The Buffalo News : Opinion

WASHINGTON — The Kona beer, sake, lomi lomi salmon and the Kalua pig served up to members of Congress, their staffs and more than 1,500 others at President Obama’s Hawaiian luau at the White House put Democrats in a mellow mood.

WASHINGTON — Republicans are lying when they say that members of Congress who support the clean energy bill are backing an “energy tax.” There is no such tax. There will be costs, though, and absolutely nobody knows what they will be.

WASHINGTON — Rep. Eric Massa is getting a little heat down here. He’s revealing signs of actually reading the details of legislation, understanding it and most dangerously — to him — keeping his election campaign promises.

Who—or what—was to blame for the horrifying crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407 on Feb. 12?

Can giving books to needy children change their lives for the better?

Maybe this is what Mark Twain had in mind when he quipped, “Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.”

Now that Iran has officially confirmed its tainted election outcome, President Obama must reconsider how to deal with the regime.

WASHINGTON—Now that the Minnesota Supreme Court has ended the long count on the 2008 Senate race by awarding the seat to Al Franken, Democrats — at least on paper — have the power to pass whatever bills they want, without a single Republican vote.

You’d have to have a heart of stone to feel unsympathetic to Frank Ricci. Like his fellow New Haven firefighters, he studied rigorously for the city’s promotion exam to lieutenant or captain rank. As a dyslexic, he had to work extra hard with flash cards and a hired tutor. But the city threw out the test and promoted no one. The reason: Too many of the highest-scoring test takers turned out to be white like Ricci.

About 30 years ago, speculation on the next Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor centered for a while on the late Ray Schuler.

It was back in the gubernatorial campaign of 2002, and a horde of statewide reporters was gathered at the Prior Aviation terminal at Buffalo Niagara International Airport awaiting the arrival of Independence candidate Tom Golisano.

You have to love Albany. Even its own dysfunction proved dysfunctional last week after the State Senate coup that catapulted the Capitol into chaos.