President Obama and Secretary Duncan have made stronger teacher evaluation a key part of their education reform efforts. Under their signature plan, called 'Race to the Top,' states can win federal support for schools by improving teacher evaluations.

Apparently, the heart of opposition to new gun regulations is in the white community. Yet white people face far less daily violence with guns.

The Democrats thought that Hillary Clinton is too aggressive and too much into regime change.

Democrats cannot win elections without capturing the votes of independent-minded swing voters. And that is where writing off the Tea Party as a bunch of racist kooks becomes self-destructive. The Tea Party outrage over health-care reform, deficit spending and entitlements run amok is no fringe concern.

Frederick Douglass had to teach himself how to read before standing up to defeat slavery.

It's almost a shock to me to go into places, and there's smoking these days. Boy, my life has changed, because everybody used to smoke.

In 2007 the 'dagger' of an idea that killed President Bush's effort at reforming the immigration system was lax border security.