By Andrew P. Napolitano
The president's men trash the Constitution to pursue antagonists

The 2014 election battle for control of the Senate will affect just about everything the upper chamber does this year and next, because it could take just a handful of upsets to put the Republicans back in charge.

Capitol Hill lawmakers said Sunday that the U.S. must take a tough stance against Syria for reportedly using chemical weapons against its own people but stopped short of calling for troops to intervene inside the country.

U.S. authorities tried three times in recent years to get more information from Russian officials about the activities of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, but the Kremlin did not reply, according to a U.S. lawmaker briefed Wednesday night about the investigation into the Boston Marathon bombings.

U.S. authorities tried three times in recent years to get more information from Russian officials about the activities of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, but the Kremlin did not reply, according to a U.S. lawmaker briefed Wednesday night about the investigation into the Boston Marathon bombings.

While Mrs. Feinstein said all of the committee's Democrats voted to confirm Mr. Brennan, neither she nor Mr. Chambliss were willing to identify the other Republicans who had voted "no."

Republicans hoping to capture a majority in the Senate are casting wary eyes on the tea party, well aware of 2010 and 2012 races that opened the flood gates to candidates outside the GOP ticket.

Nebraska Republican Sen. Mike Johanns won't seek a second term next year, saying he wants a "quieter time" with his wife and family after three decades in public office.

Nebraska Republican Sen. Mike Johanns won't seek a second term next year, saying he wants a "quieter time" with his wife and family after three decades in public office.

President Obama's nominee to head the CIA, White House counterterrorism adviser John O. Brennan, said Thursday he is concerned by allegations of mismanagement and misrepresentation of a George W. Bush-era program to capture, imprison and interrogate terrorism suspects.

Potential front-runners to replace retiring Sen. Saxby Chambliss aren't ready to officially jump into the race for the Georgia Republican's seat but they're not denying interest in the job.

Former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain, reacting to the news Friday that Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss plans to retire at the end of his current term, said he won't seek the open seat — despite polls that show the Atlanta businessman the overwhelming favorite in 2014.

Sen. Saxby Chambliss announced Friday he won't seek a third term in 2014, saying he was frustrated with President Obama's lack of leadership and Washington's chronic political gridlock.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate gave final congressional approval Friday to a bill renewing the government's authority to monitor overseas phone calls and emails of suspected foreign spies and terrorists — but not Americans —without obtaining a court order for each intercept.

With talks stalled on averting the "fiscal cliff" ahead of Tuesday's deadline, the Senate spent hours Thursday debating whether to renew an antiterrorism measure that has led to warrantless wiretaps of Americans.

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has approved in a near party-line vote a classified report that is said to be critical of the harsh interrogation techniques used by the CIA on terrorism suspects during the George W. Bush administration.
"If we did that, then it's still not up to the United States to engage in this from a military conflict standpoint," Mr. Chambliss said on CBS' "Face the Nation." "We don't need to put boots on the ground, but we need to enable their neighbors — the neighbors of Syria, to bring some sort of peaceful resolution to this."
Sen. Saxby Chambliss, Georgia Republican, said it would be a "huge mistake" for the U.S. to do nothing.