United States Senate

Asking Hagel the Real Questions Jeffrey Goldberg, Bloomberg. Chuck Hagel seems to believe that without the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Middle East would be a "placid lake"—a view "utterly discredited by events."

In Memory of a Friend Seth Mandel, Commentary. Senator Daniel Inouye, who died this week, was a decorated war hero, a champion of his state of Hawaii—and a stalwart and constant friend of Israel.

So Long, Lieberman Joseph Lieberman, New York Times. In his exit interview, the retiring U.S. senator says he is"taking a sabbatical from elective partisan politics"—which might "go on for the rest of my life." (Interview by Mark Leibovich)