Now, it is for us to ask, with all that we have achieved, have we yet reached the larger objective Lincoln envisioned for us, as a functional democracy in the 21st century

When I met General Petraeus I thought I was in the presence of a great leader. Perhaps I was. But that leadership has been entirely undone.

Ten words make the case for me: to quote Joe Biden, "Osama bin Laden is dead and General Motors is alive."

The justices are considering whether the state can require proof of citizenship when people register to vote.

I am tired of explaining why it is  still necessary in the 21st Century. I am tired of the  divisiveness of the discussion. I am tired of having to justify my  place at the table. Just tired. 

Pennsylvania just bought itself some time to fully litigate the effects of this law without the pressure of a national election hanging in the balance.

There are so many good cases and issues to consider this term, I can’t write about them in a single post.

The laws are in reality a Republican response to 2008's record turnout of African-American and Hispanic voters.

This week, when millions of football fans were talking about the bad reffing that cost the Green Bay Packers the game on Monday night, I couldn't share the moment with my father, who suffered repeated concussions as a player.

Can American ideals of free speech rooted in the First Amendment co-exist with the reverence for the Prophet Mohammad rooted in Islam?

Jeffrey Toobin's latest book The Oath is not just a title.  It is the beginning.  He starts his new book with the oath.  The president's oath, that is.

As every year, the 2012 Selma march follows the route John Lewis took with Dr. King and other pioneers of the civil rights movement. Instead of watching the horse race of election cycles, perhaps March 7 would be better spent reflecting on our collective conscience.

While I often shared his jumping off point – that the news media is broken – his fix for that dysfunction was to retaliate with propaganda of his own making – right-wing paranoid conspiracy theories.

The California initiative process is a cop-out. It relieves lawmakers of the responsibility of making the difficult decisions they were sent to Sacramento to make, and it leaves the public holding the bag containing the really tough questions.

As we head into what everyone seems to agree will be the defining contest for the GOP, I find myself wondering whether African Americans have a reason to vote Republican.

Listen to excerpts from Sunday's event hosted by Brian Lehrer and Jami Floyd, managing editor of The Global Game, as they discuss Dr. King's battle for equal education for all.

Panelists included:

With live performances by:         

We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the team of lawyers who fought in Brown and the cases that followed. One of those attorneys, Robert L. Carter, passed away just last week.

Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords led a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance on Sunday, one year after a shooting spree that claimed six lives and left her gravely wounded.

“Many people will hear the word Progressivism and immediately think of liberals or Democrats—but they’re not synonymous.” - Glenn Beck

I’ve always thought of President Obama as more of a Progressive than a Liberal.  I know, I know.  Labels again.  But sometimes they are helpful. On Tuesday, with his speech in Kansas, harking back 100 years to Theodore Roosevelt, Obama confirmed my suspicions.

Twenty years ago, last week, Clarence Thomas took his seat on the U.S. Supreme Court although, as I have suggested on this page before, he was not at that time, qualified to do so.  The hearings on the matter of his qualification had been derailed by allegations of ...