Vice President Joe Biden says the nation should expect more U.S. military casualties as the Obama administration plans to send additional troops to Afghanistan. ...more

January 26, 2009

Diplomacy now trumps defense as the main instrument of U.S. foreign policy. ...more

January 26, 2009

Vatican officials said Saturday they were disappointed by President Barack Obama's decision to end a ban on federal funding for international groups that perform abortions or provide information on them. ...more

January 25, 2009

As a new administration settles into its offices in Washington, America awaits the actions of the White House and federal agencies on a host of challenges facing our nation at home and abroad. Whatever these actions turn out to be, and whether they meet with success or failure, it's vitally important that the American people have access to how governmental decisions are made, and by whom. On this front, at least, there's already good news. ...more

January 25, 2009

This letter is to Abie, the person who was disgusted with conservatives. I understand the frustration. Conservatives were extremely slow to realize that the Bush Administration was bad for America. In November, the majority finally opened their eyes, but why did it take so long? Because the GOP's leader Karl Rove knew he could "manipulate" conservatives with a constant stream of "fear" about gays, terrorists, immigration, environmentalists, Roe-Wade, religion and taxes. These extremists knew they could create enough smoke to keep the average conservative distracted from what was really going on in Washington. Conservatives failed to see the dismantling of the Bill of Rights, the industrial war machine's take over of our military and the almost daily immoral or illegal activities of their own party members. Yet, about 11 percent of the conservatives are still so extreme in their views that they never will see the truth. So Abie, don't fear the conservative, fear the extreme 11 percent who say "my party right or wrong." They are not good for America. Let's hope that the future proves "we the people" have learned our lesson. ...more

January 20, 2009

Except for Richard Nixon, no president since Harry Truman leaves office more unloved than George W. Bush. Truman's rehabilitation took decades. Bush's will come sooner. Indeed, it already has begun. The chief revisionist? Barack Obama. ...more

January 17, 2009

Valerie Iengo of Port Richey says we should be battling against the current economic difficulties, not matters of personal choice. ...more

January 14, 2009

According to all Israeli accounts since 2001, the rocket and mortar attacks have killed 20 Israeli citizens. However, in the days since the Israeli blitzkrieg invasion of Gaza, the hospital authorities claim 683 dead, 218 of them children and 3,085 wounded. ...more

January 14, 2009

President-elect Barack Obama wants more transparency and strict guidelines for using the second $350 billion of the bailout fund Congress approved last fall to stabilize the nation's financial system. ...more

January 11, 2009

With little sign that the departing Bush administration will press Israel to halt the ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, diplomats and political leaders throughout the Middle East and Europe are scrambling to find ways to bring an end to the violence. ...more

January 5, 2009