As a fiscally moderate Democrat, I hope a real primary in the Republican Party is used to properly gather attention for the general election candidacy of a “New York Republican” — a strong leader who combines fiscally conservative policies without adopting social policies of the current GOP.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s rather literal interpretation the concept of a “red line” at the United Nations last month puzzled many, but it should draw as much worry as it draws laughter. It is no secret that Israel and the United States would prefer an Iran without nuclear weapons. Yet, the Obama administration’s disapproval of a unilateral Israeli strike and its lack of interest in initiating its own strike leave Israel in a rather awkward situation.

The fact is, however, that the European Union is one of the most exciting and ambitious challenges ever set in motion by politicians. Nobel Peace Prize or not, it deserves to prevail.

This election year has seen U.S. energy policy and the debate on global warming (does it exist, if it does who/what is responsible, and what we should do about it) get quite a bit of airtime, but from a distinctly 2012 tack.

The recent vice presidential debate between incumbent Joe Biden and challenger Paul Ryan was a fiery one to be sure, and now that a few days have passed and the outcome of the debate has been properly digested, several judgments can be made.

Some folks go into the police force genuinely wanting to protect and serve, but it’s not just that those good apples are overshadowed by the bad ones. The institution itself is rotten to its core.

Few understand human suffering better than Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor who lost most of his family in the camps, yet still fewer seem to understand the human condition as well as he.

A real plan for Syria is to consider the following: What is the cost of the fall of regime? Who would be left in power? Will there be a Syrian state?

Until the world accepts this – that separatist movements exist for a reason and solutions need to include them – peace in Mali is looking increasingly like a mirage.

Since only a fraction of PBS’s funding comes from the federal government, eliminating the subsidy would not end PBS, but the network would almost certainly change as it would be forced to corporatize and long-standing classic programs might be thrown to the wayside in favor of new material.

You may have heard Romney’s quips and the president’s meager defense that “things are getting better”. It turns out those numbers were wrong.