Today marks the 56^th anniversary of President Dwight Eisenhower’s Farewell speech.  It was delivered on television three days before he left office fourteen presidential terms ago.  The speech is best known for his admonition to guard against the accumulation of too much power and influence by the growing “military-industrial complex.” Coming from Eisenhower, a leader of unsurpassed military prominence in his era, this was a powerful and credible warning to the nation.... Read More

At Wednesday’s confirmation hearing for Exxon-Mobil chief Rex Tillerson to be Secretary of State, Sen. Tim Kaine (D, Va.) introduced into the record a 2008 report prepared by Sen. Lugar’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee staff: “The Petroleum and Poverty Paradox: Assessing U.S. and International Community Efforts to Fight the Resource Curse.”  The 125-page report was the launch pad for the drafting and eventual passage of the Cardin-Lugar amendment aimed at fighting corruption in mineral-rich developing countries.... Read More

Bipartisanship in politics may sound like a good thing, but does it really make a difference in today’s polarized Congress?... Read More