Obama’s Health Care Plan UndecidedYou may have watched it. ABC News and President Barack Obama teamed up Wednesday night for a political infomercial — an Obama charm offensive — aimed at selling his health-care plan to the country.

Beebe And His Tax-And-Spend RepublicansIt's the kind of recognition Republican lawmakers would rather avoid. On Wednesday, Gov. Mike Beebe touted the tax increase he signed into law back during the legislative session in a speech in Northwest Arkansas. During his remarks, the Democrat asked a couple of Republican state lawmakers who were in the audience to stand.

Two Arkansas Politicians Up For Re-electionLet’s take a minute and ponder the political fortunes of two prominent Arkansas politicians — Gov. Mike Beebe and U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln. Both are up for re-election next year.

Independents Surge in PollArkansas has always been a Democratic state, but it appears that may be changing. Republicans don’t get your hopes up just, yet.

Sotomayor: Conceiving The Inconceivable?Why are some abortion-rights stalwarts expressing uncertainty over Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court? Is their consternation real or manufactured or is it part of a broader political strategy aimed confusing some aspects of her record?

My Maxim For Political CandidatesIt starts about this time every year; individuals who are thinking seriously about running for office next year start calling.

Timing Is Everything For Tim GriffinIf politics is all about timing, which is affected by proximity and intent, then it appears Republican Tim Griffin’s much-talked about, but never-quite-materialized, U.S. Senate candidacy will have to wait.

Mike Ross and His Higher-Than-Usual ProfileAdd Congressman Mike Ross’ name to the list of Arkansas politicians in Washington who have a higher-than-usual profile.

Dealing with Father's Heart SurgeryMy mother phoned Tuesday night just as American Idol's closing credits rolled over the widescreen.

Global Warming Commission’s Defeat, A Major VictoryAs is always the case, the task of picking winners and losers from the recently completed legislative session falls to those of us who observe and write about the goings-on at the state Capitol.

I Tweet, Therefore I AmSurely by now you've heard of the latest Internet craze to sweep the globe. It's called Twitter. It's a free service allowing individuals to communicate small bits of information in 140-character increments.

Obama Rhetoric Sounds FrenchIt's been a good while since I've looked at the status of our Republic's major political actors, so let's check on the big three.

Emergency Produces OpportunityOur state officials' want for crafting new state-sponsored programs or other grand initiatives supposedly for the public good -- all made possible by finding new or enhancing existing revenue streams -- has driven tax rates through the roof. Arkansas' tax structure has grown into one of the region's most punitive in terms of capital formation.