Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez has tried for 10 months to conceal the fact that he is losing his bout with cancer, determined to appear in command of his revolutionary regime and the nation's future. So why isn't anyone outside Venezuela paying attention?

Neither the framers nor subsequent political leaders had built in to the constitutional framework any plans to reconstitute Congress in the event of a catastrophe like 9/11. I called for Congressional leaders to at least create a commission to study the problem and potential solutions.

The reception in Moscow to U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul during his first few months on the job has been unusual, if not downright hostile, a lot more Cold War than Russian Reset.

Doctors treating Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez for cancer told him weeks ago that he has only a 50 percent chance of living another 18 months. Members of Chávez's inner circle are scrambling now to ensure a succession of power to the leader's older brother, Adán.

Congress'sseemingly democraticright to establish the line of succession after the vice president is unconstitutional and potentially catastrophic.

The line of presidential succession has been neglected. Partisanship, terrorism, and other dangers require that we reform it.

Senator Robert Byrd was a champion of the Senate, working to protect its fundamental character and trying to preserve a functioning Senate that would make the framers proud.

Seven years is enough time to createa planto prevent the kind of chaos and injury that would come with a more successful attack on official Washington.