Tea Parties Forever  —  This is a column about Republicans — and I'm not sure I should even be writing it.  —  Today's G.O.P. is, after all, very much a minority party.  It retains some limited ability to obstruct the Democrats, but has no ability to make or even significantly shape policy.

An Early Military Victory for Obama  —  It was one of the earliest tests of the new American president — a small military operation off the coast of a Third World nation.  But as President Bill Clinton found out in October 1993, even minor failures can have long-lasting consequences.

How SEALs Carried Out Their Mission  —  The operation to rescue Capt. Richard Phillips involved dozens of Navy SEALs, who parachuted from an aircraft into the scene near dark Saturday, landing in the ocean.  The SEALs were part of a group of Special Operations forces involved in the effort, according to military officials.

Everyone Should Pay Income Taxes  —  It's bad for our democracy to exempt half the country.  —  If you thought Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme was bad, wait until you hear about the inverted pyramid scheme the federal government is working on.  While Mr. Madoff preyed on people who trusted …

Amazon Follies  —  On Amazon.com two days ago, mysteriously, the sales rankings disappeared from two newly-released high profile gay romance books: “Transgressions” by Erastes and “False Colors” by Alex Beecroft.  Everybody was perplexed.  Was it a glitch of some sort?

Kill the Pirates  —  With the rescue of American Richard Phillips from the hands of pirates yesterday, there was a blip of good news from the Indian Ocean, but it remains a scandal that Somali pirates continue to routinely defeat the world's naval powers.  And worse than this ongoing demonstration …

Rick Warren explains cancellation  —  Pastor Rick Warren abruptly canceled an appearance on ABC's “This Week” in which he would have had the opportunity to clarify his denial last week that he had ever endorsed California's anti-gay-marriage ballot measure, when in fact he had done so on videotape.

Realpolitik for Iran  —  For Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, “a combination of ignorance and arrogance” under the Bush administration squandered countless diplomatic opportunities with Iran and so allowed it to forge ahead with its nuclear program.

‘Surgical’ Bankruptcy Possible for G.M.  —  By MICHELINE MAYNARD and MICHAEL J. de la MERCED  —  DETROIT — The Treasury Department is directing General Motors to lay the groundwork for a bankruptcy filing by a June 1 deadline, despite G.M.'s public contention that it could still reorganize outside court …

Politico Tries To Mix Steak And Sizzle  —  If I were trying to maximize my online hits for this column, the headline might be: “Politico Blamed for Decline of Journalism.”  —  But maybe that's a tad too nuanced to draw the Drudge link that would boost my numbers.  Perhaps I should go with “Web Site Addicted to Mini-Scoops.”

Schoolgirl told to choose: Country or parents  —  TOKYO, Japan (CNN) — The clicking of dozens of news cameras drowned out the sobs of the 13-year-old girl, but her face explained what was happening in the departure hall of Japan's Narita International Airport.

Obama's ‘Post-Material’ Economy  —  President Obama has made no secret of his vision for America's 21st-century economy.  We will lead the world in “green” technologies to stop global warming.  Advancing medical breakthroughs will improve our well-being, control health spending and enable us to expand insurance coverage.

In Boston, Paper's Peril Hits a Nerve  —  BOSTON — When local bloggers rallied last week in an online forum about how to save the embattled Boston Globe, readers offered loads of sympathetic advice and surprisingly little of the “let 'em rot” attitude that has colored so much debate over the future of newspapers.