Barack Obama is not the only one being inaugurated on January 20th. We all are.

And that's not just because Obama has promised to make a call to service "a central cause" of his presidency. It's because this moment in history demands that we stop waiting on others -- especially...

This was a true straddle week, ushering out 2008 and ushering in 2009. And some of the top political stories reflected this split. Blago calling a press conference felt very '08; the Burris/Senate Dems showdown is totally '09. Franken v. Coleman is '08; Franken v. the Senate Republicans threatening to...

Earlier this week, I offered my list of all the things that happened over the last twelve months that I'd love to forget, and asked you to remember any that I might have forgotten.

You responded with a fantastic collection of unforgettable Things to Forget. Here are our...

2008 was a very memorable year, featuring one of the most unforgettable presidential campaigns in history.

But with the New Year quickly approaching, and the Bush Years coming to an end, I'd like to take a moment to focus on the things that happened over the last twelve months...

This week, John Snow, Bush's former Secretary of the Treasury, claimed that one of the causes of the mortgage meltdown was that, in its zeal to increase homeownership, the Bush administration "forgot" that people had to be "able to afford their houses." Perfectly understandable. And it explains so much:...

Earlier this week, I asked for your suggestions on what gifts we should give to some of our favorite -- and not so favorite -- public figures. You responded with a flying sleigh's worth of great gift ideas. Even Santa's elves couldn't have been more industrious.

Now it's time...

The collapse of Communism as a political system sounded the death knell for Marxism as an ideology. But while laissez-faire capitalism has been a monumental failure in practice, and soundly defeated at the polls, the ideology is still alive and kicking.

The only place you can find an American...

There are only three shopping days left until Christmas, and I am scrambling to finish up my holiday gift list. Bernie Madoff has really got me stumped. What do you give the man who has stolen everything? Muntader al-Zaidi can obviously use a new pair of shoes (Size 10). Bristol...

Two scowling faces fill my head this morning, the result of taking in Dick Cheney's sudden flurry of media appearances, and Clint Eastwood's new film Gran Torino.

At first glance, the real-life vice president and Walt Kowalski, the fictional retired autoworker portrayed by Eastwood, seem to have a lot in...

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An ambitious and risky undertaking carried out with hubris, and featuring the weeding out of anyone who raises alarm bells, little-to-no transparency, an oversight system in which no central authority is accountable, and the deliberate manufacturing of ambiguity and complexity so that if -- when...

It's been amusing watching the media try to turn a scandal affecting the governor of Illinois into a scandal affecting the president-elect. Every detail was milked for maximum ominousness: a recent handshake between Obama and Blagojevich, a list of favored replacement candidates delivered by Rahm Emanuel, Rahm's "beet-red" face, David...

The behavior outlined in the Blagojevich indictment is so outrageous, and so hard to grasp on any logical level, it has left highly articulate people grasping for words to describe it -- and him.

"I have a hard time pronouncing his name," David Gergen told Anderson Cooper. "I just...

Among its myriad failings, the Bush administration has repeatedly gotten it wrong when it comes to getting it right. Over the last eight years, there has consistently been no penalty for those who have gotten things - even the most important things - wrong, and no reward for those who...

Must have been quite the holiday party at the vice president's house this week: old chums Dick Cheney and Karl Rove tossing back a few eggnogs and talking about the possibility of a preemptive presidential pardon. Or evaluating the first steps of the Bush Legacy Project. No doubt there...

This morning on the CBS Early Show I was asked about Ed Rendell's off-mic assessment that Janet Napolitano is a "perfect" choice for Homeland Security Secretary because she has "no life," "no family" and "can devote, literally, 19-20 hours a day" to the job. Did I think his...

The headline in the LA Times said it all: "Charities Can't Keep Up with Deepening Poverty."

America is facing a vicious charity Catch-22: the harsher the downturn, the more people in need of help but the fewer stepping up with donations. "As resources vanish," wrote the Times, "the threads...

A dark cloud hung over this Thanksgiving week. The protracted horrors of Mumbai dominated the headlines. Getting less attention was the growing pain here at home, as food banks and charitable organizations across the country reported having to turn away thousands in need of a meal. A ray of hope...

Happy Sandwich Day -- aka the Day After Thanksgiving. As you prepare your leftover turkey sandwiches, our HuffPost bloggers have fresh food for thought: their takes on what we have to be grateful for, and where we can do better. In the meantime, we can't let the moment pass...

Happy Thanksgiving. Even in these economically hard times, there is much to be grateful for as we mark the end of America's Dark Ages and begin a new era. I'm particularly thankful for all the non-political teachable moments we are getting from the Obamas: It's not worth holding a grudge...

It's too early to tell what changes Hillary Clinton will bring to Barack Obama's foreign policy, but she's already had an enormous effect on his brand. Her addition to his team has turned "No Drama Obama" into "Mo' Drama Obama."

Hillary's appointment isn't even official, but the Obama/Clinton narrative...