Pakistan's military has declared that not only is it in contact with Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar but that it can bring him and other commanders to the negotiating table with the United States. The acknowledgment of on-going communication with Taliban forces using sanctuary in Pakistan to launch military strikes against U.S. troops in neighboring Afghanistan is part of a new diplomatic overture to help the Obama administration find an end to the long-running conflict. In a CNN exclusive ...

In case you hadn't noticed, Washington is in the midst of a revolution. A new president, an economic meltdown. And, in short order, the following solutions proposed and implemented: an extensive bank bailout, a huge plan to salvage the careening housing market, a gargantuan $787 billion economic stimulus package. Big news, bigger headlines. More quietly though, there's this side of the Obama revolution: a plan to rid Washington of the outsize influence of all lobbyists. Make sure they're not ...