There are a lot of questions that ultimately now put more light on the Secretary of Homeland Security.

It would be one thing if the department didn't identify security lapses in the first place, but a more troubling situation when they make promises to the American people and then leave them unfulfilled.

This year, Republicans in Congress cut first-responder homeland security programs by $604 million, and an additional cut of $1.1 billion was requested by the president for fiscal year 2006,

Rather than squander the surplus on tax breaks for the rich, we should add a prescription drug benefit to the Medicare program, shore up Social Security, fortify our defense, provide a quality public education and offer economic assistance to rural areas.

Finger pointing does not provide answers to grieving relatives,

History suggests that attempts to privatize Medicare by relying on private companies to offer Medicare benefits in rural America simply will not work.