Pence tests role as Trump’s chief message man

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence began Tuesday what will likely be his toughest task as Donald Trump's running mate by attempting to build a bridge to the legacy of Ronald Reagan. Pence delivered a whirlwind, 20-minute speech before the American Conservative Union, where he characterized Trump as this generation's Reagan and said the establishment didn't understand the passion he's ignited in the Republican base.

The Uncanny Road Ahead For Trump

With the GOP convention finally at hand, team Trump faces the truly daunting task of keeping his brand afloat and maintaining a course to victory in the fall. It appears that the GOP is anything but all hands on deck, with splinter factions threatening to abandon the candidate and some delegates actually planning a convention floor revolt.

RNC 2016: 10 observations from the convention’s 1st day

U.S. taxpayers shelled out millions of dollars for eight Republican investigations into the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi, Libya, and every one concluded that then-U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton bore no direct responsibility for the attack. The Senate Intelligence Committee said initial intelligence reports did mention protests against an anti-Muslim video.

Donald Trump and the state of Justice Ginsburg’s mind

In this Jan. 28, 2016 file photo, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg speaks at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass. When Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a liberal icon, is severely criticized by ideologically-sympathetic law professors, prominent legal ethicists, and the editorial boards of left-leaning newspapers like the New York Times and the Washington Post, it's reasonable to conclude that she's done something really inappropriate.

Conscience and Republican convention delegate voting rules

Over the weekend a reporter on Fox News said something that struck my attention: "There is a move to have the Republican Convention Rules Committee enact a measure that would prevent bound delegates from abstaining from votes on the first ballot, based on their conscience." This reference to conscience got my attention because I have studied the subject for decades, having also written a history of liberty of conscience.

Donald Trump’s terrible character

In tapping Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate, Donald Trump moved to persuade America that the White House would be in steady hands with his election. Now, Trump will no doubt use the Republican Convention, which starts Monday, to reinforce that message while lacquering his policy prescriptions with a gloss of mainstream rationality.

Summer highlight

For instance, you could have seen, bought, played, attended or eaten: Model trains, fireworks, Lego blocks, books, chocolate, corn hole, a waiters and waitresses competition, helicopter rides, canoeing, kayaking, beach volleyball, pipe organs, welding, blacksmithing, a cemetery tour, jazz, purebred dogs, hiking, butterflies, fishing lures, fried ... (more)

‘Make America Great Again’ is not a policy. It’s an exercise in mass psychology.

The Republican National Convention in Cleveland this week ought to be interesting, but whether it will be informative is another question. Barring a last-minute surprise, the delegates will nominate real estate magnate Donald Trump to be the GOP presidential candidate, and he will pledge - probably repeatedly - to "make America great again."

At their convention, Republicans will overlook Trump’s foreign policy incompetence

This week's Republican National Convention in Cleveland will be a watershed moment in the takeover of Republican foreign policy by Donald Trump. We are about to watch a host of senior party leaders water down or whitewash their dismay about their candidate's eccentric views about the United States' role in the world.

The massacre in Nice will loom over Cleveland and Philadelphia

But of course a terrorist in love with death would choose one of the world's most beautiful coastal cities to mow down innocents in a moment of celebration. Over the next few days, as Republicans convene in Cleveland to celebrate another sort of pagan ritual, we'll hear the familiar words and refrains.

EDITORIAL: Here comes Darryl Glenn

It is unwise for the political class to continue underestimating El Paso County Commissioner and U.S. Senate candidate Darryl Glenn, who consistently brings audiences to their feet. Glenn will have the entire country's attention Monday, when he speaks during a prime-time slot on the opening night of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.