Washington Post - Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen L. Johnson is doing his best Road Runner impersonation as he is pursued relentlessly by the Senate Environment and Public Works chairman, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.). Boxer has been after Johnson since March to come to the Hill to answer a few friendly questions about his policies on the Clean Air Act and global warming.

Each time the wily chairwoman thought she had Johnson in her grasp, his schedule was absolutely jammed, he couldn't make it, busy, busy, on the road, even wandering about in Australia.

Related Stories:

EPA head asked to resign

New report shows White House influencing EPA decision about CA emissions laws

Why won't the EPA do its job?

EPA scolded for lax oversight of electronic junk...

Since the Beijing Olympics, we've seen Michael Phelps on the Today Show to talk about his Speedo LZR swimsuit, and the image of Shawn Johnson sticking a perfect landing is on millions of McDonald's paper bags and cups. But athletes aren't the only people getting paid to promote products anymore; physicians are, as well. In an age where it seems like doctors are prescribing pills for every little ailment, it's becoming apparent that some of these medical professionals are getting big bonuses from pharmaceutical companies.

Concerned about the use of unapproved medications in children and the influence of industry money in medicine, Senator Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) has been on the hunt for university medical researchers who do not disclose the kickbacks they receive from pharmaceutical...

Two federal programs were honored by the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard Kennedy School last week. Along with one city and three state government programs, the Global Maritime Domain Awareness program of the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Intelligence Community Civilian Joint Duty Program of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence are 2008 winners of the Innovations in American Government (IAG) Awards.

The programs were selected because they encourage cross collaboration and knowledge sharing. The Intelligence Community Civilian Joint Duty Program requires intelligence officials to complete a period of duty outside their parent agency. The program aims to develop leaders with a broader sense of the inner workings of American intelligence...

“Service” has become quite the theme in this election season. At their conventions, both Barack Obama and John McCain emphasized their long years of service to our country. On 9/11, they will make a rare joint appearance at the Service Nation Summit in New York to discuss their plans to encourage service and reinvigorate civic life.

It’s quite exciting, particularly for those of us in the service movement. But a fair question to ask might be: what do the candidates mean by “service?"

Barack Obama has said that national service “will be a central cause of my presidency.” In his initial speeches on the subject, he talked of service in exclusively civilian terms — volunteering, working in non-profit organizations, serving in the Peace Corps, and so on. After enduring a storm of criticism...

As Hurricane Gustav winds down, Gulf State southerners are beginning to make their way home, only this time with a little more faith in their government.

Sure, Gustav hardly rivaled Hurricane Katrina's power, but the mass exodus executed by FEMA and state and local governments proved two important things: governments can learn from their mistakes and can do a good job. The evacuation went smoothly - partly because residents were more willing to evacuate this time around, but mostly because all levels of government worked tirelessly in preparation. The levees seemed to have withstood a decent pounding, despite not being completed. And in stark contrast to the Katrina recovery effort, there were adequate stockpiles of food, water, and supplies ready ahead of time.

“'It's amazing...

Despite the highest oil prices in the country's history, a housing and financial crisis, two unpopular wars, and one of the lowest job approval ratings in history, President Bush still called his time spent as President a "cool experience for Laura and I."

Long known for ineloquence in his verve and an undeterred belief his actions and policies are sound - irrespective of criticism from experts - Bush's comment should surprise no one. And yet his flagrant minimization of an experience at the helm of the modern day Roman Empire sits uncomfortably at the least and incomprehensibly at the worst.

To work at the same desk as Presidents Roosevelt and Kennedy; to wander halls decorated by George Washington and Abraham Lincoln; and to be briefed where Harry Truman made the horrifying...

Many conservatives and libertarians like to depict government as an incompetent institution that has achieved little of real value in society. As one conservative critic put it: “The more important question is not why government is so big … but why with few exceptions, it fails in even its simplest tasks.”

Another critic, Charles Murray, puts it even more bluntly: “The reality of daily life is that, by and large, the things the government does tend to be ugly, rude, slovenly – and not to work.” Or consider the bold challenge uttered by Rush Limbaugh on one of his radio shows: “With the exception of the military, I defy you to name one government program that has worked and alleviated the problem it was created to solve. Hhhmmmmmmm? I'm waiting. . . . Time's up.”

The Stereotype:...

A suspicious "go-fast" vessel is spotted racing through the Caribbean Sea, headed straight for Florida. The Coast Guard is alerted and the chase begins.

As the drug smugglers speed through the water, a helicopter aircrew is deployed from a nearby Coast Guard cutter setting off at speeds up to 160 mph with clear directions to stop the boat before it can reach the US. Aware that a helicopter is in hot pursuit, the smugglers have two choices: give up now or attempt to evade authorities and make it to shore.

Unprepared to surrender, the criminals flee, ignoring all orders from the aircrew. That's when the helicopter crew readies the RC50 laser-sighted, .50 caliber precision rifle. One, maybe two shots fired and the chase is suddenly over. The only thing wounded onboard is the boat's...

If you are a federal employee, you may be reading this from home - at least according to a new federal report about the number of federal work absences.

The report, entitled "Missing in Action: AWOL in the Federal Government," tracked the number of absent workers who did not take sick or vacation hours to account for their absences across 18 government agencies from 2001 to 2007. Amazingly, the investigation found that federal workers missed nearly 20 million hours of work in the last six years that was not paid for by sick or vacation time. Put another way, 2.8 million hours of work are lost per year due to AWOL absences - the equivalent of 1,458 full-time employees simply being paid not to work.

"People have just flat not shown up for work," said Sen. Tom Coburn (R...

A dozen residents at the Ohio Reformatory for Women don't fit the profile of the average inmate. They were never arrested, never charged with a crime, and in fact, aren't even women. They are babies, and are living at the prison as part of a program that enables inmate mothers to raise their children in their cells.

The Achieving Baby Care Success program (ABCS) at the Ohio Reformatory for Women is one of only a handful of in-house nursery programs in the United States, designed to meet the unique needs of mothers who are locked up.

Women are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. prison population. At the Ohio Reformatory, the warden estimates that 75 percent of the 2,300 inmates housed there are mothers.

In 2006, according to Women and Prison, a website dedicated to making women's...