Decorated Vietnam War veteran and two-term United States Senator Chuck Hagel spent 8 hours on the witness chair, trying to convince 26 members of the Senate Armed Services Committee that his love for Israel was sufficient to warrant confirmation as Secretary of Defense. Everything else was of secondary importance for the Committee. I watched the

SIMON KUPER writes regularly for the Financial Times on culture, politics, and sport. He's lived in Paris for 10 years. I've read him off and on and find him unremarkable.  His column in the FT on May 5 has his picture in the upper right corner, and opens with "Anyone who spends time in Paris comes

To Martin O'Malley and Robert McDonnell, governors of Maryland and Virginia, respectively, who appeared on Meet the Press in a joint appearance. O'Malley is Chairman of the Democratic Governor's Association, and McDonnell, the Republican Governor's Association. The two had a good-natured, respectful, sometimes amusing discussion without either one getting all Santorum about anything. (One gets "Santorum" about