Pushing the Envelope on Presidential Power … Shortly after the first accused terrorists reached the U.S. naval prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on Jan. 11, 2002, a delegation from CIA headquarters arrived in the Situation Room.  The agency presented a delicate problem to White House counsel …

Clinton cautious on health care reform  —  NEW YORK - When it comes to health care reform, Hillary Rodham Clinton epitomizes the old adage, "once burned, twice shy."  —  As first lady in the early 1990s, she tried to reshape the nation's health care system — an audacious effort …

Reality Check for the Antiwar Crowd  —  As an Iraq war veteran who participated in combat operations and political reconciliation efforts, I take issue with some of the arguments repeatedly being made on Capitol Hill.  Most recently I was bothered by statements from Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) …

Obama: "Faith got hijacked."  —  It's nice to see Obama say these words:

Illegal Immigrants Targeted By States  —  Frustrated with Congress's inability to pass an immigration overhaul bill, state legislatures are considering or enacting a record number of strongly worded proposals targeting illegal immigrants.  —  By the time most legislatures adjourned in May …

Murdoch Reaches Out for Even More  —  In the fall of 2003, a piece of Rupert Murdoch's sprawling media empire was in jeopardy.  —  Congress was on the verge of limiting any company from owning local television stations that reached more than 35 percent of American homes.

For Lobbyists, This Campaign Is Personal  —  These are hard times for lobbyists, at least when it comes to public perception.  The City Council is moving to limit their campaign contributions.  Some top aides to Gov. Eliot Spitzer are letting it be known that hiring a lobbyist might not help one's case in Albany.

Questions Your Broker Can't Answer  —  WHAT kind of people live in this building?  That is often the first question brokers are asked by apartment hunters — be they couples with children, retirees seeking peace and quiet or 20-somethings prone to the occasional raucous party.

McCain could pull out of race by autumn  —  Presidential hopeful drops campaign staff as Republican consultants predict he'll be gone by September  —  THE former presidential front-runner, John McCain, may drop out of the 2008 race by September if his fundraising dries up and his poll ratings continue …

Gloom and Doom in A Sunny Day  —  It was a mild January evening, and people had filled the restaurant's outdoor patio.  As our group walked past the tables, one of my friends said, "This terrifies me."  I don't know if she was reassured later by the chilly April, but we are all supposed to be terrified of the weather now.

Ready for Bloomberg?  —  Six months ago, when I began hearing rumors of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's possible interest in an independent presidential campaign in 2008, I went to see the mayor at his City Hall office.  —  He told me what he has said repeatedly ever since …

Matthews on Clinton "being surrounded by women": "[D]oes that make a case" for or against her as commander in chief?  —  On the June 24 edition of the NBC-syndicated Chris Matthews Show, during a discussion about Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), host Chris Matthews asked Kathleen Parker …

New York vs. Paris: Culture Shock?  —  Before I left for Paris (where I am spending two-and-a-half months living alone and working on my grad-school thesis research and a writing project), people warned me about the intolerant (especially of Americans), cold, and cavalier (especially about their dog's excrement) French.