John Powers

Illustration by Peter Bennett “These are dark times,” declared MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough during last week’s Republican convention. I knew what he meant. After all, we live in an era when even a sweaty reactionary like Scarborough — imagine George Wallace impersonating John Wayne — gets to host his own show......

Photo by Ted Soqui NEW YORK — I’ve always wondered what Paris was like during the Occupation, and being in Manhattan this week may be the closest I’ll ever come to finding out. The streets are eerily depopulated, the security apparatus is inescapable — cops stand guard both outside and......

Illustration by Peter Bennett Like millions of Americans, my wife and I watched raptly as Paul Hamm battled back from his calamitous tumble to heroically win, er, be mistakenly awarded the gold medal as best all-around male gymnast. But just as gushy Tim Daggett declared this victory the greatest single......

Illustration by Peter Bennet The bitterest sniping in Boston last week involved no politicians. It was a catfight among the members of CNN’s Capital Gang. Flashing his teeth like a wicked shopkeeper in a Bollywood movie, Robert Novak sneered at John Edwards’ familiar Two Americas speech, predictably dubbing it “class......

An epic War on Terror demands a nemesis, and when most Americans first heard about Osama bin Laden in the hours following the 9/11 attacks, they found one startling in his grandiosity. With that beard and those robes and the soulful eyes, he grabbed your attention, which is one reason......

Illustrations by Miguel Valenzuela Halfway into the 2002 NFL season, 49ers wide receiver Terrell Owens scored a touchdown against the Seahawks in Seattle. Crossing the goal line, he flabbergasted everyone by pulling a Sharpie from his sock, autographing the ball, and handing it to his financial adviser in a nearby......

Illustration by Peter Bennett Campaigning in Michigan for the Bush-Cheney ticket last Friday, John McCain introduced the next speaker as a man of “resolve, experience, patriotism,” and slyly went on to dub him “very debonair.” Needless to say, he was talking about Dick Cheney. Perhaps the most hated figure in......

Illustration by Peter Bennet Presidential campaigns increasingly resemble Hollywood movies: They’re forced into the straitjacket of self-reinforcing, high-concept storylines. Four years ago, Al Gore was ceaselessly portrayed as a liar, while George W. Bush was treated as the dumb guy. As it happened, this was exactly backward: Gore ran an......

Illustration by Peter Bennett Back when Bill Clinton was in the White House, Kurt Andersen dubbed him our “Entertainer in Chief.” Last week, Clinton reclaimed that title with the release of his tombstone of a memoir, My Life, which garnered hours of free publicity from a media that no longer......