WASHINGTON - Mariska Hargitay, better known as "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" Detective Olivia Benson, is the human intersection of life and art.

Both Republicans and Democrats say concern about the middle class is at the heart of the ongoing, vituperative debate over taxes, entitlements and fiscal discipline, but the political spat never seems to honestly address the gaping and growing class divide in the United States. As politicians in Was...

So it was a good meeting. House Republicans welcomed the chance for a frank exchange of ideas with President Barack Obama on Wednesday.

It's week two of the president's charm offensive, and already there is dissension in the ranks.

Fifty years ago this year in a speech to Congress, President John F. Kennedy proposed ".a national mental health program to assist in the inauguration of a wholly new emphasis and approach to care for the mentally ill.

President Barack Obama had a dinner date Wednesday night (March 6) with a dozen of his worst enemies, thus proving that the governmental stalemate in Washington, D.C., is driving him to unusual acts of political creativity - or desperation.

Shortly after the Republican gains in 2010, a tea party-backed senator was telling me his legislative goals, starting with a constitutional amendment to require a balanced budget that would limit spending to 18 percent of gross domestic product.

The Dow hits 5,000 for the first time. Tom Hanks wins the Oscar for "Forrest Gump." Pete Sampras wins his third straight Wimbledon title. And Newt Gingrich and Bill Clinton clash over when to balance the budget.

To the let's-cut-entitlements crowd, what's wrong with America is that seniors are living too high off the hog.

It's a safe bet that most conservative Republicans would rush to support a political leader with the following record, especially in a traditionally Democratic state: • Reversed a $2.