WASHINGTON — “Zero Dark Thirty,” a nominee for Sunday’s Oscar as Best Picture, reignited debate about whether the waterboarding of terrorism suspects was torture. This … more

President Barack Obama’s latest budget proposal makes a good predicate for a grand bargain — between the White House and the Congressional Progressive Caucus.Granted, the White House … more

Most Americans — even those who are legislators — know very little about the details of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, so-called Obamacare. Next year, when it goes into … more

President Obama has new priorities. That means new spending. In his State of the Union, he said, “The American people don’t expect government to solve every problem.” But then he … more

Do we have a president or a perpetual candidate? It’s not an entirely unfair question.Even as Barack Obama was warning of the dreadful consequences of the budget sequester looming on March 1, … more

WASHINGTON — Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” is a gooey confection of seasonal sentiment. It also is an economic manifesto that Dickens hoped would hit with “twenty … more

WASHINGTON — Let’s understand President Obama’s strategy in the “fiscal cliff” negotiations. It has nothing to do with economics or real fiscal reform. This is entirely about politics. … more

When progressives talk of government, it is in an alluring can-do spirit. Making the case for more spending, President Barack Obama invokes the 19th century as a heroic age that built … more

As global warming causes more serious and frequent shoreline flooding, indignation rises over federal programs helping owners of beach properties rebuild in places the ocean wants to take back. … more

WASHINGTON — Every mass shooting has three elements: the killer, the weapon and the cultural climate. As soon as the shooting stops, partisans immediately pick their preferred root cause with … more