David Harsanyi: Welcome to the 'Hope' Economy - After being asked when the public should begin judging the success of the nearly $800 billion stimulus plan, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs answered, "I think we should begin to judge it now." Let's take his...

Bill O'Reilly: Don't Say That - With Americans busy celebrating the 233rd birthday of the USA this week, freedom of speech comes to mind. We Americans are big on speaking freely, but the words we use are quite another matter. In fact, we...

Oliver North: Wrong Again -- It took the Obama administration eight days to figure out whether Iranians being gunned down for protesting a fraudulent election and demanding basic civil liberties deserved to be acknowledged by the...

Ken Blackwell: Public Duties, Public Accountability - There is a missing element in all the media attention to the Mark Sanford scandal: How did the South Carolina governor fulfill his public duties? When he told his staff he might take a hike on the Appalachian Trail, it...

Richard Olivastro: Let Freedom Ring - Again - This year marks the 233rd anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the United States of America. Back then, freedom rang because individuals were willing to risk, literally, everything to be...

Caroline Glick: Israel's democratic challenge - It works out that retired Supreme Court president Aharon Barak - the man who shaped Israel's judiciary in his own image - doesn't care much for Jews. In a speech last Thursday sponsored by the post-Zionist New...

Dick Morris Discusses the Obama Catastrophe - Dick Morris talks to U.S. News about his latest book Catastrophe.

What do you believe in? - ad - Do you believe that cleaning the house shouldn't involve polluting the earth? If you use bleach, then you believe a clean home is more important than a clean earth and water supply. But you can have it both ways. There are BETTER cleaners that will kill the bad germs without harming the water supply.

A Pitch for a Healing Diplomacy - When George W. Bush was running for the presidency, he said he aspired to be an education president. He followed through in his first year by pressing Congress to pass the bipartisan No Child Left Behind Act. He found an effective partner in Margaret Spellings, who served first as the White House staff person in charge of drafting the legislation and then as secretary of education.

An Early Drubbing For Obama - It was not lost on anyone that the president-elect of the United States, riding the crest of his popularity, and the Democratic leadership of the U.S. Senate were outsmarted last week by a state politician who won his last election almost 20 years ago.
A Special Day on Longworth Five - On the opening day of Congress, the elevator deposited me on the fifth floor of the Longworth House Office Building, where, as I expected, the parties celebrating hard-fought November election victories had spilled out of the offices and filled the corridor with revelry worthy of New Year's Eve.

The New Congress Is Missing a Few Gray Eminences - When the new Congress begins this week, a great many familiar faces will be missing. While the most notable absentees will be the new president- and vice president-elect, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, something tells me that we will see plenty of them in coming months.

Opportunism in Illinois - Opportunism comes in many forms in Illinois politics. Unfortunately for the reputation of my home state, the nation is learning about all of them.

The GOP Goes South, While Waging Ideological Warfare - As a rule, a new president's choice of a secretary of transportation makes few headlines, even when the appointee is a member of the opposition. In 2001, George W. Bush decided to name as transportation secretary Norman Mineta, a former representative from California, to be the token Democrat in his Cabinet, and no one noticed. And no one except for Mark Shields, who lavishly praised the appointment, paid much attention last week when Barack Obama made Ray LaHood, the retiring representative ...

Government's Test: Reforming Health Care - On the same morning that President-elect Barack Obama introduced Tom Daschle, the former Senate majority leader, as his prospective secretary of health and human services and his point man on health-care reform, a panel of key constituency group leaders met to assess the prospects for success.

Rod Blagojevich and Illinois' Corruption Problem - Rod Blagojevich was a scandal waiting to happen.

Do computer workers need fewer nutrients than an athlete? - ad - Desk jockeys need the nutrients... but not all the calories. Computer jobs have dramatically changed what constitutes an ideal diet. The fact is that following the government recommendations may give you enough vitamins, but will give you way too many calories. Use the power of compact liquid nutrition instead.

Biden in the House - When Joe and Jill Biden moved to Washington on Jan. 20 as he took up his duties as vice president, they brought their bed down from the family home in Wilmington, Del. But unlike their predecessors, the Gores and the Cheneys, who already lived in the Washington suburbs and had houses filled with furniture they were ready to transfer to the official residence on Massachusetts Avenue, the Bidens had empty rooms to fill.

The GOP Faces the 'Blue Wall' - It was not all that long ago that political reporters were writing about "the Republican lock" on the White House. From 1972 to 1988, from Richard Nixon's reelection through George H.W. Bush's victory over Michael Dukakis, 24 states supported the GOP nominee each time.
Daschle and Gregg: A Cabinet Loss and Gain - In a striking repetition of the up-and-down pattern of the Democratic primaries a year ago, President Obama filled one Cabinet vacancy on Tuesday but saw another one embarrassingly come open.

Republican Votes Are What Mr. Obama Truly Needs - When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced in early January that there would be no mid-February recess for Congress unless the giant economic stimulus bill demanded by Barack Obama were on its way to the White House, she accomplished two things.

The Blagojevich Show: It's No Joke to Illinois - Something very strange -- and disturbing -- has happened with Rod Blagojevich. Even as the legal wheels are turning in Springfield that will remove him from the Illinois governorship, he has become a media star, warmly and affectionately treated by people who ought to know better.

Hard Times for Political Dynasties - The dynasties are disappearing.