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Top 10 richest US presidents

Mitt Romney earned nearly $22 million in 2010. If elected, he would be in the Top 3 most wealthiest presidents. You may be surprised by who ranks among the Top 10 wealthiest US presidents.
Ronald Reagan: 10 quotes on his birthday

To honor what would have been his 101st birthday on Feb. 6, 2012, here are 10 quotes from former President Ronald Reagan.
Newt Gingrich: 8 of the GOP idea man's more unusual ideas

Newt Gingrich is a big ideas guy. Ask anybody. Some of the ideas end up working, while others are a little out there.
President Obama to hold Iftar dinner: Five facts about the Muslim ceremony

Continuing a tradition first started by one of the nation’s Founding Fathers, President Obama will host an iftar dinner Wednesday evening at 8:30 in the State Dining Room to celebrate the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
In Pictures: Fourth of July traditions

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Obama vs. Romney: 'World War III" for attack ads. But is that bad?

With five months to go until Election Day, the Romney and Obama campaigns are already slinging negative ads. But analysts suggest they're an essential part of voters' decision-making process.
Mitt Romney would be the wealthiest president ever, Forbes calculates

Forbes Magazine analyzed Mitt Romney's wealth, including investments, real estate, and cash. It found $230 million in assets, while the total for the Obamas is nearly $6 million.
Why Romney's choice for vice president could determine America's future

Marco Rubio? Nikki Haley? Chris Christie? Mitt Romney's VP choice is not just about ticket-balancing, which the evidence does not show as affecting election outcomes. Historical patterns show that with his pick for 'veep,' Romney will anoint a future presidential front-runner.
Candidates, lend me your ears

Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. pulled poetry from their hearts to heal and rouse the nation. As this National Poetry Month draws to a close, our politics could benefit from reconnecting with poetry as a source of insight.
Obama's swipe at the Supreme Court

Worried that five of the justices will overturn the health-care law, Obama at first claims the court is 'unelected' and then backtracks. He must accurately portray the court's deep role in society.
Cover Story
The faith factor: Religion's new prominence in campaign 2012

Whose beliefs matter? From birth control to taxes, religion is playing an unprecedented role in campaign 2012.
How Founding Fathers helped argue the health-care case at the Supreme Court

The clash of ideas at the core of the Supreme Court debate over Obama’s health-care law is as old as the nation itself, and the spirit of the Founders was present before the assembled justices.
The Paul Ryan 2012 budget: What he learned in 2011

The Paul Ryan 2011 budget sounded like a graduate thesis on statistical steroids. Paul Ryan's 2012 budget is an 80-page campaign commercial.
Eisenhower in War and Peace

Jean Edward's Smith's new biography obliterates earlier arguments that Eisenhower’s was a dull, torpid presidency.
Decoder Wire
Why you should stop calling today Presidents' Day (+video)

True, many refer to today's national day off as Presidents' Day, but federal law actually lists the holiday as Washington's Birthday. 
Top 10 richest US presidents

Mitt Romney earned nearly $22 million in 2010. If elected, he would be in the Top 3 most wealthiest presidents. You may be surprised by who ranks among the Top 10 wealthiest US presidents.
Two cheers for super PACs

Super PACs aren’t the constitution-eating monsters critics have made them out to be. In fact, they engage voters in the democratic process. So why only two cheers? Loopholes prevent full transparency on where these groups get their funding. But Congress can fix that.
Ronald Reagan: 10 quotes on his birthday

To honor what would have been his 101st birthday on Feb. 6, 2012, here are 10 quotes from former President Ronald Reagan.
The Simple Dollar
Banks are not your friends

Financial institutions do  not give you money because they want your dreams to come true. They give you money for their own gain. Here are the best ways to reduce your reliance on these businesses.
A look back: In spite of super PACs, this isn't the most negative campaign in history

Negative campaigning is actually an American tradition. In fact, attack campaigning has been around since the beginning without derailing the electoral process. Mudslinging can hardly be called a positive campaign feature, but it is a sign of democracy in action.
The most important election of a lifetime? So say Gingrich et al.

As Gingrich faces Romney in Florida, he calls 2012 the 'most important election of our lifetime.' Sometimes he compares its significance to the pre-Civil War era. GOP rivals like Santorum and key Democrats like Pelosi are also gasping about the stakes. Time to catch our breath.
Court dismisses fears of 'creeping Sharia law' that led to Oklahoma ban (+video)

The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld an injunction against an Oklahoma referendum banning the use of Islamic Sharia law in courts and said there's no evidence of such influence on US courts.
A Slave in the White House

Historian Elizabeth Dowling Taylor tells the unsettling story of a Founding Father and his slave.
Newt Gingrich: Challenges ahead, but 'he's still dangerous'

Newt Gingrich is taking flak from his GOP rivals and some conservative commentators on things like Freddie Mac and his ideas about the federal judiciary. But as his fellow debaters have learned, he can be a well-armed and highly-confident opponent.
Christopher Hitchens was militant pundit and humanist

He was a most engaged, prolific and public intellectual who wrote numerous books, was a frequent television commentator and a contributor to Vanity Fair, Slate and other publications. He became a popular author in 2007 thanks to 'God is Not Great,' a manifesto for atheists.
Newt Gingrich: 8 of the GOP idea man's more unusual ideas

Newt Gingrich is a big ideas guy. Ask anybody. Some of the ideas end up working, while others are a little out there.
Eurozone crisis: A Polish answer to the 'German question'

Days ahead of a key summit to solve the European debt crisis, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski bluntly spelled out six reasons why Germany – more than any other country – owes its fellow European Union members solidarity in holding the eurozone together.
American Emperor: Aaron Burr’s Challenge to Jefferson’s America

The story of Aaron Burr is a rattling tale that makes today's political partisanship pale in comparison.
The Swerve: How the World Became Modern

Did a poem discovered by an Italian book collector make the Renaissance possible?
Occupy Wall Street: an American tradition since 1776

The 'Occupy Wall Street' protesters aren't extremists on the fringe. They reflect the frustrations of large swaths of American society. By taking aim at corporate greed and corruption, they embody a venerable tradition of American populism with roots back to Jefferson.