| Oct 10, 2011 | Peace / SecurityThe battle over the debt ceiling laid bare the need to cut the deficit while foreshadowing a fierce fight in Congress to make actual budget cuts. Both the “supercommittee,” a group of 12 Republicans and Democrats, and other congressional panels are working...
| Sep 26, 2011 | Economy / BusinessI live nine blocks from the U.S. Capitol, so many of my neighbors depend on the government for their livelihoods. A few — a scientist, an editor, a Secret Service agent — belong to that often mocked and rapidly shrinking category known as “civil...
| Sep 12, 2011 | Peace / SecurityNo U.S. troops were killed in Iraq last month. So why aren’t we celebrating? Because the war isn’t over yet and it costs way too much — in Iraqi lives and our money. With so much attention and so many billions of our tax dollars shifting from Iraq to the...
| Aug 15, 2011 | Economy / BusinessAs the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility. In Washington, great power should also require great transparency. The hurriedly passed Budget Control Act raised the nation’s debt ceiling and made some efforts to reduce the deficit. The law also...