Over one in five American children is living in poverty, and the number is rising.

American journalists tend to treat inequality as a fact of life. But it needn't be.

Americans have always evinced some distrust of government, but the current situation has exacerbated this to a degree that may be unprecedented.

The ability of the 1 percent to buy politicians and regulators is nothing new in American politics - just as inequality has been a permanent part of our economic system. This is true of virtually all political and economic systems.

One of the many, many salutary aspects of Barack Obama's impending presidential nomination is the sea change his victory marks in the battle for the mind-set of the American foreign policy establishment.

This trend of reporting process over substance is unfortunate, if omnipresent. Even worse is the media's inability - or unwillingness - to fact-check Republicans who are angry about the Democrats trying to debate and vote on Iraq policy.