Don’t Rule Out Prosecutions
In the wake of President Obama’s praiseworthy decision to make public the Bush administration’s Office of Legal Counsel torture memos, some commentators have taken the view that the Obama administration should rule out the possibility of torture prosecutions. Not so fast. The president established a Special Task Force that is reviewing interrogation and rendition policies. […]
‘Peace will be made the day after an agreement is signed’
A FEW WEEKS ago, I had the opportunity to visit Israel for the first time as part of a Congressional delegation led by Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.). As we walked through the Old City, stood in the silence at Yad Vashem, wended our way through the tunnels along the Western Wall, saw the Garden Tomb […]
Whitehouse & Gingrich: Next president must put health in health care
In the race for president, Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama have put the issue of health care back in the spotlight. This may seem off message, given the turmoil in the financial markets, but they are right to return to it. Lest we forget, health care is one-sixth of our economy – more than […]
Honoring ‘end of life’ wishes
Discussing end-of-life care makes many people uncomfortable – understandably so – but anyone who has been there through the death of a loved one knows how important it can be. That’s why I chaired a hearing in the Senate’s Special Committee on Aging on Sept. 24 to look into how we can best honor Americans’ […]
Leveling the Playing Field for Rhode Island Families
All their lives, Billy and Aida Ojopi have worked hard to provide for their family. He is a pastor. Three of their children are in college. By most standards, they are an American success story. But when I met them at the Urban League of Rhode Island earlier this week, they were struggling. Without warning, […]
A true change of course
LAST NOVEMBER, the American people voted for a new direction in Washington. I met thousands of Rhode Islanders who told me we needed change, and in his sixth State of the Union address, President Bush had a real opportunity to show that he was listening. From what we all heard last Tuesday, however, I’m concerned […]
How Justice Erred on Waterboarding
FOR THE FIRST TIME, the Department of Justice has announced it is investigating one of the most astounding failures of legal scholarship in its history: how waterboarding, historically recognized as among the worst forms of torture, came to be deemed legal and authorized for use in Central Intelligence Agency interrogations by DOJ’s Office of Legal […]
Caring for children isn’t too expensive
EVERY DAY IN RHODE ISLAND, thousands of families wake up worried about health care. Will a child fall ill? Will costs rise — again? For the people I’ve met over the last year, at my community dinners and events all over the state, health care is one of their most pressing concerns — and one […]
Building a National Health IT Infrastructure
Our health care system is in serious trouble. I have heard from countless Rhode Islanders who have struggled to pay for their health care and who live in fear of losing insurance coverage on which they and their families depend. I have met nurses frustrated and heartbroken that they must spend so much time filling […]
We need to take a new direction in Iraq
TRAVELING IN THE OCEAN STATE over the past two years, I met thousands of Rhode Islanders who told me it was time for a change in Washington. Tired of a president who failed to listen and failed to learn, last November they and millions of Americans voted for a new direction. As a new member […]
