Israeli "Settlements":  A New Jersey Story    President Barack Obama is making his current trip to Israel in the hope of establishing anew the warm relationship that existed between the United States of America and the Jewish State during the administration of his predecessor, George W. Bush.  During the first term of President Obama, relations between America and Israel regressed to their worst point since Jimmy Carter left office in 1981. Both Obama and his then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attributed this to the continued existence of Israeli "settlements," defined as those Jewish communities situated in the West Bank beyond the "Green Line," the Israeli border with Jordan before its victory in the Six Day War of June, 1967. 

The Sequester Drama:  The Major Winner:  The Tea Party.  The Major Loser:  Obama   The sequester is here, and the sky has not fallen.  The long airport lines, unpaid janitors, furloughed teachers and hundreds of thousands of other lost jobs predicted by President Barack Obama have not materialized.  His poll ratings are collapsing, and his credibility has been badly diminished.

Amity Shlaes:  An ideal intellectual-in-residence in a future Republican White House    A governmental chief executive, be it a president or governor, can significantly enhance his or her stature by having an intellectual-in-residence.  Such an intellectual-in-residence will in most cases later become the chronicler of the administration in which he or she served. 

Chuck Schumer will support the Hagel nomination, thus assuring his confirmation.    It’s all up to Chuck Schumer now.