As regards the newly revealed surveillance program, there is one matter not addressed by political critics and media commentators: the issue of impeachment. The argument is as follows: President Obama is caught in circumstances somewhat similar to what President Truman faced over the atomic bomb. The programs presided over by...

One of the strengths of a great leader is his or her ability to change the national conversation on issues of importance. Whether one agrees with President Obama or not, one has to concede that he has introduced subjects over his five years in office that have been neglected or...

The Holbrooke/Obama controversy is heating up again. As Obama's special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan from 2009 until his death in 2010, Richard Holbrooke, the renowned hard-charging American diplomat, stirred up considerable controversy in the administration by strongly pressing for negotiations with the Taliban over the objections of Obama's White...

In his 1961 inaugural address, John Kennedy called the United Nations one of the most important pillars of American security. He devoted an entire paragraph to the organization, saying:

To that world assembly of sovereign states, the United Nations, our last best hope in an age where the instruments...

When has a nominee for Secretary of Defense had to prepare a 120-page summary of his views on foreign and defense policy? Well, the nomination of a former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel has come to this after bitter criticism from right-wing Republicans and some Democrats demanding explanations of some words...

Ever since last year's U.S. presidential election race ended, the much-discussed concerns over Iran's nuclear build-up have vanished from the national debate. Yes, there are occasional press reports about Iranian machinations -- for example, is Iran tinkering with new nuclear production techniques or is it conducting...

There is one curious fact that still remains unsettled since the now-famous Susan Rice imbroglio of last December which led to her withdrawal from consideration for the job as U.S. Secretary of State -- namely did President Obama ever really consider her seriously for the position? We know that Obama...

The saga of Obamacare is turning out to be the success story of the Obama presidency. What a ride it has been! The tale begins with President Obama in the throes of the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression deciding to put forth a plan for extending health coverage...

There will be no war with Iran in President Obama's second term. As a result of his reelection, Obama is now in an unassailable position to prevent the outbreak of any conflict with Tehran and, as a leader averse to further wars (as in Afghanistan and Iraq), he will not...

The consensus among media commentators has been that Mitt Romney won overwhelmingly last night's debate with Barack Obama. Yet in the cold hard light of today, there is a new and more accurate reality -- namely that, yes, Romney won on style, but he lost badly to Obama on substance....

Mitt Romney's turn to the right grows sharper with every new campaign day.

At week's end, Romney cracked a birther-type joke at a campaign appearance, making a play for the deep crazies of his party who might still be harboring doubts about his ultra-conservative credentials.

He...

The choice of Paul Ryan is a sign of weakness not of strength. With the election less than 90 days away and the popular vote now trending away from him, Romney apparently now feels the need to select a highly speculative vice-presidential nominee who, yes, can enrapture his often-doubtful conservative...

Republican candidate Mitt Romney told Chuck Todd of NBC on Thursday that he was upset by the attacks of President Obama's campaign on him. He now wants "an agreement" that both campaigns refrain from "attacks on business or family or taxes or things of that nature." What planet does Mitt...

A Democratic president is in trouble. He is seeking a second term in the midst of a grim economic crisis -- one of the worst ever to hit the United States. The average unemployment rate is an astonishing 16.9% -- although it has dropped from an equally astounding 24.9%. The...

I hosted a luncheon last week for David Maraniss, author of the new book, Barack Obama, The Story at the Luncheon Society in New York City. Maraniss's book traces Obama's childhood, teenage years and his twenties with meticulous detail and exceptional insight. He interviewed hundreds of people who knew Obama...

In March, the New York Times reported that the Geico Corporation was planning to run a new ad campaign on behalf of its insurance company with its unusually ubiquitous, increasingly talkative and remarkably bothersome gecko who is now slated to be traveling across America.

The little green...

As one assesses the Republican primary race, it seems increasingly evident that Mitt Romney will win the party's presidential nomination. But he will be inheriting a fractured party.

The Tea Party activists have over the past months all but declared that they detest Romney and won't forgive him because of...

A remarkable book has just been published about one of America's most brilliant diplomats, Richard Holbrooke, entitled The Unquiet American (PublicAffairs Press). Holbrooke, who tragically died last year at age 69 trying to complete his last and perhaps most important mission -- ending the US war in Afghanistan -- was...

My mother is an extraordinary human being. At age 99, she is still an active and alert woman, full of interest about the upcoming presidential election, an inveterate watcher of TV news and Rachel Maddow and The Ed Show, an avid reader of The New York Times and best-sellers.

But...

My wife and I saw Diane Keaton speak about her new book, Then Again, which is her memoir about her mother, her upbringing and her career and her private times. Many of us now in our sixties carry the indelible image of Keaton from her movies roles reminding us of...