Opinion

WASHINGTON, DC - When we last checked in on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a cap had stopped the flow of oil into the Gulf. That cap has held and much of the oil on the surface has dissolved. But this is hardly cause for celebration, as many near- and long-term problems are likely to linger for the Gulf region and the millions of Americans who live there. Here's an update on the situation. Full Story »

Beltway insiders have asked for months whether Republicans must do more than oppose Democrats to win back power. Full Story »

Boston - In 1947, when excusing Soviet totalitarianism had become quite the rage in fashionable progressive circles, George Orwell eviscerated a British politician who consistently defended totalitarians but nevertheless denied that he was a defender of totalitarianism. “But of course he does,” Orwell wrote. “What else could he say? Full Story »

The Nation -- More than 100 Democratic House members and a dozen Republicans voted against funding the Obama administration's Afghan war surge Tuesday, offering one of the strongest shows of opposition to presidential warmaking since the Vietnam War era. Full Story »

Democrats have just found out what happens when they join a good idea – more disclosure in campaign financing – with flawed legislation and partisan politics. They fail. Full Story »

Creators Syndicate - No, I wasn't invited. I shouldn't be. I'm a friend of her parents. They aren't getting married. She is. The rule that invited guests should have a personal relationship with the bride or the groom is only the latest example of how good the Clintons (and the Mezvinskys) have been at the most important job in the world: being parents. Full Story »

Creators Syndicate - It never ceases to amaze that Oliver Stone thinks Ronald Reagan was a dunce. When it comes to judging iron-fisted dictators and anti-American despots, Stone is the intellectually incurious simpleton. He thinks Reagan was stupid because he clung to an all-encompassing ideology. But so does Stone. He thinks every evil in the world came from corporations, especially American corporations, including those he uses to make himself millions. Full Story »

Creators Syndicate - Come in. Make yourself comfortable. What's that? Full Story »

Creators Syndicate - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is the world's worst cleaning lady. Full Story »

Creators Syndicate - Coming Home at Last? Full Story »

Beginning with the Washington Post's "Top Secret America" series last week, the media are creating a narrative aimed at cutting down to size what the Post called the American intelligence community: a system so big and unwieldy that its effectiveness is impossible to determine. Our intelligence community, according to the Post series, has become ungovernable in the way the media used to characterize New York City. Full Story »

WASHINGTON -- In the wake of last weekend's release of no fewer than 91,000 documents on the Afghan war -- is that really ALL they could find? -- the natural response was to compare it to the release of the Pentagon Papers. Full Story »

The world's largest tent Khan Shatyr has debuted in Kazakhstan's capital city, Astana. Full Story »

A Gulf-area wetland restoration company under heat for advocating taxpayer assistance for coastal cleanup efforts defended itself on Thursday against charges that it is merely doing the bidding of the oil companies that help fund its operations. Full Story »

London - Here in the West, we often hear the rallying cry “Free Tibet!,” especially from students and latte-sipping liberals, for whom Tibet has become a personality-defining issue. Full Story »

While engaging in astonishing viciousness, vulgarity and violence toward Republicans, liberals accuse cheerful, law-abiding Tea Party activists of being violent racists. Full Story »

For several days now, Senate Republicans have ridiculed their Democratic counterparts for prioritizing campaign finance legislation over a bill that would benefit small businesses, arguing that Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) was putting electoral advantages over jobs for everyday people. Full Story »

With Reporting By Julian Hattem Full Story »