Newt Gingrich has a restless and outsized intelligence that is tragically unleavened by any kind of critical sensibility.

You want a culture where citizens are free to express themselves and so live in the openness necessary to the functioning of a successful economy? Israel has a free press, much of it openly hostile to the parties in power.

Memories of the last nine years have turned Ground Zero from a site of horror, to a reminder of grief, to an occasion for ludicrous artistic posturing - and now to something very close to parody.

I think making a pretense of civility toward Eric Alterman is like making a pretense of civility to a scorpion.

Comedians and impressionists used to be two different showbiz animals entirely, but now there's no such thing as a comedian who doesn't do impressions.

You want a political culture that works to create conditions under which an economy can thrive? Since signing the Oslo Accords with the Palestinians, Israel has spent two decades working to unshackle its economy from its socialist roots, with remarkable results.

The great mystery is why robots come off so well in science-fiction films when the human characters are often so astoundingly wooden.