The U.S. Justice Department's secret seizure of two months of phone records for reporters and editors of the Associated Press is a reckless violation of the First Amendment. So egregious is this violation of the U.S. Constitution that Attorney General Eric Holder must be held accountable.

On Monday, the president...

Republicans are obsessed with last September's attack by terrorists on the U.S. diplomatic outpost in Benghazi, Libya, that left four Americans dead, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens. So rabid are their efforts to uncover a scandal that some in the party are throwing the word impeachment around.

An independent inquiry,...

Here we go again. Syria's apparent use of a small amount of chemical weapons against its own people has many Republicans and conservatives calling for President Barack Obama to intervene. Yeah, easy, right? Just like Iraq.

President Obama has said that use of chemical weapons by Syria would be...

The U.S. Senate will begin debating gun control legislation this week. But, sadly, the likelihood that any measure will pass Congress remains a long shot.

Last Thursday, 68 senators voted to allow debate to begin on the legislation, heading off threats of a filibuster. They had responded to increased...

"I think we've got a deal." Those encouraging words about immigration reform legislation came from South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham who appeared on CNN Sunday. "We've got to write the legislation," he said, "but 2013, I hope, will be the year that we pass bipartisan immigration reform."

Ten years ago today the United States invaded Iraq with the goals of toppling its tyrannical ruler Saddam Hussein, destroying its weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), and freeing its people to establish a democratic government. Now, a decade later, Saddam Hussein is dead, but no WMDs were ever found, and...

Monday will be a big day for Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican Party. He will announce the results of a task force he convened, following last November's election, which he asked to "figure out what we can do to grow our party and win more elections."

The "Growth...

As Roman Catholic cardinals gather in the magnificent Sistine Chapel to select a new pope, their conclave, steeped in centuries of tradition, is at a critical crossroads. Will the cardinals vote for a pope who can re-energize the faithful, and restore the trust that has been missing for millions of...

President Hugo Chavez's death, while not unexpected, brings an uncertain future to a country that he ruled with an iron fist. It also may present a great opportunity for American diplomacy in Venezuela and Latin America.

Chavez wanted to be considered a man of the people. He was charismatic, quick...

Normally a Democratic Congressional primary would attract little national attention. But the contest Tuesday in Illinois' Second Congressional District pitted two political giants against each other: the National Rifle Association and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Democratic candidate Robin Kelly, a strong gun control advocate, handily won Tuesday's primary,...

It is doubtful that Congress and the White House will reach a budget agreement in time to avoid the deep mandatory cuts, known as the "sequester," from going into effect at the end of next week. The consequences, according to many economists, could be disastrous for the already anemic American...

President Barack Obama will give his State of the Union address Tuesday evening, the first of his second-term. American voters may have hoped that their elected officials had gotten the message that they should put partisanship aside and work together solve the myriad of problems facing the nation. Not so...

Immigration is one of the great stories of America's history. It is immortalized in the words penned by Emma Lazarus, and engraved on a bronze plaque that hangs on an inner wall of the Statue of Liberty, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free."

"As times change, so must we," President Barack Obama said in his eloquent and inspiring inaugural address, delivered to several hundred thousand witnesses gathered in front of the U.S. Capitol. He continued, "Fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges; that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires...

President Barack Obama moved quickly to respond to the "epidemic of gun violence" in America, which results in more than 30,000 deaths each year, by signing 23 executive orders and calling on Congress to pass specific proposals, including universal background checks and a ban on military...

No wonder Congress is so unpopular. Last year's House and Senate teamed up to be the most ineffective Congress in decades. Sadly, the new Congress looks like it is going to underperform its predecessor.

In the next few weeks, Congress must decide whether to raise the debt ceiling. Under law,...

"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun." Using this rationale, Wayne LaPierre, the National Rifle Association's CEO and executive vice president, announced that the NRA's solution for stopping school shootings is to station armed guards in every one of...

The tragic deaths at Newtown, Conn., have once again focused attention on one of the most painful problems this nation faces, gun violence. The nation cannot let this moment pass without some meaningful action to stem America's epidemic of gun violence.

About 30,000 people are killed by...

The holiday season is already upon us, but Congressional Republicans are not in a holiday mood. Because of their recalcitrance in the ongoing negotiations surrounding the pending fiscal crisis, they are on the verge of becoming the Grinch that stole America's economic recovery.

President Barack Obama, who won November's...

As members of the Republican Party reflect on their losses at the polls November 6, they should do so with complete honesty and a commitment to play a constructive role in effective governance. Their first step should be to get their house in order.

The Republican Party under Reince...