th January An all-American tale of sin and redemption - It looked like star quarterback Michael Dwayne Vick had lost everything, but then he was offered a second chance... - 2nd January

Articles: 2010 The march of American conservatism - New data shows a big shift of population towards Republican strongholds - 27th December Merry Christmas for the President (believe it or not) - After the mid-term rout, Obama looked down and out – but a run of successes has changed the game - 26th December The Year in Review: Obama's shellacking - Isolated by the audacity of voters - 24th December After 150 years, the Civil War still divides the United States - As the country prepares to commemorate the great schism, the echoes of the bloody conflict still reverberate through its politics and culture - 19th December The mystery of Jonathan Pollard's missing pardon - An American who spied for Israel has languished in jail for 23 years – and US authorities are loath to reveal why they want him to stay there - 12th December Losing fight against the power of money - Tax cuts for billionaires, and bankers with more clout than ever – nothing has changed - 5th December After 9/11, it was always going to be impossible to keep secrets - The massive leak of US diplomatic cables by the Wikileaks organisation is in part an unintended consequence of a decision to step up data-sharing between government agencies to prevent a repeat of the September 2001 terrorist attacks - 30th November Long race to challenge Obama begins - Two years to go, but this Thanksgiving weekend is when politicians start thinking of the White House - 28th November A last, desperate throw of the dice for Illinois - All along the Mississippi, riverboat casinos are helping deficit-hit states to balance the books - 21st November A tug-of-warover US's greatest athlete - The body of 1912 Olympian Jim Thorpe may be removed from the town that bears his name - 14th November Time for the US to level with Russia - The US lame-duck Congress on Monday reassembles for its final session - 11th November Obama has got to say: I got it wrong - A bit of humility wouldn't go amiss if he wants to avoid another 'shellacking' in two years' time - 7th November Economic instability makes for political volatility - It was supposed to be a watershed election, like those of 1932, 1968 and 1980, that would set America's course for a generation or more. Two years later, however, Barack Obama's sweeping victory in 2008 looks like one more blip on a political TV screen permanently obscured with static - 3rd November Cable news blocks the middle of the road - The mid-term campaign, mercifully, is almost over, and the outcome can safely be declared - 31st October Fame and money... - ... why Sarah Palin won't run for the White House in 2012 - 24th October As presidential mishaps go, this one takes 'the biscuit' - It has been dubbed "most dangerous handbag in the world" (and not because it weighs in at 45lb) - 22nd October America has a $2.2 trillion repair bill - Recession and a shift to the right have put big projects in jeopardy - 17th October Why 9 out of 10 Americans love statistics - I write these words from Barnes-Jewish hospital in St Louis, Missouri, where my wife has just undergone back surgery - 10th October From bright new dawn to dreary afternoon - Obama has shown himself to be a cautious realist – not the inspiring leader his party wants as mid-terms loom - 3rd October The man who knows nearly everything - Another autumn, a different president and a different war – but a familiar ritual was playing out in Washington - 26th September The Vatican's appeal as an offshore haven is still evident - "Vatican Bank under investigation." Those four words instantly summon up one of the 20th century's most lurid financial mysteries - 22nd September Has America gone mad? - Extreme right-wingers are winning as the country goes into one of its periodic fits of political insanit - 19th September US politics now an absurdity - Rise of partisanship has turned every legislative debate into trench warfare - 18th September This civil war spells only bad news for the US in the long term - The US faces huge challenges best settled by compromise and bipartisanship. These are anathema to the Tea Party - 16th September Jerk' mayor that Washington loves to hate - Out of America: Adrian Fenty delivered the goods, but he's likely to be ousted this week thanks to the vagaries of politics in the US capital city - 12th September Plans for a casino spark a new battle at Gettysburg - In 1863, the town witnessed the climactic contest of the Civil War – now a very 21st-century conflict is raging - 5th September Rage will not win the Republicans power - US voters are in mutinous mood, but by fanning the flames now, the right risks missing the prize - 29th August Are you, or have you been, a migrant? - If you believe the hysteria, foreign women are queuing up to give birth to automatic US citizens - 15th August If only America understood Judt - I never met Tony Judt but I will miss him, badly - 12th August US car industry back from the brink - One of the success stories of the Obama administration has been the resurrection of the 'Big Three' - 8th August America wants its own David Cameron - Scarcely a day passes, it seems, without a foreign policy clanger from our PM - 7th August The current nuclear threat to Japan is from Pyongyang - Given president Obama's vision of a world one day rid of nuclear weapons, the visit by a US ambassador to Hiroshima to attend today's annual anniversary ceremony marking the use of the atomic bomb against the city in 1945 makes perfect sense. But it is rekindling a debate that rages as strongly as ever in America, 65 years on. Was the use of the bomb justified? - 6th August Why the Clintons, not the Bushes, are the new royal family - A wedding yesterday sealed the unofficial succession to the Kennedys - 1st August US stays cool - is global warming the price? - Air conditioning has done the most to make America what it is today - 25th July Does America need so many spooks? - I left for a holiday with the headlines full of one spy scandal. I returned this week to be greeted by another - 22nd July PM must not be blinded by might of US - The official demythologising of the 'special relationship' should begin in earnest as Cameron makes his first visit to America as PM - 21st July Ten years after Elian, US softens towards Cuba - The case shone a spotlight on Washington's embargo. At last, things may be changing - 4th July US can't resist a man in uniform - Petraeus's posting to Afghanistan only strengthens the rumours about his political ambitions - 27th June Whiff of sleaze still lingers in the Windy City - Out of America: Chicago has always played to different rules – and the latest political trial shows little has changed - 20th June The doomed life of a troubled killer who never had a chance - If ever a man was destined to be added to the list of the 1,217 people executed since capital punishment was restored in the US in 1976, it was surely Ronnie Lee Gardner - 19th June The Korean War - The battle for Korea, which began 60 years ago next week, is barely remembered in the US. Yet it created the template for conflict in the 21st century - 18th June Feud over drugs, guns and immigration - Killing of Mexican by a US guard shows the tensions between the two nations - 13th June Special relationship on the rocks? It's not us, it's them - To judge by some comments in Britain, the US has all but declared war over the BP oil spill - 12th June No Drama, Obama' style of leadership is no match for this crisis - Emotional words, and the gratification they bring, are not Obama's preferred way, and however hard he tries, it shows - 9th June Oil disaster: 'Yes, we can' to 'No, we can't' - The disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has rocked the nation's self-confidence - 6th June All eyes turn to Obama as the oil flows - Why on earth does anyone want to be President? - 5th June Why Harper Lee is likely to miss her own party - Out of America: 'To Kill a Mockingbird' is 50, its author reclusive - 30th May North Korea - the great unknown - The world's last Stalinist regime is on the brink of conflict once again. What is it that North Korea hopes to achieve by such posturing? We just can't know - 28th May When it comes to terrorism, Obama is following Bush's lead - The greater involvement of the US military in special operations has already led to complaints it could complicate relations with traditional allies in the Middle East, and perhaps deny captured American soldiers the protection of the Geneva conventions - 26th May Heads roll as voters play 'kick the incumbent' - Politicians who've been secure for decades are feeling extremely vulnerable as mid-term primaries point them to the exit - 16th May A war that nobody wants - You don't have to be a fan of Dr Strangelove to recognise that wars can start by accident – that if the tinder is properly laid, a small spark can set off an uncontrollable blaze - 13th May A small nudge towards breaking the conservative grip on the judiciary - The safe expectation is that she will form part of the liberal wing, while the swing vote will continue to belong to Anthony Kennedy - 11th May Newsweek' sale marks victory for internet and TV - Decline of a once mighty magazine is a sign that media landscape has changed - 9th May Election lessons for America - Even more blatantly than in Britain, US politics does not reflect what the public wants. It detests the petty hyper-partisanship of Congress - 7th May Is the American railroad dream back on track? - National Train Day: After decades of neglect, now is the time for the US to bring its investment in trains up to speed - 2nd May The President moves swiftly to avoid his Katrina moment - The full resources of the Pentagon are being thrown into the fray, and top federal officials have been sent to the scene - 1st May Washington happy to banish this reminder of its failed past - Noriega Profile - 28th April The habit Obama shares with Nixon - US presidents have always been avid readers, and what they keep on their bookshelves speaks volumes - 25th April Nasa embarks on a voyage into the unknown - Out of America: Obama's new announcement concedes the US can no longer afford a grandiose space programme - 18th April It's rare that a big summit produces results - Summit on nuclear security may just be the exception that proves the rule - 13th April So much for the special relationship - The disagreements and personal slights seem to have become more common - 12th April Supreme Court will miss its impish inquisitor-in-chief - The retirement of Justice John Paul Stevens marks the end of an era - 11th April A political manoeuvre that allows President to take moral high ground - President Obama's new Nuclear Posture Review is above all a political statement, not a military one - 7th April Do mention the Germans, Uncle Sam - German-Americans have had a huge impact on the US and it's time they were allowed to shout about it - 4th April After this week, we may all owe Obama an apology - Healthcare reform, standing up to Israel, and a nuclear treaty have transformed his presidency - 28th March Nuclear deal marks step forward for old foes - World Focus: America - 26th March Farewell to Davy Crockett – and the wild frontier - Fess Parker died at the age of 85 last week, and with him died a part of me - 21st March Never have I witnessed a vote so dramatic - If healthcare reform passes, Obama will have a win that transforms his presidency - 20th March The vast cost of drug promotion puts judgement in doubt - Links between the big drug companies and doctors have become increasingly controversial in the US, as the pharmaceutical industry showers physicians each year with billions of dollars in the shape of free samples, speaking fees and perks like all-paid conference trips, to help promote their products - 19th March Obama won't restrain Israel - he can't - His error has been not to think through the clout of America's pro-Israel lobby - 18th March There's no sign that Obama will punish his ally - The fracas over Israel's announcement of 1,600 new homes in disputed East Jerusalem is undoubtedly serious. But it also recalls the old children's ditty of how "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me" - 16th March FBI 'Most Wanted' list celebrates 60 years of notoriety - From the outset, there was no way the venture could fail - 14th March Are we going to see Reagan on the $50 bill? - Liberals are aghast. Historians of the Civil War are beside themselves - 7th March Hail to the chiefs... - ... the real power in the White House - 28th February Obama is still liked but he isn't feared - Thirteen months into office, America is in as foul a mood as when Bush reached his nadir - 25th February Spending cuts and tax increases are a dangerous formula - Suicidal attack on tax office highlights growing anger of ordinary Americans - 21st February Spy trade likes to keep success a secret - When an intelligence agency makes headlines, it's because of a failure - 20th February Snow brings out best – and worst – in US - There's not much that American politics can't trivialise – even the worst blizzards for 110 years. - 14th February The most important woman in the history of modern medicine - She was a poor black tobacco worker, the descendant of slaves - 7th February Poor Obama – Hillary is doing a fine job - The President would dearly love to be as popular as his celebrated Secretary of State - 31st January A bad week for Obama... - ... but the worst is yet to come - 24th January Americans are disillusioned with how government works - On the face of it, few political turnarounds have been as astonishing - 21st January US gets ready to sit up and be counted - Much hinges on the outcome of the 2010 national census – from voting rights to government aid - 17th January Trouble brewing as millions join the Tea Party protest - What is the most popular political grouping in America right now? - 10th January Time catches up with symbol of Old West - Government measures to control Nevada's herds of feral horses have stirred growing protests - 3rd January Don't let on, but Obama's doing well - He’s on his way to the biggest public policy reforms since Lyndon Johnson - 2nd January Another blow for the agency caps a miserable 2009 - The loss of seven, perhaps more, CIA operatives at Base Chapman caps what has been a miserable year for the most important American intelligence agency, even by its own unhappy recent standards - 1st January

Articles: 2009 The car park: a celebration of its place in history - A new exhibition examining the evolution of the humble garage proves enthralling - 27th December 2009 A world both shrunken and more divided - What grounds for optimism at the end of a dismal decade? - 26th December Healthcare clash exposes sickness in US - Climactic battle in Washington this Christmas could decide the fate of Obama's presidency - 20th December Hollywood puts a festive gloss on racial harmony - Out of America: Disney's first black cartoon heroine is a small, but significant, milestone on a long and bumpy road - 13th December The age of uncertainty - Rupert Cornwell begins a four-part series of essays to mark 10 years since the dawn of the 21st century - 7th December What Monty Python taught Uncle Sam - Out of America: In a troubled world, the US remains determined to 'always look on the bright side of life' - 6th December From now on this is Obama's war - Watching him make the most important speech of his term was depressing - 5th December Obama must explain how he'll get them out - The President is accused of being too ruthless – or not tough enough - 1st December American politics turns into one big 'reality' show - Out of America: Sarah Palin is the supreme example of today's blurred lines between populism on air, and power on Capitol Hill - 29th November Only the turkeys don't look forward to Thanksgiving - This week sees the best festival of the American year - 22nd November Obama will be on trial with 9/11 accused - President's decision could rebound. US courts are not used to defendants who've been tortured - 15th November Burden of sending men to their deaths - The more Barack Obama thinks about Afghanistan, the more intractable the problem becomes - 13th November Why can't the US learn to love its government? - Out of America: Suspicion of rulers dates to the founding of the nation – and even Obama is unlikely to change that - 8th November A warning for both Democrats and right-wing conservatives - This week's off-year elections sent the same lesson to both Democrats and Republicans. In the US, as in every other democracy, elections are won and lost in the centre. Parties that ignore that truth do so at their peril - 5th November Gridiron faces crunch time over head injuries - Growing evidence poses a major dilemma for US's most popular sport - 1st November Spot the hoax in the land of Fox News - 'Balloon Boy' took the nation in – but it's even harder to distinguish fact from fiction among polarised TV networks - 25th October The Mormon who could save Obama's skin - The searchlight is on the man from Searchlight, Nevada - 18th October Procedures are the problem - As its hopes of healthcare reform suffer endless interference on Capitol Hill, how the Obama administration must wish it was operating by British rules - 14th October In Tony Soprano's home town, fat is a political issue - Can a fat man be elected governor of a major state? - 11th October The real world has little time for prizes - Was this an attempt to boost Obama’s prestige as he takes on global problems? - 10th October John Edwards – from golden boy to national disgrace - Once he was a candidate for the vice-presidency. Today, he is a pariah - 4th October Hate the government? Love the national parks - Out of America: A new TV series aims to persuade the US that a publicly owned service run for the benefit of the people can be a good thing - 27th September Has America reached the turning point in Afghanistan? - Stay and fight – or cut and run? 36 years after the Vietnam withdrawal, heavy losses and mounting dissent force Obama to consider turning US strategy on its head - 24th September Why the reality may not match Obama's rhetoric - Listen to President Obama's stern words yesterday, and you'd assume nothing will ever be the same on Wall Street again. Speeches, however, are not laws. For the time being nothing, legally, has changed since the collapse of Lehman Brothers a year ago. And there's no guarantee it will - 15th September Will the US at last admit it executed an innocent man? - The case of Cameron Todd Willingham could mark a turning point for justice - 13th September Fine words, but a hard slog ahead - He laid out America's healthcare debate in its hideously complicated reality - 11th September The wolf returns – and brings fear and strife in his tracks - For years a rare and protected species, Canis lupus is now fair game again – but it's the hunters who are under fire - 6th September August was the cruellest month for Obama - The US President is still a hero abroad, but at home he has fallen to earth with an unprecedented bump. Can he pick himself up? - 6th September The right-wing crackpots taking over the mainstream - Out of America: The resurgence of militias and race-hate groups at the same time as President Obama's healthcare reforms are coming under attack may not be mere coincidence - 16th August America needs to cool down - The nonsense spewed out by the reform opponents can be breathtaking - 15th August War hero tackles US over prisons - Dumping grounds for drug addicts, the mentally ill and petty thieves exposed by Democrat senator - 9th August Bill is back – charismatic and on message - For an hour or two at Burbank airport yesterday, America's political clock rewound a decade - 6th August Meeting could spell end of nuclear standoff with US - As always, it is hard to read the mind of North Korea - 5th August Go on, take a trip to Cockroach Hall of Fame - Some are majestic, others weird, but halls of fame in the US are a great excuse to get off the freeway - 2nd August Leonard Peltier: brutal cop killer, political prisoner, or symbol of a defeated people? - Out of America: A native American who has spent 32 years in jail for a crime he says he did not commit will get a parole hearing next week - 26th July The curious case of Hillary Clinton, the missing Secretary of State - Out of America: While Barack Obama is shining on the foreign stage, his former rival has been conspicuous by her absence - 19th July The US needs a truth and reconciliation inquiry - Revelations about Dick Cheney demand for a broad investigation into the war on terror - 13th July (See also: Cheney 'set up illegal secret spy project') Hudson at bay and tales of the wild east - Sometimes, even in this most modern of countries, you can see America as it was in the beginning - 12th July A step forward, but a long way to go yet - This "reset" summit between the US and Russia not only addressed the spread of nuclear weapons, but also gave implicit US acknowledgement of Moscow's importance - 7th July Little hope of a new start with Russia - Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton want to press the "reset" button in US relations with Russia, after the tensions of the later Bush years. Alas, Barack Obama's trip to Moscow is likely to prove how difficult this will be, especially when an authoritarian regime in the Kremlin hankers for Soviet-era "parity" with the US - 6th July In praise of the redoubtable Mrs Sanford - Some scandals involving sex and American politicians make you cringe - 5th July Left and right turn on 'Bush-like' Obama - Out of America: Despite an avalanche of legislation working its way through Congress, the President risks achieving very little of what he wants - 28th June A raw portrait, but why did he tape himself? - Sometimes you truly feel sorry for Richard Nixon. Why should anyone, 15 years after his death, having suffered the greatest disgrace in American political history, continue to be bombarded with irrefutable evidence of his own sins? - 25th June An odd couple in capital city of spies - Couple who face trial as Cuban agents seem to be naive romantics - 21st June Guns still control the ballot box in the age of Obama - These are baffling times on the front lines of America's great culture wars - 14th June Healthcare is Obama's greatest test - Not hauling the global economy out of recession, or saving his country's banking system - 12th June The Obama authors get ready to throw the book at him - Out of America: In the US, political books that matter are not tired memoirs but the deadliest form of journalism - 7th June Arnie's California goes bust... - ... and even the trees face the big squeeze - 31st May Presidents come and go, but these judges are for life - Obama must make a crucial choice this weekend - 24th May The bruiser back from the political dead and spoiling for another fight - President Obama v Dick Cheney - 22nd May The life, death and rebirth of Bonnie and Clyde - Out of America: The gangsters met their grisly deaths 75 years ago. As the anniversary is commemorated, will their real story at last be told? - 17th May Idealism can wait, but only a year - Two of the US President's humanitarian plans were put on hold last week after pressure from the military - 17th May Not a U-turn, he's just making the best of a bad job - Mr Obama has described the military tribunal system as deeply flawed. In reality, any move by the Obama administration to move the prisoners into the regular court system would almost certainly unleash a public and Congressional storm that could delay the process even longer - 16th May For Republicans, it can't get any worse - A resurgent Dick Cheney is the last thing his party needs - 15th May Three more states back gay marriage, but will Obama? - The issue is still bitterly divisive, especially in the conservative heartlands, but there are clear signs that the country's attitudes to gays are changing - 10th May Republicans face up to Specter of a grim future - How much further can they fall? - 3rd May So far, Obama's even seeing off the satirists - Out of America: America's cartoonists were quick to depict Clinton as a waffle and Bush as a Stetson. But they daren't touch the new President - 26th April Obama's even seeing off the satirists - What are self-respecting political humorists to do? - 26th April Obama's 100 days: A dazzling debut? - Will the first three months of America's first black president be remembered as a triumph? History can be a cruel judge - 22nd April (see also: Obama: 100 days, 100 ways) This is the 'I could not afford to go to college' generation - Many wonder whether a degree is worth it - 19th April America doesn't need a witch-hunt - Publication of such detailed memos on torture is stunning enough - 18th April Out of America: All together now: My country club, 'tis of thee -Augusta's privileged acres should be haunted by the voice of a woman persecuted for her race - 12th April Even in US ice hockey, showmanship has its limits - What's an exuberant Russian kid, the most thrilling hockey player of the age, supposed to do when he breaks a club scoring record: put on a Vladimir Putin-like scowl, skate back to centre-ice and pretend nothing has happened? - 11th April Will the recession be the death of Old Sparky? - The average cost of a death penalty case has risen to as much as $250m. For many states, that's simply too much - 22nd March Obama needs to start governing - The new President still comes across as oddly insubstantial – as if he were still campaigning - 21st March About time the US had 'union tyranny' - A new law will finally level a playing field tilted against organised labour - 15th March In desperation, the defeated right turns to Rush Limbaugh - Many strange things have happened in America, in this young age of Obama - 8th March What's so special about us? - America's most important alliance is not with Britain, but with China - 3rd March These days economists fly in corporate jets - Power is shifting from bankers to presidential advisers - 1st March Popular President decides he needs to act fast and think big - Barack Obama's message is clear: Americans, fasten your seatbelts - 26th February Heroic age of US newspapers ends with a whimper - Destruction of an industry with a proud heritage - 22nd February He's public enemy No 1 – but he's in peanuts, not banking - Who's the most vilified man in the US? - 15th February Don't believe the critics – Obama is off to a good start - For once a US politician is treating his electorate as grown-ups - 13th February Tonight it's Super Bowl... - ... Tomorrow it's back to the bailout - 1st February After years of mistrust, Kremlin offers an olive branch to the US - 29th January The clock's ticking... first impressions count - Every US president is judged by his first 100 days. But those of Barack Obama are almost certain to be the most momentous and transformative since Franklin Roosevelt took power at the depths of the Great Depression - 22nd January The usual soaring rhetoric, but delivered with a hard edge - At times, Obama was astonishingly blunt. "Swill" does not usually feature in such a speech - 21st January Obama: In the footsteps of Abraham Lincoln - Barack Obama prepares to swear on Tuesday to 'preserve, protect and defend' the constitution of the US, but so much more rests on his shoulders. Can he fulfil the huge expectations? - 18th January Hillary Clinton will have to make her vital choices quickly - Obama’s agenda– Part 3: Foreign policy - 17th January Obama's plans for change will not escape this slump intact... - ... and the problem is getting worse by the day - 16th January Bush burns the 'midnight rules' oil - He is trying to preserve his legacy with a flurry of decrees and interviews - 4th January

Articles: 2008 Never have hopes been higher – and never has the job been tougher - On 20 January, Barack Obama will become President of the United States. His preparation has been faultless. Soon, we will learn if all the optimism is justified - 28th December 2008 What am I bid for a Senate seat?- Half a million should do it - Chicago politics has always been a sewer, but this scandal is a throwback to the days of Al Capone - 14th December 2008 Obama steps out from shadow of Clintons - What becomes of an ex-president? Some, like Jimmy Carter, win Nobel prizes. And then there's Bill Clinton - 7th December 2008 At last! The cure for Chicago's inferiority complex has arrived - No more 'Second City' for the president-elect's adopted home town - 30th November 2008 Coolly, calmly, Obama is putting together a remarkable team - Out of America: Even senior Republicans admit that – on paper, at least – the president-elect is assembling a very impressive administration - 23rd November 2008 Formidable opponent is now the best choice - There are many clever explanations for Barack Obama's apparent decision to endow America with its third Madam Secretary of State in a decade - 22nd November 2008 Where can the Republicans go now? - The comparison is the 1997 rout of the Tories - 21st November 2008 This is no time to be waiting for the 44th President - Amid this fast-moving global economic crisis, Washington's interregnum feels dangerously long - 16th November 2008 After the victory, what next? - President-elect Barack Obama has already started to put his team in place – just as well, given the scale of the challenges he will face come January - 9th November 2008 How Bush's toxic legacy did for his party - The Republicans are now facing a civil war between centrists and conservatives - 5th November 2008 A spectacular volte-face in the spiritual home of capitalism - Washington's plan to part-nationalise some of the country's largest banks is an astonishing – if inevitable – volte-face by the country that sees itself as the spiritual home of unadulterated free-market capitalism - 15th October 2008 Democrats should fear the Boogie Man - The late Lee Atwater may return to haunt the Obama campaign if desperate Republicans resort to his infamous tactics - 5th October 2008 Stunning defeat of bill exposes failures of the US political system - 30th September 2008 Bush risks wrath of Main Street to save the banks - A populist leader has been forced to put the interests of Wall Street ahead of public opinion - 26th September 2008 Iran is a bigger threat to the US than the financial crisis - As Americans look the other way, Tehran's bomb moves closer - 24th September 2008 Wall Street meltdown rekindles Obama's fire - Out of America: After a summer in which the Republican candidate has made all the running, events are at last starting to fit the Democrats' script - 21st September 2008 McCain is swimming against the tide - Americans may like him personally, but an unpopular president and the economy may prove his downfall - 7th September 2008 Voters will pick a president, not his running mate - 5th September 2008 So is Obama the saviour of his party? - 28th August 2008 Pour the kid a drink and stop alcohol abuse - Sneaking off to the bar is all part of college life, even if it is illegal for most. But plans to relax the law have had a shaky start - 24th August 2008 The return of the great powers - Russia lost the original Cold War, but the United States is now weaker than it was 20 years ago - 16th August 2008 Little to do, lots to learn for impotent US - Russia's military crushing of Georgia confronts the US with a stark choice – whether to challenge Moscow in its own backyard, or tacitly concede its sphere of influence there - 15th August 2008 Political sex scandals can be sad, pathetic or astounding. A few are entertaining. The case of John Edwards is not among them - 10th August 2008 Cool guy, Barack. But could he be too cool for US voters? - The Democrat candidate can come across as cerebral and fastidious, even supercilious- Wednesday, 6th August 2008 If a family gathering of mainly rock-solid Republicans in conservative Nebraska is anything to go by, McCain doesn't have a hope - Sunday, 3rd August 2008 If Barack Obama becomes President, it will be thanks to the struggles of the civil rights generation. - But he can't expect gratitude from all of them - Sunday, 13th July 2008 George W Bush and Ronald Reagan used 'values' issues - 'God, guns and gays' - to persuade conservatives to vote against their own economic interests. This time, though, the pocketbook is more likely to prevail - Sunday, 29th June 2008 America loves both the law and the gun - How can the thoughts of the 18th century be applied to gun control in the 21st? - Saturday, 28th June 2008 A triumph of realism and pragmatism over neo-conservatism - Friday, 27th June 2008 Michelle Obama can seem prickly and resentful. Now a media makeover is under way to turn her into First Lady material - Sunday, 22nd June 2008 For a country where the car is king, the soaring price of oil means some long-cherished assumptions are being challenged as never before - Sunday, 15th June 2008 Cuban leader must learn from Gorbachev's mistakes - Friday, 13th June 2008 Barack Obama has inspired a generation, but his toughest battles are yet to come - Thursday, 5th June 2008 Big Brown win will not whitewash racing woe - Saturday, 31st May 2008 (Sport) The ghost of the infamous Florida recount of 2000 is hovering over the Democrats' nomination battle - Sunday, 25th May 2008 The US constitution can't let Bush go: The system surely makes it far too difficult to get rid of a president - Saturday, 24th May 2008 Don't be too hard on the 43rd President. Putting away his golf clubs – in his gilded life – means real deprivation - Sunday, 18th May 2008 Jeremiah Wright's latest outburst has put Obama firmly on the defensive... - Sunday, 4th May 2008 We must never forget the evil inspired by Hitler's regime - Thursday, 1st May 2008 Curse this sheer dumb Republican luck! - Thursday, 24th April 2008 The PM, the Pope, and some political realities - Friday, 18th April 2008 The obsession with polygraphs ignores the problem of human fallibility - Sunday, 13 April 2008 Even a visit to an alley by Barack Obama last week couldn't boost the image of what used to be the quintessential blue-collar pastime - Sunday, 6th April 2008 The world's lone superpower is on the wane - Wednesday, 19th March 2008 John McCain made a name for himself with his attack on funding for politicians' pet projects. But now the grizzlies have bitten back - Sunday, 16th March 2008 Obama may be ahead in the delegate count and favourite for the Democratic nomination, but last week's figures showing that the US is heading for recession provided what could still be a decisive campaign boost for Hillary - Sunday, 9th March 2008 Last week's public bust-up between John McCain and one of talk radio's shrillest commentators marks the end of an era in US conservative politics - Sunday, 2nd March 2008 Clinton's apparent admission of defeat is the best chance she has of saving her troubled presidential campaign - Sunday, 24th February 2008 If neither Obama nor Clinton has the nomination sewn up by August, it's down to the likes of Sandy, Heather and Fagafaga - Sunday, 17th Feburuary 2008 Right place, right time, right way to win an election - Thursday, 14th February 2008 Torture, terror and a trial system that is tainted - Wednesday, 13th February 2008 Whoever wins the presidency will most likely fail to take on the unholy trinity of arms manufacturers, the Pentagon, and Congress - Sunday, 10th February 2008 This could go all the way to a floor-fight at the convention - Thursday, 7th February 2008 Lawrence Tynes came to the US almost two decades ago as a soccer-mad 10-year-old from Greenock. Today, he will be hoping to kick his New York Giants team into the history books with victory on America's most prestigious sporting stage - Sunday, 3rd February 2008 (Sport) Feisty underdog must now watch his temper - Friday, 1st February 2008 Daniel Schorr, a veteran of the Murrow generation, is a national treasure - Sunday, 27th January 2008 Lessons of history spell trouble for the Republicans - Wednesday, 23rd January 2008 It's that same old promise again: Change, change, change. No election can take place without this buzzword - Saturday, 12th January 2008 Instead of the coronation of Barack Obama, we witnessed the triumph of democracy - Thursday, 10th January 2008 Clinton's best hope may come from belated show of emotion - Wednesday, 9th January 2008 He's a Kansan-Kenyan, and he's on a roll. Could this inspirational Democrat rip victory from Clinton's grasp? - Sunday, 6th January 2008

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