The Philadelphia Inquirer

OK, which candidate is prepared to break U.S.-Cuba relations out of the anachronistic Cold War cocoon and initiate a new course?

Barack Obama has sketched out the initial steps of a changed direction already, and Hillary Clinton in response said she saw no reason to change from the Bush administration's course until a triggering event appeared.

When Fidel Castro hinted in December he would step down, I asked the Clinton campaign whether it would change course, and was told if something significant… more

Like a mismatched couple who live together miserably before breaking up violently, Fatah and Hamas were doomed partners from the start.But what triggered the final, violent rupture between the Palestinian factions?Last week's virtual civil war, in which about 100 Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip, was a crisis foretold.Since the founding of Hamas in 1987, there has been a deep fault line between its Islamic fundamentalist creed and the more secular side of… more

As President Bush and Congress prepare to debate an increase in the federal minimum wage, they could learn much from the economic wisdom of one of America’s most successful business leaders -- Henry Ford.

Ford was, among other things, a famously domineering employer, but he was also an economic pioneer. He not only perfected the techniques of mass production of automobiles, but he also foresaw that his efforts would not amount to great profits if average Americans could not afford to… more

A new Education Department report could have dramatic implications for the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Authority (PHEAA).

The report, from the department’s inspector general’s office, calls on the National Education Loan Network, known as Nelnet, to give up $278 million in improperly claimed taxpayer subsidies. An additional $882 million could still be counted as overpayment, according to the report. Nelnet disagrees with the findings, and it’s now up to the Department of Education secretary to accept or reject the report.

About two-thirds… more

The long lines at the voting booths on Nov. 2 were dwarfed by the hoards of gamers who lined up a week later in cities around the country, anxiously awaiting an inaugural copy of the most hotly anticipated video game in American entertainment history. With more than $80 million in expected profits, this shoot-em-up sensation may not change the world, but it could help put the compassion back into conservatism by providing a much-needed financial boost for key domestic programs.

From… more

Optimists have lauded New Jersey's proposed $325 million overhaul of the Division of Youth and Family Services as a "new beginning" in the arduous road to reform. Skeptics dismiss it as political hubris -- an initiative conspicuously absent in real-world detail.

Given the proposal's implications for thousands of at-risk children and families, however, Gov. McGreevey described it best. Failure to implement the plan, he said, is "not an option."

When it comes to introducing and following through with a similarly bold plan… more