Up Front

Conserve coral reefs

Scientists say we must protect the environment or face irreversible losses

Jeff Wise

Today, many of our planet’s natural areas are seriously threatened by human incursion, overexploitation and global warming: Less than a fifth of the world’s original forest cover remains in unfragmented tracts, while just one-third of... Full story

The Hill

Political drama keeps parties from finding unity

Carl P. Leubsdorf

Recent years have seen the Democrats and Republicans evolve into predominantly liberal and conservative parties, respectively, rather than the broad coalitions of the past. But some current developments suggest neither has achieved total unity and... Full story

War of the words

Gen. McChrystal’s comments on Afghanistan are understandable

Trudy Rubin

I feel sorry for Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal. The top commander of U.S. troops in Afghanistan is in hot water. Last week, he rejected the idea of scaling down U.S. troop levels and fighting al-Qaida there with drones and missiles. Such a strategy... Full story

Crazy like a fox, or is Fox News just plain crazy?

Leonard Pitts Jr.

Perhaps you are familiar with an old saying: even a broken clock is right twice a day. I’ve found that maxim valuable as I wade through the recent hand-wringing and recrimination among journalists and their critics over the fact that most... Full story

Sotomayor would lend different experience to Supreme Court

Mark Sherman

WASHINGTON — Sonia Sotomayor might find it was easier to disarm Republican senators who have one eye on Hispanic voters than to sway Supreme Court justices who have lifetime appointments. She would be the new kid on the block in a group that... Full story

Jimmy Carter's 'Crisis of Confidence' speech still matters

Kevin Mattson

Thirty years ago, on July 15, 1979, President Jimmy Carter went on national television to give a jolting speech. Billed as an address about the “energy crisis” — the recent cutoff of Iranian fuel that generated long and angry... Full story

GM faces long road back to profitability

David Nickalus

Contrary to what you may have read, General Motors is not too big to fail. It was, in the government's estimation, too big to fail quickly, which is why both the Bush and Obama administrations stepped in with bailouts that total more than $60... Full story

Just who is the 'illegal scum?'

Some Americans have a nasty attitude toward immigrants.

Mary Newsom

A few years back, I was in a medical facility with a needle stuck in my arm, and the woman wielding it was talking politics — Iraq and the war. "They ought to just put a fence around that country," she said, "and drop a nuclear bomb on... Full story

Senators must contest Sotomayor's view that empathy and ethnicity can trump the law

Robert Alt

In choosing a Supreme Court justice, President Barack Obama — like any president — should look for someone who will apply the Constitution and the laws as written, and interpret them consistent with their plain and original... Full story

Sotomayor is the right choice for the Supreme Court

Amy F. Isaacs

The nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court is groundbreaking for a number of reasons, and is a reaffirmation of the faith American voters displayed electing President Barack Obama. Sotomayor is widely respected by her colleagues,... Full story

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