Recent Responsibility Commentaries

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Memo to the “Super Committee”:
These are the 12 members of the Congressional “super committee” charged with finding $1.5 trillion in debt savings over the next ten years. They are: Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Texas (Republican and committee co-chair), Sen. Patty Murray of Washington (Democrat and committee co-chair), Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland (D), Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona (R), Sen. John Kerry of...
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November 9, 2011
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Debt-Ceiling Talks: Impossible
Negotiations stalled? Partisan gridlock? Angry citizens? It’s time to call in the heavy artillery. Chef Robert Irvine, fresh from the battlefront of Food Network’s Restaurant:Impossible, knows deadlines like the back of his hand. In fact, he’s very accomplished in using the back of his hand in dealing with entrenched chefs, staff and owners. “Sometimes you gotta just take the bull by...
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July 18, 2011
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Optional Ethics
Last February marked the fifth year of silence from Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas during oral arguments held before the court. While Thomas certainly has a right not to enter the Q & A with lawyers, it does raise a simple question, “Why?”  This is a question that many have raised in the last several years. The simple fact is...
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July 15, 2011
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The 13th Juror
Before the verdict in the Casey Anthony murder trial was announced, HLN’s Nancy Grace, lawyer and host of her own show, has been banging the drums loudly for almost three years regarding the absolute, undeniable guilt of this woman. Before I go any further, let me say that this commentary is not about the guilt or innocence of Ms. Anthony. It’s...
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July 8, 2011
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Our Sacred Honor
Adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, Mr. Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence clearly lays out the principles – both ethically and spiritual – that we stand for. The opening sentence sets in motion an unequivocal understanding that God gives both independence and equality and that due to the “opinions of mankind” they declare themselves an independent country. When in the...
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July 4, 2011
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A Guy Named Joe
Hands down, my favorite movie of all time is the one where Spencer Tracy plays a hotshot World War II pilot who flies on instinct and hot coffee. He also has a knack for showboating on every bombing mission he’s sent out on until the day comes when he doesn’t come back. The defining moment in A Guy Named Joe occurs when...
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June 17, 2011
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Doing Right
“We know we can find stories of people who do it wrong, but where can we find stories of people who do it right?” Those words began the second chapter of my book, What Do You Stand For? whose stated purpose was to offer a collection of positive examples of integrity and moral courage. The goal I set for myself at the beginning...
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June 10, 2011
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The Lowest of Low
To borrow an expression from Glenn Beck, Ed Schultz has “a big, fat mouth.” The left-wing talker suspended himself from his own MSNBC show after calling conservative talk show host Laura Ingraham a “right-wing slut” on his radio program. On the Wednesday night edition of his MSNBC show, Schultz began with an apology to Ingraham, MSNBC, his own family and...
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May 27, 2011
Featured image for “What’s the deal with men and sex… lately?”
What’s the deal with men and sex… lately?
May is shaping up to be an incredible month for sex scandals, and we’re only half way through the month! No sooner did we learn that Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, had been pulled off a plane minutes before departing for France due to an alleged sexual attack against a hotel maid, than reports began to surface that...
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May 19, 2011
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The Social Disease
Director David Fincher’s film, The Social Network, is as deeply disturbing as it is deeply engrossing. It’s a testament to Fincher and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin that I could not take my eyes off the screen sitting on a crowded flight from Boston to L.A. The film follows Mark Zuckerberg – a computer geek trapped in the delusion that what he creates...
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May 17, 2011

Read Some of the Most Recent Articles
The Latest... And Often Greatest
He Just Does His Job
I’ve been listening to and watching Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia for more than a year now: his speeches, his questions in Senate hearings,...
Why Donald Trump Has Pulled Me Back In—Again
Last August, I wrote that I was “stepping back from the chaos” of Donald Trump. I meant to write about his presidency only when his...
Scott Pelley Responds
During a contentious staff meeting at 60 Minutes, Scott Pelley spoke out sharply, criticizing the judgment and decision-making of CBS News editor in chief Bari...
The Clock is Still Ticking. But Now It’s Ticking for CBS
I began watching 60 Minutes when it premiered on September 24, 1968, when Harry Reasoner and Mike Wallace introduced a new kind of television journalism:...
God Has Chosen Donald Trump
At a Trump-backed Christian prayer rally on the National Mall in Washington on May 17, officially called Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise...
The White House as Profit Center
There was a time—not very long ago—when public service required sacrifice. In 2006, when President George W. Bush nominated Hank Paulson, then C.E.O. of Goldman...