Ask Americans what they think the First Amendment protects, and they will tell you “freedom of speech.”  But few will think of the amendment’s third protection: “freedom of assembly.” In his provocative new book, “Liberty’s Refuge, The Forgotten Freedom of Assembly,” Washington University School of Law professor John Inazu implores Americans to keep in mind the importance of this protection.

In Egypt's revolution, Mubarak's downfall marks not the beginning of the end, but rather the end of the beginning. Decisions made now will reverberate for decades. Speaking on an Arabic satellite channel just days after Mubarak's ouster, Secretary of State Clinton called for "a democratic transition with free and fair elections" while also acknowledging "the end of the road is what matters."

Medicaid provides health care for the poorest and most severely disabled members of our society, and improving its quality should be a top priority.

Social Security and Medicare are not the only out-of-control federal entitlements.

America should be well-prepared to deal with the terrorists that attacked Mumbai this past week.

Tackling Medicare is essential to meaningful health care reform, but Congress seems willfully blind to urgency of fixing Medicare.

International terrorism is no longer a conversational priority either within or among the world's major industrialized nations.