Most Valuable Progressives of 2006

As reported by The Nation. The winners were as follows:

MVP – U.S. SENATE
Wisconsin Democrat Russ Feingold cinched the title in March when he proposed that Senate censure President Bush for repeatedly authorizing domestic wiretaps on American citizens without first obtaining a legally required court order.

MVP – U.S. HOUSE
Barbara Lee (D-CA) and her co-chair and fellow California Democrat, Lynn Woolsey who renewed the Congressional Progressive Caucus by hiring an able full-time staffer, staking out a clear set of stances that defined the left wing of the possible, holding forums and hearings on the Iraq War and developing strategies for aiding progressive contenders in House races around the country.

MVP – EXECUTIVE BRANCH
David Kuo, a Bush administration staffer who condemned the administration for failing to deliver on its promises to the poor, noting that when issues related to the supposed compassionate-conservative agenda of the President arose: "The White House legislative affairs office rolled their eyes while others on senior staff yawned." In the end, Kuo explained, "From tax cuts to Medicare, the White House gets what the White House really wants. It never really wanted the ‘poor people stuff.'"

MVP – STRATEGIC VISION BRANCH
Progressive Majority, the five-year-old multi-issue political action committee (PAC) that was established to enhance the political effectiveness of the progressive movement (I myself did a rather extensive review on how Progressive Majority helped Progressives take control of the Pennsylvania state house).

MVP – ACCOUNTABILITY BRANCH
AfterDowningStreet.org coalition - who have been pushing for the better part of a year for a congressional inquiry into the administration's warping of intelligence to fit its Iraq War goals – but adjusted their focus to promote an even broader and more aggressive critique of the Bush presidency.

MVP – CITIZEN BRANCH
Jimmy Carter, who (as a citizen) continues to make profound contributions to the nation. Increasingly frustrated by the failure of both the Bush administration and Democrats in Congress to take seriously the duty of U.S. officials to operate as honest brokers in the festering dispute between Israel and Palestine, Carter penned the most important book ever written by an ex-president: Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid (Simon & Schuster).