'Turning the page'

Seven years after George W. Bush proclaimed "Mission Accomplished" in Iraq, President Obama proclaimed a more justifiable benediction to the U.S. venture: "I am announcing that the American combat mission in Iraq has ended."

Cuccinelli blocked

Since taking office in January, state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has been a whirlwind of conservative activism, leading the legal fight against President Obama's health-care reform and environmental policies and issuing controversial opinions on gay rights and abortion clinics, among others.

Frederick's bike path

Frederick County's urban development area east of Winchester has been touted as a planning model for other localities in the state. Yet these neighborhoods, which grew rapidly during the recent housing boom, lack what many would consider a vital asset in these multi-modal times: a pedestrian or bicycle trail into the city.

Stem cells derailed

Federally financed research into embryonic stem cells has been jeopardized by a U.S. district judge's ruling.

The egg recall

The salmonella outbreak that has sickened hundreds of Americans and prompted the recall of half a billion eggs again lays bare the flaws in the nation's food safety system.

Tax cut witching hour

The approach of the midterm elections makes Congress unlikely to do much more than indulge in even greater partisan sparring, but one major issue -- the expiration of the Bush tax cuts -- demands action or tax rates will revert to their 2000 levels.

Anticlimactic result

That "political corruption crime spree" federal prosecutors accused Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of sounds more like false advertising after a jury failed to convict him on the most serious charges.

James J. Kilpatrick

James J. Kilpatrick, who died Sunday at age 89, was an eloquent, forceful advocate of conservatism throughout a journalistic career that spanned half a century.

Polarizing comment

Del. Todd Gilbert's appearance last weekend before Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers Expo was startling in its partisan tone. As the Daily reported, Gilbert, R-Woodstock, told the group the biggest problem facing agriculture is changing the outlook of urban legislators who blame farmers for all the problems in the Chesapeake Bay.

Gay rights victory

Supporters of gay rights achieved a significant, albeit probably temporary, victory Wednesday when a federal judge in San Francisco struck down California's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriages.

Senate logjam broken

The defection of two Republicans cleared the way Wednesday for the Senate to provide $10 billion to prevent an estimated 140,000 teacher layoffs and $16 billion in aid for cash-strapped states.

'New Dawn' in Iraq

Although the phrase "mission accomplished" never passed President Obama's lips Monday, he nevertheless acknowledged a milestone in the U.S. adventure in Iraq: the withdrawal of combat forces "as promised and on schedule" by the end of the month.

Health reform skirmish

Virginia won the first skirmish in what is sure to be long legal battle over the constitutionality of health-care reform.

Tourism plan of attack

The recent decision to close the Shenandoah Valley Visitors Center in New Market, while regrettable because it cuts three jobs, may be the most prudent move in light of the reduction in traffic, financial challenges and the center's close proximity to the New Market Battlefield State Historical Park.

Editorial: Arizona showdown

The federal government prevailed in the first legal skirmish over Arizona's harsh immigration law. U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton on Wednesday issued a preliminary injunction barring enforcement of the most controversial provisions of the law, which was scheduled to take...

Editorial: The Gulf rebounds

Day 98 of the Gulf oil spill brought a nugget of unexpected good news: The oil slick is dissolving much faster than anyone expected.

Editorial: Pakistan's double dealing

The most worrisome details in the Afghanistan war documents released by WikiLeaks are the collusion between Pakistan's military intelligence service and the Taliban.

Editorial: The Afghanistan files

The trove of classified military documents made public Sunday provides a grunt's-eye view of the war in Afghanistan. Although the documents -- 92,000 reports from January 2004 through December 2009, obtained by WikiLeaks -- do not contradict official war accounts,...

Exorbitant FOIA fee

For people in Front Royal who are interested in their rights to information about how their town government operates, some of the material posted online in regard to the ongoing solar farm "bribe" controversy might be an eye-opener.

Egg all around

Shirley Sherrod was the rural development director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Georgia office until a video clip of her making racially tinged remarks went viral on the Internet over the weekend.

Big spy bureaucracy

An exhaustive series in The Washington Post offers a credible estimate of something that seems to have eluded even the U.S. government -- the size, scope, cost and complexity of the national security apparatus that has metastasized post-9⁄11.

A more open process

A peculiar aspect of the controversy over the proposed move of the Discovery Museum to Jim Barnett Park in Winchester, which Mayor Elizabeth Minor has described as the most heated of her 30 years on the City Council, was that the park site was approved with little public comment in 2004.

Financial reform law

With the support of three moderate Republicans, the Senate on Thursday adopted comprehensive financial reform aimed at averting a replay of the 2008 economic crisis.

Big Oil's sweet deal

The pervasive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has focused fresh attention on oil industry tax breaks, which average $4 billion a year.

Damaged warriors

Lingering psychological trauma has always affected warriors, but the tactics used by insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan, especially their reliance on improvised explosive devices, have taken a particularly heavy toll.

Apt anniversary theme

Preparations for next year's commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War are moving ahead with planning for a re-enactment of the Great Train Raid of 1861 and research into local communities' efforts to care for the wounded after the epic battles in the region.

A change in tone

President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put on quite a show of cordiality at the White House Tuesday. They shook hands vigorously for the cameras and waxed effusive over the strong, unbreakable ties between the two nations.

Immigration politics

The lawsuit the Justice Department filed Tuesday challenging Arizona's tough immigrant law is a substantive move by the Obama administration to influence immigration policy. It follows the president's speech last week, which rhetorically made the case for comprehensive reform.

Remove the dam, now

Last week's drowning of a 9-year-old West Virginia boy at the Riverton Dam on the Shenandoah River should remove any lingering doubt that the dam represents a clear and present danger and should be removed as quickly as possible.

Financial reform

Legislation usually gets watered down as it moves through Congress, but the financial reform bill conferees agreed on last week grew stronger during the endgame, a reflection of public frustration and anger at Wall Street's freewheeling dealing that nearly cratered the world economy.