Center for American Progress
The Center for American Progress is a lib-
eral political policy research and advocacy
organization. Its website describes it as "... a
nonpartisan research and educational insti-
tute dedicated to promoting a strong, just
and free America that ensures opportunity
for all."[1]
Its President and Chief Executive Officer
is
former
lobbyist[2]
John Podesta, who
served as chief of staff to then U.S. President
Bill Clinton. Located in Washington, D.C., the
Center for American Progress has a campus
outreach group, Campus Progress, and a sis-
ter advocacy organization, the Center for
American Progress Action Fund. Citing the
significant number of its staff and former
staff that have been appointed to positions in
the Obama Administration, Time magazine
recently declared that there is "no group in
Washington with more influence at this mo-
ment in history."[3]
History and mission
The Center for American Progress was cre-
ated in 2003 as an alternative to think tanks
such as the Heritage Foundation and the
American Enterprise Institute.[4]
Since
its
inception,
the Center has
gathered a group of high-profile senior fel-
lows,
including Lawrence Korb, Assistant
Secretary of Defense under President Ronald
Reagan; Gene Sperling, Director of the Na-
tional Economic Council under President Bill
Clinton; Ruy Teixeira, political scientist and
author of The Emerging Democratic Majority;
and, most recently, former Senate Minority
Leader Tom Daschle and Elizabeth Edwards,
wife of former Presidential candidate Sen.
John Edwards.
The Center manages a radio studio, and
offers the studio for use to shows across the
ideological spectrum. It is used daily by the
Bill Press Show, a syndicated talk radio pro-
gram broadcast from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. Eastern
Time weekday mornings. Jones Radio Net-
works is the syndicator.
The Center was often featured promin-
ently on the Al Franken Show on the Air
America Radio network, where Christy
Harvey and Al Franken criticized the Bush
administration at length, accusing it of d