Stories by Frank Rich

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Obama's Original Sin: How the President's Failure to Hold Wall Street Accountable Could Cost Him In 2012

Posted on: Jul 4, 2011, Source: New York magazine

What haunts the Obama administration is what still haunts the country: the stunning lack of accountability for the greed that brought on America's catastrophic financial crisis.

If Only the Problem Were Just Arizona's Bigoted Immigration Law, But It's Bigger and Darker Than That

Posted on: May 2, 2010, Source: The New York Times

Arizona's anti-immigrant hysteria is another symptom of a political virus that can’t be quarantined and whose cure is as yet unknown.

Wall Street's Plot to Wreck America Must Be Revealed

Posted on: Jan 10, 2010, Source: The New York Times

We know little about the financial WMDs that destroyed our economy. This week's Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission hearings must shed light on what happened in the meltdown.

Why Won't Obama Draw a Line in the Sand and Take on the Wall Street Wrecking Crew?

Posted on: Oct 19, 2009, Source: The New York Times

We know Obama has good values, but we don't know if he has convictions.

Obama Can't Afford to Take Right-Wing Lunatics Seriously Anymore

Posted on: Aug 24, 2009, Source: The New York Times

A GOP senator's apologia for far-right fanatics bearing arms at presidential events -- that the government makes them do it! -- cannot stand.

Rachel Maddow: The Growing Threat Posed by Gun-Strapped Right-Wingers at Obama's Townhalls

Posted on: Aug 23, 2009, Source: MSNBC

Rachel Maddow and Frank Rich discuss the use of intimidation as a political tactic.

Sarah Palin Broke the GOP, and Now She Owns It

Posted on: Jul 12, 2009, Source: The New York Times

Palin's is doing well with the anger and resentment crowd, but they are demographically doomed to keep shrinking.

The Bush Era Nightmare Won't End Until Obama Embraces True Transparency

Posted on: May 17, 2009, Source: The New York Times

No matter how hard President Obama tries to turn the page on the previous administration, he can't. Until there is true accountability.

Why the Press Is on Suicide Watch

Posted on: May 12, 2009, Source: The New York Times

Newspapers are a self-destructive retreat from innovation -- what's going to stop them from total collapse?

The Bush White House's Appalling and Evil Legacy: Now We Know the Whole Story

Posted on: Apr 26, 2009, Source: The New York Times

Did we torture to extract bogus "intelligence" from detainees to make the case for Iraq?

We've Got to Leave This Bankrupt Culture Behind

Posted on: Apr 12, 2009, Source: The New York Times

It wasn't just trillions of dollars of wealth that went poof in the bubble. Vital American values have also crumbled and vanished.

Axing CEOS Is Entertaining, But It Doesn't Solve Our Economic Crisis

Posted on: Apr 5, 2009, Source: The New York Times

Obama fired GM CEO Rick Wagoner as symbolic concession to public rage. Let's see some major economic reforms.

Obama Has to Get on Top of This or Else We'll Get on Top of Him

Posted on: Mar 22, 2009, Source: The New York Times

Obama and his team can't duck more tough questions, or else they'll deliver us into the catastrophic hands of a Republican opposition.

When Times Go Bad, Americans Don't Turn to the Christian Right -- They Turn to Each Other

Posted on: Mar 15, 2009, Source: The New York Times

This economic crisis spells an exodus for the Christian ayatollahs and the culture wars of the past 40 years.

How Far Down the Economic Hole Are We Headed?

Posted on: Feb 22, 2009, Source: The New York Times

No one knows, of course, but a bigger question may be whether we really want to know.

That Was in Fact a Huge Win for Obama Last Week

Posted on: Feb 15, 2009, Source: The New York Times

Obama mowed down the GOP with a stimulus bill victory last week. The biggest mistake he can make now is to be too timid.

Daschle's Demise Is Just the Beginning: Get Ready for a Torrent of Populist Outrage

Posted on: Feb 8, 2009, Source: The New York Times

Americans have had just about enough of watching insiders with the right connections living well off the rest of us.

In the Face of Economic Disaster, Republicans Have No Ideas

Posted on: Feb 1, 2009, Source: The New York Times

Instead of trying to help figure the way out of our economic mess, Republicans are busy trying to get in the good graces of Rush Limbaugh.

The Bush Era Has Been an Eight-Year-Long Madoff-Style Ripoff

Posted on: Jan 11, 2009, Source: The New York Times

It will be easier for us and Obama to push for a bold agenda if we demand accountability for the robbery and theft of the Bush years.

Who Wants to Kick a Millionaire?

Posted on: Dec 21, 2008, Source: The New York Times

A catastrophic loss of confidence is in the making, as corporate bosses continue to reap taxpayers' billions.

Note to Obama: The Brightest Advisors Are Not Always the Best

Posted on: Dec 7, 2008, Source: The New York Times

The media haven't asked the tough questions they should about Obama's superstar cabinet.

Sarah Palin's Almost Creepy Ambition Should Worry McCain

Posted on: Oct 5, 2008, Source: The New York Times

Sarah Palin is the only hope for saving a ticket headed by a warrior who is out of juice and out of ideas. It seems she knows this only too well.

For McCain, 'Country First' Means Taking the Country Down with Him

Posted on: Sep 27, 2008, Source: The New York Times

Why would a man who forever advertises his own honor toy so selfishly with our national interest in a time of crisis?

Obama and McCain: The Stakes Are Too Huge for 'Civil' Politics

Posted on: Aug 24, 2008, Source: The New York Times

R.I.P., 'Change We Can Believe in.' The fierce urgency of the 21st century demands Change Before It's Too Late.

Frank Rich: How Obama's Trip Abroad Turned Him into the Acting President

Posted on: Jul 27, 2008, Source: The New York Times

History was on the march well before Mr. Obama boarded his plane, and his trip was perfectly timed to reap the whirlwind.

John McCain's Disaster Economics

Posted on: Jul 21, 2008, Source: The New York Times

If voters got a fair presentation of John McCain's economic plan, the idea of him winning the White House would cause mass panic.

Worries About War Crimes Heat up in the White House

Posted on: Jul 13, 2008, Source: The New York Times

Top Bush hands are starting to get sweaty about where they left their fingerprints on U.S. torture policies.

Sorry McCain, 'Angry White Women' Overwhelmingly Support Obama

Posted on: Jun 15, 2008, Source: The New York Times

Women favor Obama by 19 points, and the GOP is splintered over McCain. But we don't hear that narrative because it doesn't get the ratings.

Obama and McCain Offer Two Very Different Americas

Posted on: Jun 8, 2008, Source: The New York Times

The general election is an epic showdown between two wildly different visions of the country.

McClellan's Memoirs Hurt McCain Just as Much as Bush

Posted on: Jun 1, 2008, Source: The New York Times

As the McClellan circus shows, unexpected bombshells about White House Iraq lies will keep McCain pushed back for months to come.

McCain's Preacher Pal Calls Catholic Church the 'Great Whore' -- Where's the Outrage?

Posted on: May 4, 2008, Source: The New York Times

If the hypocrisy whipped up over Jeremiah Wright proves anything, it's that this nation's candid conversation on race has yet to begin.

Ignore the Corporate Media Spin, McCain is a Weak Candidate

Posted on: Apr 27, 2008, Source: The New York Times

Democratic infighting might seem bad, but McCain is trying to succeed the most despised president in his own 71-year lifetime.

Why Americans Are Tuning out the Disaster in Iraq

Posted on: Apr 13, 2008, Source: The New York Times

Most Americans don't want to hear, see or feel anything about Iraq, whether they support the war or oppose it.

Hillary's End: Arrogance Has Taken Her to the Brink

Posted on: Feb 23, 2008, Source: The New York Times

The lack of strategy for her campaign after Super Tuesday belies her belief that this was supposed to be a coronation.

Does Judith Regan Have the Goods on Rudy Giuliani?

Posted on: Nov 18, 2007, Source: The New York Times

Judith Regan knows a lot about Rudy Giuliani, his associate Bernie Kerik, and Rupert Murdoch's media empire -- will she spill the beans?

Americans Have Become 'Good Germans'

Posted on: Oct 14, 2007, Source: The New York Times

"Bush lies" doesn’t cut it anymore. It’s time to confront the darker reality that we are lying to ourselves.

Clarence Thomas Whines His Way to the Bank

Posted on: Oct 7, 2007, Source: The New York Times

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas's woe-is-me booktour peddles persecution from the same "left-wing zealots" who attacked his confirmation hearings 16 years ago.

Bush Retreats Back to Crawford -- the 2007 Edition

Posted on: Aug 12, 2007, Source: The New York Times

The president, firm in his resolve against "al Qaeda in Iraq," heads toward another August break in Crawford with another year of failure and cynical employment of terrorist threats under his belt.

Why the White House Keeps Hiding Behind General Petraeus

Posted on: Jul 29, 2007, Source: The New York Times

The White House has done everything possible to create the appearance that Gen. David Petraeus has all the responsibility for the occupation of Iraq -- but it's really an attempt to shield Bush from the failure in Iraq.

I Did Have Sexual Relations With That Woman

Posted on: Jul 22, 2007, Source: The New York Times

The indiscretions of former GOP "family values" poster boy Sen. David Vitter are the latest examples of Republican sexual and moral hypocrisy stretching from Congress to the presidential campaigns.