A Small Man  —  This blog has had many differences with Joe Klein of Time magazine, whom I once considered a very friendly acquaintance before he accused me and those who argued for an aggressive policy in Iraq and with Iran of being war criminals and began spouting anti-Semitic conspiracy nonsense that …

California voters exercise their power — and that's the problem  —  Residents relish their role in the lawmaking process, but they share the blame for the state's severe dysfunction.  —  Californians are well known for periodic voter revolts, but on Tuesday they did more than just lash …

Powell to Rush, Cheney: Room For Me Among ‘Emerging’ Republican Party  —  Colin Powell issued a sharp rebuke Tuesday night to Rush Limbaugh and Dick Cheney for trying to exclude him from the backbiting Republican Party.  —  Before some 1,500 business leaders in Boston …

Democrats on Capitol Hill Rebel Against President Obama's Guantanamo Bay Plan  —  Lawmakers Reject Funding To Shut Down Detainee Center At Gitmo, Want Obama To Present A Plan For How The White House Plans To Close The Facility  —  The U.S. Senate today voted overwhelmingly to block funding …

Why Pelosi Should Step Down  —  The case against Nancy Pelosi remaining Speaker of the House is as simple as it is devastating:  —  The person who is No. 2 in line to be commander in chief can't have contempt for the men and women who protect our nation.  America can't afford it.

Judge Wood Goes to Washington  —  Just two days after Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm's sudden appearance in Washington set off a flurry of speculation about Supreme Court interviews, here's something that actually could be significant:  —  Federal Appeals Court Judge Diane Wood …

Bristol Palin Exposes Her Sometimes Isolated Life  —  Bristol Palin's pretty, lightly freckled face was nowhere to be seen on the overhead screen as images from her high-school senior slideshow - photos from the prom and a Class of 2009 portrait set against the Alaska snow - played during May 14's Wasilla High commencement ceremony.

Obama v. Cheney Heats Up  —  So, the White House announced today that President Obama will deliver a “major” speech on antiterrorism policy tomorrow.  The timing isn't entirely clear, but MSNBC reports that it will be “about an hour” after former Vice President Dick Cheney delivers an address …

Bloggers To The NRSC: Stay Out Of Primaries  —  It was disappointing to many Republicans to see the National Republican Senatorial Committee get involved in the Charlie Crist vs. Marco Rubio primary in Florida.  —  We've had the leadership of the Republican Party saying we need …

Advocates of Gun Rights Are Poised for a Victory  —  WASHINGTON — Advocates of gun rights are poised to win a Congressional victory that eluded them under a Republican president.  —  To the frustration and discouragement of many Democrats, House and Senate lawmakers and aides …

RNC showdown over ‘socialist’ resolution may be avoided  —  OXON HILL, Maryland (CNN) — Members of the Republican National Committee appear to have reached a compromise that would let GOP leaders avoid a possible dispute over a controversial resolution that calls on Democrats to re-name their party the “Democrat Socialist party.”

Has Obama Given Up On Iran?  —  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is back in Israel after meeting with President Obama.  The Jerusalem Post reports that the sense is growing that Obama has given up on preventing Iran from becoming a nuclear power: … For what it's worth, Netanyahu himself expressed a more optimistic view.

ADIOS, NEW YORK  —  TAXED OUT OF THE STATE  —  I LOVE New York.  But how much should it cost to call New York home?  Decades of out-of-control budgets, spending hikes and relentless borrowing have made New York simply too expensive.  —  Politicians like to talk about incentives …

Feinstein: California prisons are ‘eminently capable of holding’ Guantanamo detainees.  —  Since President Obama announced his goal to shut down the Guantanamo prison, conservatives have fearmongered that it would mean terrorists would be coming to Americans' “backyards.”

Dear GOP: Please Choose Liberty  —  Even non-Republicans need a strong opposition.  —  If Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter's defection to the Democratic side of the aisle affected only the fortunes of the Republican Party, it would be no cause for concern for non-Republicans like me.

The Moral Hazard of a State Bailout  —  If the government does bail out the muni bond market, how should it go about things?  The initial assumption is that they'll only guarantee existing debt.  Otherwise, it would be like handing the keys to the treasury to every mayor, county board …

Clinton-era hard drive missing from archives  —  A massive amount of sensitive, national security-related information from the Clinton administration has gone missing from the national archives.  —  The Inspector General of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) …

Car Crazy  —  Bankrupt companies making 39 mpg autos.  Are we nuts?  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  At the end of his Rose Garden explanation yesterday of the new U.S. fuel-efficiency standards, President Obama remarked on the good that can be accomplished when we are “working together.”

The Climate Lobby's Nonstop Growth  —  NOT JUST THE USUAL SUSPECTS: POWER COMPANIES AND BIG OIL, BUT MICROSOFT, GOOGLE, AND EBAY AS WELL  —  Makers of sneakers, blue jeans, and computer network servers joined forces late last fall and vowed a bigger push in Congress on climate change.

Arms Sent by U.S. May Be Falling Into Taliban Hands  —  KABUL — Insurgents in Afghanistan, fighting from some of the poorest and most remote regions on earth, have managed for years to maintain an intensive guerrilla war against materially superior American and Afghan forces.

Shameful story of ingratitude  —  Shortchanging those who incurred disabilities in service.  —  A tremendously important story has gone virtually untold by the media, ignored by our political leaders and unknown to the American public.  Despite the extraordinarily high price they have paid …