In an afternoon press conference, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced that former Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo has been charged with fraud. The Washington Post reports that “from 2005 to 2007, the SEC alleged, Countrywide dramatically loosened its standards even though these executives were warned that the company would have trouble selling loans into the market. Countrywide was required to...

“I’ll take ‘Political Conundrums’ for $600, Alex? “Minnesota’s second Senator takes his seat in the Senate.” …?…?…?… After months of recounts and appeals the contest between Republican incumbent Norm Coleman and Democratic challenger Al Franken could be resolved within weeks… maybe. “Mr. Coleman,” the New York Times reports, “is challenging the rulings of a state recount board and a lower...

On Monday, February 10, 2009, Alex Rodriquez’s life changed forever. The highest-paid player in baseball, called the greatest player in the modern game, also called Mr. Clean by some, because he was never directly tied to drug use, finally came clean (after reporter Selena Roberts broke the news in Sports Illustrated) when he admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs and lying about...

A recent conversation about the bonuses paid to some employees at AIG like Jack DeSantis, led to this question:  ‘Don’t you believe in honoring contracts?” In fact, I do believe in honoring commitments and obligations.  However, when a multi-billion dollar company like AIG runs into multi-billion dollar debt, asks for and then receives $182.5 billion in financial support from the federal...

In a press interview regarding the Iraq war, Vice-President Dick Cheney was once asked “Over 70 percent of Americans disagree with this war, what is your response?” “So.” It was a chilling moment of arrogance not easily forgotten by most Americans.  It was the same when events were disclosed surrounding the “legal” wrangling that took place at the Justice Department...

According to today’s Wall Street Journal, in 2008, “Shellee Hale of Bellevue, Wash., posted in several online forums about a hacker attack on a company that makes software used to track sales for adult-entertainment Web sites. She claimed that personal information of the sites’ customers was compromised. “About three months later,” the Journal wrote, “the software company — which contends that no consumer...

Nancy is the precocious and wily young lady who is constantly in the state of a daydream or confused plot. “I am saying that the C.I.A. was misleading the Congress and at the same time the administration was misleading the Congress on weapons of mass destruction.” Sluggo Panetta is Nancy’s best friend, although sometimes seems at odds with some of her decisions....

I’m including the entire text of President Obama’s speech from his Sunday (May 17) commencement address at the University of Notre Dame because I think it speaks volumes about his character. An acknowledged Christian, Mr. Obama supports both pro-choice and embryonic stem cell research.  He has also come out in opposition to gay marriage.  All three are among the most...

Last week I shared the results of a new poll that Capps Center Director Wade Clark Roof and I commissioned Zogby International:  “Integrity, Leadership, Trust.”  We asked more than 3,300 Americans to grade both President Obama and Congress based on the qualities and issues they considered most important on November 5-6, 2008. Last week’s commentary revealed the “quality” grades:  Mr. Obama scored 58% positive...

I am deeply disappointed in former Vice President Dick Cheney. During his tenure as vice president, Mr. Cheney would rarely sit for interviews to discuss the Bush administration’s policy choices during his eight years in office.  Lately, the reticent Mr. Cheney has taken to sitting down with anyone and everyone in an effort to get “the other side of the...