January 08 Extemp Topics

Domestic

Less Difficult

1.                  Should Attorney General Mukasey launch an independent investigation of the destruction of terrorist interrogation tapes by the CIA?

2.                  Is Mitt Romney's Mormonism proving to be an asset or a liability to his candidacy?

3.                  Is the United States doing enough to protect its satellites from other nations' militaries?

4.                  What separates America's best high schools from the rest of the pack?

5.                  How much of an impact will Oprah Winfrey's endorsement have on the Barak Obama campaign?

6.                  Why is Chuck Norris' endorsement of Mike Huckabee significant?

7.                  What are the most pressing problems facing America's health care system?

8.                  Will illegal immigration be a defining issue of the 2008 elections?

9.                  What can be done to make housing more affordable for Americans?

10.              Is Congress taking global warming seriously?

11.              Are America's intelligence agencies failing at their craft?

12.              Can social networking websites, such as Facebook, become profitable businesses?

13.              Should "waterboarding" be classified as an illegal form of torture?

More Difficult

1.                  Does the success of Mike Huckabee in the Republican Presidential race suggest religion is playing a more important role in voter choices?

2.                  How will Iowa's earlier-than-usual caucuses impact the Presidential selection process?

3.                  What can government do to better prepare convicts to avoid returning to prison?

4.                  What can be done to address the growing problem of space debris in earth orbit?

5.                  What can be done to address the looming crisis in the student loan industry?

6.                  Why has the federal government failed to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba?

7.                  How will the large number of Republican retirements from Congress impact the balance of power in Congress in 2008?

8.                  Which Presidential candidate has the best solution to the Social Security crisis?

9.                  Is the decision of the federal Sentencing Commission to reduce the length of prison sentences for crack cocaine offenses a mistake?

10.              Is the dollar losing its place as America's premier currency?

11.              Are recent major storms an indicator of a climate shift?

12.              How should Major League Baseball respond to the Mitchell report on steroid use in the sport?

International

Less Difficult

1.                  Can Fatah regain control of the Gaza Strip from the forces of Hamas?

2.                  Should America fear the strength of Vladimir Putin's grip on Russian politics?

3.                  Is America taking sufficient steps to protect against Chinese cyberwarfare?

4.                  Is Hugo Chavez's support among Venezuelans waning?

5.                  Has the United States stayed in Afghanistan too long?

6.                  Is the globe running out of oil?

7.                  Should the United States normalize relations with North Korea, as the nation has requested?

8.                  Will the new European Union treaty strengthen the EU?

9.                  What is the source of Kevin Rudd's electoral success in Australia?

10.              Is Israel's governing coalition in danger of collapsing?

11.              Will Dmitry Medvedev bring change to the Russian Kremlin?

12.              Did France err in welcoming Muammar Qaddafi on a state visit to France?

13.              Is Kosovo likely to declare independence from Serbia in the near future?

More Difficult

1.                  Has Iran really stopped developing nuclear weapons?

2.                  What steps can the international community take to halt the rearming of Lebanon's Hizbollah movement?

3.                  Can Abbas and Olmert follow through on the commitments they made at Annapolis?

4.                  Will Pervez Musharraf's decision to step down as the head of the Pakistani army relax international criticism of his leadership?

5.                  Is China's foreign aid to Africa making an impact on the continent's development?

6.                  Should Jerusalem be made into an "open city"?

7.                  What can China do to better control pollution in its rivers?

8.                  Can peace negotiations finally bring an end to the Muslim separatist movement in the southern Philippines?

9.                  Can Argentina and Uruguay reverse the decline in their relations?

10.              Can an EU peacekeeping force prevent violence from spreading into Chad from neighboring Sudan?

11.              Will an old border dispute again spark war between Ethiopia and Eritrea?

12.              What can be done to limit Nigeria's role as a conduit for the worldwide traffic in illegal drugs?