Think Progress

February 2007 Progress Reports

• Education: Behind the Curve, February 28, 2007
  An alarming new state-by-state assessment of our nation's education system indicates that the United States is failing to prepare a 21st century workforce.
• Global Warming: Action Rewarded, February 27, 2007
  An Inconvenient Truth picks up two Oscars, giving another boost to worldwide action to try to reverse the effects of climate change.
• Iran: Time for Talks Now, February 26, 2007
  The International Atomic Energy Agency reports that Iran is expanding its efforts to enrich uranium in open defiance of the UN.
• Iraq: A Way Out, February 23, 2007
  Americans are looking for a way out of Iraq. Sixty-three percent of the public want all U.S. troops home from Iraq by the end of 2008.
• Election 08: The New Face of Democracy, February 22, 2007
  ThinkProgress launches Presidential Progress: NetTrends08, a comprehensive database of presidential candidates' activity online.
• Katrina: Celebration Helps To Heal, February 21, 2007
  The good, the bad, and the ugly: New Orleans celebrates Mardi Gras amid continued obstacles to recovery after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
• Veterans: A Bleak Homecoming, February 20, 2007
  The Veterans Affairs health care system is "buckling under a growing volume of disability claims and rising demand for medical attention."
• Iraq: The Anti-Escalation Strategy, February 16, 2007
  After three days of debate, the House today will vote on a resolution that disapproves Bush's escalation plan and voices support for U.S. troops in Iraq.
• Global Warming: Pouring Cold Water On Skeptics' Claims, February 15, 2007
  Earlier this month, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report that confirmed and refined what scientists already knew: The recent global warming trend is real, it is caused primarily by human activities, and we can expect further dangerous warming of a few degrees if we don't reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases.
• Terrorism: Losing Both Debates, February 14, 2007
  Yesterday, CAP and Foreign Policy magazine released their second "Terrorism Index." The consensus: the world is growing more dangerous, and America is losing the war on terror.
• Darfur: A Forgotten Genocide, February 13, 2007
  "Atrocities are occurring daily in Sudan's Darfur region and rape and pillage directed against civilians are at 'a horrific level'" in a crisis that is "growing worse by the day."
• Iran: A Hidden War, February 12, 2007
  Yesterday's presentation -- like other claims of Iranian involvement in Iraq -- left unanswered questions about the quality of the Bush administration's intelligence, concerns about its provocations, and resolve for the need to engage in diplomatic talks with Iran.
• Iraq: Avoiding the Hard Truths, February 9, 2007
  This week, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reported that the escalation could be twice as large as President Bush has claimed, stating that the 21,500 troops that will be sent to Iraq need to be accompanied by as many as 28,000 support troops. The White House responded that the additional troops won't need additional support.
• Global Warming: Act or Step Aside, February 8, 2007
  Last week's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report represents "history's most definitive statement of scientific consensus on climate change."
• Health Care: An Unusual Partnership, February 7, 2007
  Today, Wal-Mart, AT&T, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the Center for American Progress, and other businesses and non-profit organizations are launching a campaign to tackle a health care crisis that neither businesses nor workers can afford.
• Budget: In Deep Hock, February 6, 2007
  President Bush has "consistently understated the effect on deficits and debt of their budget, and unfortunately America is going being to be in deep hock after this administration leaves town," Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-ND) said yesterday.
• International Relations: Provoking Iran, February 5, 2007
  Sen. John Rockefeller (D-WV), the new chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has warned that Vice President Dick Cheney and other ideologues within the Bush administration are trying to provoke a military conflict with Iran.
• Iraq: Escalation Doubled, February 2, 2007
  A report released yesterday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CB) shows that the real troop increase associated with President Bush’s escalation policy could be as high as 48,000, more than double the 21,500 soldiers that Bush has claimed.
• National Security: Peeling Back the Curtain, February 1, 2007
  Today, the trial of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff, is revealing how the administration operated during those crucial months in mid-2003.