In the next few days, the Iowa General Assembly will have the opportunity of a generation: It can improve the quality of life for tens of thousands of Iowans by passing the Iowa Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative.

It was like group therapy for political outcasts when Pennsylvania Republicans gathered for the first time since last year's elections, hoping to heal wounds and regain power by repeating a mantra of fiscal discipline, lower taxes and smaller government.

Ingrid Jansson peers through a vapor of liquid nitrogen at frozen embryos conceived for her in a petri dish four years ago. It's the first time she's eyed the surplus from the in vitro fertilization procedure that brought her son Dylan, now 3, into the world.

According to a recent survey, more than two-thirds of Americans want the new Democratic-led Congress to expand embryonic stem cell research. That's certainly what we call a public mandate.

Setting up a legislative debate over whether stem cell research can be realized without the destruction of human embryos, a state lawmaker said Monday she will file a bill to call for increased spending on other, less controversial types of stem cell research.

It was just a couple of dozen words out of more than 5,000, uttered so fast that many in the audience missed them at first.

Former Environmental Protection Agency chief Christine Todd Whitman said President Bush missed the "perfect opening" to call for a cap on greenhouse gas emissions in his State of the Union address Tuesday night.

The honor of uttering the historic words "Madam Speaker" before President Bush's entry into the House chamber fell to South Boston native Barry K. Sullivan , a longtime employee in the House Democratic cloakroom.

A University of California Berkeley economics professor has done an analysis of the financial returns likely to come to California from stem cell research--and he said they will likely be a small fraction of what proponents of state-funded stem-cell research have estimated.

The beaten-down GOP wants to return to its roots.

Even before November's midterm elections and the Republican party's loss of its congressional majorities, there was widespread talk of the exhaustion, even death, of conservatism in America.

Many Republicans are embracing more moderate course than their leaders.

Is he an extreme environmentalist, proposing California be the first state to limit carbon dioxide emissions from cars? Or a foe of wildlife, with his desire for above-ground water storage, announced hours after his move to limit emissions?

On a day when House Democrats celebrated their first taste of power in a dozen years, Republicans eschewed news conferences and raucous receptions yesterday and instead quietly conferred among themselves and observed the traditional Opening Day rites with their families and friends.

For many years, those who consider themselves to be libertarians have been fairly reliable members of the Republican coalition. Although no libertarian would consider himself or herself to be entirely in agreement with either major party, they have historically sided with the GOP.

Itýs been 42 years since Christine Todd Whitman had her first job ýworking on Nelson Rockefellerýs campaign for the Presidency in 1964,ý and now, sheýs hoping that the next President will be a moderate Republican in Rockefellerýs mold, she told The Crimson in an interview yesterday.

Iowa Rep. Jim Leach (R) seemed a natural to weather voters' antiwar sentiment this fall. His independent streak and moderate views had engendered the allegiance of his Democratic-leaning district for the past 30 years, and he broke with his party and President Bush in October 2002 by voting against the Iraq war.

Stung by their Election Day trouncing, Republicans from Harrisburg to Lower Merion to Washington have embarked on an intense round of soul-searching.

They call themselves Main Street Republicans, moderates consigned to the back alleys of politics by their own party.

RNC Chief Tells Governors Erosion of Conservative Principles Was Key Factor in Losses

Outgoing Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman urged his party to broaden its political scope in a speech to the Republican Governor's Association in Miami Thursday.

When it comes to leadership, two politicians agree that the best way to come together is compromise.

Former New Jersey governor and Environmental Protection Agency administrator spoke to a full audience at a roundtable dinner at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art Tuesday night.

In this year's defeats lie seeds of future victories - if planted at the core of the political landscape.

It was a species as endemic to New England as craggy seascapes and creamy clam chowder: the moderate Yankee Republican.

Democrats made large gains in suburbia in this month's elections, pushing Republican turf to the outer edges of major population centers in a trend that could signal trouble for the GOP, an analysis shows.

Allow me to use my grandmother-of-two voice. This is a bit more low key and benign than Nancy Pelosi's famous "mother-of-five voice." Toddlers and tryptophan tend to mellow me out.

The conservative era is over. What will replace it?

The voters obviously wanted to get our attention last week. While I would have preferred a gentler reproach than the one they delivered, I'm not discouraged nor should any of us be.

Republican Tommy Thompson, a former Health and Human Services secretary under President Bush, said Wednesday he would form a committee early next year to explore a possible 2008 White House bid.

On their journey through the stages of grief, conservatives don't yet seem to have gotten past denial.

Does Election 2006 show that fears about partisan gerrymandering were overblown?

The man once dubbed "America's mayor" has taken the first step toward becoming America's next president.

Pennsylvania Republicans, especially in the Philadelphia suburbs, can learn from our recent thumping that we have to capture the "vital center" if we are to win statewide.

Four days after calling his party affiliation a "closed issue," U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman said Sunday he was "not ruling it out" that he could turn Republican.

After Nov. 7, it will make enormous political sense for all sides to come together.

The classic New England Republican ý fiscally conservative, socially liberal ý is nearly extinct following a long and quiet decline that began more then a decade ago when the GOP nationally began its move to the right.

John McCain wants to look like the inevitable nominee: so far, so good.

If the state Republican Party were a baseball team, its general manager might think of digging into the farm system to pull in some fresh faces to run for office in two years.

Last Tuesday, I was one of the many moderate Republican casualties of the anti-Bush virulence that swept the country.

The day of reckoning is at hand in the aftermath of the Michigan election, but also in the wake of the Legislature's pre-election move to punch a $2 billion hole in the state's general fund by speeding up the elimination of the Single Business Tax without identifying how that revenue would be replaced or evened out by sharp spending cuts.

The outcome of one of the nationýs tightest congressional races will wait until after one of its hottest college football games is played, Franklin County elections officials said yesterday.

Women politicians in New Jersey on Thursday were reveling in the knowledge that California Democrat Nancy Pelosi is set to become the first female speaker of the House, and said they were optimistic that her rise to power would propel more women to seek office.

The congressional power shift in the 2006 elections only became possible because of another, less-noticed change: the Democratic Party's shift toward the center.

Our legislative delegation would like to address the misunderstandings made by letter writers regarding our initiative to reduce the size of the state work force through attrition ý not layoffs ý as a means of cutting state spending and providing tax relief to overburdened taxpayers.

Top Republicans tried Wednesday to figure out how they apparently managed to lose control of Congress after a dozen years of dominating the national political landscape.

If not for the fact that the Founding Fathers, having just prevailed in a revolution against oppression from abroad, sought to ensure their independence by barring those born on foreign soil from ever leading their new nation, a former tank driver in the Austrian army would today be among the most likely Americans to become president of the United States in 2008.

The 2006 election results were a rebuke not just to President Bush and Congressional Republicans but to radio talk-show hosts and other right-wing polarizers.

Led by Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who is poised to become the nation's first "Madam Speaker," record numbers of women will serve in the next Congress.

For six tumultuous years President Bush has provoked intense opposition while mobilizing passionate support for an ambitious conservative agenda.

New Jersey voters apparently were more concerned about Iraq than they were about corruption on Tuesday, when they sent Democrat incumbent Sen. Robert Menendez back to Washington.

Well, we survived. The election season with all the hype, half truths, innuendos and allegations has now passed.

Republicans' loss of power in Congress set off a leadership shuffle Wednesday as the new minority party faced remaking itself after its election losses and Democrats scrambled to divide the spoils of victory.

Those conservatives who are waking up dispirited about the Democratic Party's takeover of the House and its gains in the Senate would be wise to think back to a Wednesday two years ago.

On Election Day 2006, American voters did almost exactly what history would predict: giving a president in the sixth year of his administration a serious smackdown, as an electorate wary of politicians and parties hedged its bets and chose a divided government.

Sen. Arlen Specter, the moderate conscience of Pennsylvania Republicans, on Wednesday urged the party to re-evaluate its priorities in the wake of nationwide election losses and called for a more progressive agenda that changes the strategy in Iraq and puts more emphasis on education and health care at home.

Though Democrats have prevailed lately, either major party would discount the battleground at its own peril.

To spread awareness of domestic violence and raise money for anti-domestic violence programs, the Resource Center for Women and Their Families in Somerville will be holding its sixth annual fundraising gala Nov. 10 at the Bridgewater Marriott.

So here's what is going on with the electorate right now: Committed Democrats and committed ideological leftists are excited, committed Republicans are resolute -- and disaffected Republicans and frustrated, sometimes-right-leaning swing voters are starting to reconsider their inclination to punish congressional Republicans for poor performance.

For months, we've been hearing about the sour mood of U.S, conservatives, with left-leaning activists and liberal commentators savoring (and promoting) the possibility that many of their opponents on the right will express their frustration by abandoning the GOP on November 7th.

President Bush's six-year effort to create an enduring Republican majority based on a right-leaning coalition is on the verge of collapse.

U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter spoke at Drexel University yesterday to more than 400 students regarding foreign and domestic policy.

Journalists these days tell us that we're a country split down the middle, liberal vs. conservative, red America vs. blue America. Liberals and conservatives read different books, watch different networks, and go to different churches.

As we head toward Election Day 2006, political analysts are focusing on a few dozen tossup races that will determine whether the Democrats take the House and Senate.

The Democrats trotted out a former presidential candidate and the Republicans a potential presidential candidate in bids to drum up support for local and state candidates.

Big-name visitors this weekend include Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., exploring a Presidential bid, and former New Jersey Gov. Christie Todd Whitman, touring for GOP House and Senate candidates.

If you want to build a 10-home subdivision, a strip mall, a condominium or a big-box store in Connecticut , there are no state or county officials to give the plans a hard look, or switch the green light to red.

Over the past few years, there has been much talk of freedom, the fight for freedom and the preservation thereof. So why is that not reflected in our legislation? Furthermore, why is the opposite often the case?

Only a few weeks before the midterm congressional elections, when the Republicans could lose control of the House and the Democrats could make significant inroads in the Senate, we learn more about the circumstances surrounding former Rep. Mark Foley's (R-Fla.) inappropriate interactions with male congressional pages.

Five local Republicans running for state office advocated a return to fiscal conservatism in state government at a candidates forum Monday.

Republican campaign officials said yesterday that they expect to lose at least seven House seats and as many as 30 in the Nov. 7 midterm elections, as a result of sustained violence in Iraq and the page scandal involving former GOP representative Mark Foley.

Breaking trust is the most unforgivable sin in politics.

If you want to know how John McCain will run for president in 2008, just watch Joe Lieberman's campaign this fall as an independent candidate in Connecticut 's three-way Senate race.

Sex, lies and power games are just the latest symptoms of a Republican Party that has strayed from its ideals

Two former Bush administration officials will serve as visiting fellows at the Institute of Politics (IOP) this semester. Christine Todd Whitman, former head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and former New Jersey Governor, will arrive on campus Dec. 4, and Michael J. Gerson, the former speechwriter for President George W. Bush who coined the term ýaxis of evil,ý will be on campus for several days in mid-October.

If America is to win the War on Terror, the tyrants obstructing the larger U.S. undertaking - that is, ushering parts of the Middle East from medievalism into modernity - must understand that this nation intends to finish the fight.

Election rhetoric has become more and more divisive in recent years with misinformation, name-calling and personal attacks, contributing to the "culture wars" and an ever-deepening "red state, blue state" polarization of the nation.

Christine Todd Whitman, a former New Jersey governor and head of the Environmental Protection Agency, and Michael Gerson, a former adviser to President Bush, will be visiting fellows this fall at Harvard's Institute of Politics.

The likely victory of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in next month's election could change the dynamics of California government and the way both national parties think about this mega-state.

If the rise of grassroots activism by way of the Internet is indicative of anything, it may be that there is a widespread sense among Americans of government getting away from the people.

U.S. Rep. Joe Schwarz's campaign is calling on the Federal Elections Commission to shut down the conservative lobby Club for Growth after filing a sweeping campaign finance complaint this week.

As the White House and its Republican allies on Capitol Hill work to retain control of Congress in November's elections, a small but vocal band of conservative iconoclasts say they would prefer to see their own party lose.

In a new district in Colorado, party allegiances are fragile enough to give decisive influence to middle-of-the-road voters.

The practice of politics is a peculiar form of juvenile delinquency. As this election season heats up, there is plenty of evidence to support this assertion.

Election time is right around the corner and with experts speculating about the possibility of Democrats taking control of Congress in Washington, one prominent Republican is taking a hard look at the state of both parties.

ýSocial fundamentalistsý hurting party, says ex-governor

Former EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman believes the Republican party has drifted too far to the right.

I can't recall when I first realized that political discourse had become dangerously polarized, and that civility had gone the way of $2 gas, but I can still feel the moment when these truths were shoved in my face.

Is Lincoln Chafee's fight for political survival a Republican version of the Joe Lieberman story? No, though there are parallels.

Republicans have lost their way when it comes to many core GOP principles and may be in jeopardy heading into the fall elections, Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb. says.

A few years ago, Christine Todd Whitman took a hard look at her lifelong political party, and she didn't like what she saw.

Former New Jersey Gov. Christie Todd Whitman predicted Saturday that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would be the next Republican vice-presidential candidate if Democrats nominate Sen. Hillary Clinton for president.

The Nashua Prideýs losing streak of six games is over in a gig way. And thanks in part to...Bodie Miller.

Former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman envisions a more moderate Republican party, one more like the party she remembers from generations ago.

Former New Jersey Gov. Christie Todd Whitman is in New Hampshire this weekend. She was attending a women's breakfast in Dover this morning and is expected at the New Hampshire GOP luncheon at noon in Concord.

Former New Jersey Gov. and EPA chief Christine Todd Whitman believes there's no reason environmental interests and business policies can't work together.

When pro-choice Republican moderate Christine Todd Whitman visits the state this weekend, the former New Jersey governor will raise money for several state candidates through her PAC, "It's My Party, Too."

Ex-NJ Gov. Christie Todd Whitman (R) will be in NH 7/28-30 to promote her book, "It's My Party Too."

Former New Jersey Gov. Christie Todd Whitman, a Republican, says that unless her party does something about social conservatives setting an abortion litmus test for candidates Democrats could well win the next presidential contest.

Christine "Christie" Todd Whitman has drawn from her experiences as head of the Environmental Protection Agency and as Republican governor of New Jersey to publish her views of the Bush administration and Republican Party in "It's My Party, Too: Taking Back the Republican Party and Bringing the Country Together Again."

Former Govs. Christine Todd Whitman of New Jersey and Parris N. Glendening of Maryland addressed a Courant Key Issues Forum recently on a critically important topic: stopping sprawl.

People don't wake up in the morning thinking about the problem of urban sprawl. "If they do, they probably have other problems," said former Maryland Gov. Parris N. Glendening Thursday.

It's no secret that the Republican Party in this city is a bit lackluster, to say the least. While the GOP has offered no prospects for next year's mayoral election, Democratic hopefuls are already slamming their potential opponents for the 2007 nomination. But in the rest of the state, where the GOP has more of a presence, ultraconservatives are trying to oust moderate Republicans.

A pol traveling to NH "can only mean one thing" -- a WH bid is "imminent."

A politician traveling to New Hampshire can only mean one thing -- a presidential bid is imminent. Not so, says Republican Christie Whitman.

Connecticut today looks a lot like Maryland and New Jersey did when we took office in our respective states: a state with a modest endowment of land that is being depleted quickly by rapid, often poorly conceived development.

An early joke about New Jersey is attributed to Ben Franklin: ýNew Jersey is like a beer barrel, tapped at both ends, with all the live beer running into Philadelphia and New York.ý Maybe you had to be there.

The Republican and Democratic parties each find themselves at a crossroads. The American people are increasingly turning away from the traditional parties and registering independent and, in many instances, refusing to vote at all.

An effective governor must be willing to take a risk and expend political capital in order to achieve a greater public good, former Governor William Milliken said in an interview to be broadcast next week on Michigan public television.

Former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman came to Kalamazoo on Monday to mobilize middle-of-the-road Republicans and encourage them to get more involved in politics.

Darcy Burner knew that prospective Democratic candidates sometimes left in tears after meeting Representative Rahm Emanuel of Chicago, who heads the party's efforts to recapture the House and was the one-man screening committee for recruits.

When retired Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey criticized the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war three years ago, he was lambasted as an armchair general and deemed an adversary by the Pentagon. So even McCaffrey was surprised to find himself in the Oval Office this week giving President Bush his thoughts on Iraq.

Something's happening. I have a feeling we're at some new beginning, that a big breakup's coming, and that though it isn't and will not be immediately apparent, we'll someday look back on this era as the time when a shift began.

Are moderates being frozen out of the Republican Party of Wisconsin? It appears a large majority of party delegates would like exactly that, according to a nonbinding resolution passed at last weekend's state convention in Appleton.

The former New Jersey governor and head of the Environmental Protection Agency got a tepid standing ovation when she took the podium, but by the time she finished the largely female crowd was on its feet.

"It's just a phase" is something former congressman Michael Huffington, who identifies as bisexual, never wants to hear againýand he plans to make that happen.

As they watch President Bush's approval ratings tumble, conservative activists are offering a sure-fire strategy for presidential recovery: Bush should move to the right and "rally his base."'

Not so many years ago, nuclear energy was a hobgoblin to environmentalists, who feared the potential for catastrophic accidents and long-term radiation contamination. But this is a new era, dominated by fears of tight energy supplies and global warming. Suddenly nuclear power is looking better.

Compared to presidential contests, blood pulses a little more slowly through veins of the body politic in off-year elections.

Say "Republican core beliefs" and do you think of cutting taxes? Fighting against jihadists? Intervening in the Terri Schiavo case? Banning same-sex marriage?

The past few weeks in Congress have been prime examples of the dire lack of constructive discourse in politics today ...

Former Gov. Christie Whitman believes the Republican Party is in deep trouble ...

My last two columns have examined the most significant political development on Capitol Hill in many years -- namely, the decision by many Republican ...

Members of Congress retire all the time, but some retirements are leading indicators of the direction of our politics ...

To Christine Todd Whitman, ýsmartý and ýdenseý mean the same thing ...

What should New Jersey Gov.-elect Jon Corzine look for in a replacement for his U.S. Senate seat? ...

In Congress and in constituencies across the country, last week demonstrated a powerful and welcome trend ...

Social conservatives have taken the Republican Party hostage by ostracizing advocates of abortion rights and other differing views ...

One of the most powerful women in the GOP visited Des Moines Thursday with a message for moderates ...

Former Bush cabinet member Christine Todd Whitman said today in Des Moines the Republican Party could not nominate a candidate ...

I disagree with almost every popular label used to describe judges -- labels such as "liberal," "conservative" or "activist" ...

You won't see Christine Todd Whitman's name on any campaign buttons these days, but she is working behind the scenes to change the tenor of American politics.

The influence of evangelical Christians in the Republican Party hurts the organization and divides the country ...

The conservative right wing of the Republican Party has made moderates feel like outcasts, along with anyone else who isn't 100 percent with the right on social causes...

The May 16 primary provides useful lessons for Republicans across the commonwealth and the country as we approach the 2006 general election in a very challenging political environment.

To remain a majority party, Republicans must reverse their current divisive path and include people with different interpretations of core values ...

In 1992, the political scientist Raymond E. Wolfinger of the University of California (Berkeley), along with five of his students ...

When President Bush was sworn in for his second term, Christie Whitman ...