If Mali is any example, "leading from behind" is the right policy choice for the United States to follow in most of today's international confrontations with what is now termed "terrorism.

As the economy begins to show signs of strength, people naturally want to know, how long will the damage from the financial crisis linger? A new paper from the Bank of England suggests it may be much longer than we would like.

In the first months of the Obama presidency in 2009, Chuck Hagel, who had just finished two terms as a U.S. senator, went to the White House to visit with the friend he had made during the four years they overlapped in the Senate.

In his Second Inaugural Address the President described the science proven threat to "our children and future generations" from global warming. He pledged that America would "lead on the path toward sustainable energy sources.

An article titled "Measure Up" in the December issue of the American School Board Journal examined U.S. students' performance data on international tests.

I've been in the Army for 20 years now. I've trained with numerous weapons systems and served in combat for my country. I do this out of a sense of duty, honor and pride.

WASHINGTON - My inner Pollyanna was basking in blissfulness, rolling in the hay of righteous rhetoric, backstroking through the sunny sibilance of aspiration. Drunk, apparently, on alliteration. It was a perfect day. Cold but not freezing.

WASHINGTON (AP) - It was altogether a more intimate affair than four years ago. Just a party of untold hundred thousands, chilling in the nation's backyard.

Ambition is a strong component of the American character. From rags to riches, log house to White House, community organizer to commander in chief, nowhere is this idea more pronounced than in the American presidency.

One definition of "imperial" on dictionary.com is, "of the nature or rank of an emperor or supreme ruler." At his news conference Monday, a petulant, threatening and confrontational President Obama spoke like an emperor or supreme ruler.