Richard Lugar, Longtime GOP Senator and Foreign Policy Expert, Dies

TOM DAVIES / The Associated Press Apr 28, 2019 Known for his lead role in pushing former Soviet states to denuclearize, Lugar dominated Indiana politics for decades. He was 87. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

‘Left, Right & Center’: Gay Marriage: State or Civil Right?

Staff / Truthdig May 12, 2012 President Obama says he thinks gay marriage should be legal, but isn't looking to legislate. JPMorgan Chase, the "best of the banks," loses a $2 billion bet and reignites the debate over bank regulation. The French election has austerity hawks worrying about a resocialized euro, and Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar's primary loss could usher in a new era of ideological warfare. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The Republican Civil War

Richard Reeves / Truthdig May 10, 2012 After Richard Mourdock defeated Sen. Richard Lugar by 20 points in Tuesday's Indiana Republican Senate primary, he called, more or less, for one-party government. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Obama’s American Exceptionalism

E.J. Dionne Jr. / Truthdig May 10, 2012 The Obama administration has chosen a distinctly American path that kept austerity at bay. As a result, the American economy has climbed out of the Great Recession more quickly than most of Europe. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Lugar Loses Indiana Senate Primary

Staff / Truthdig May 9, 2012 In an election result that was hardly surprising to political experts and Washington insiders, longtime Indiana Sen Richard Lugar has been defeated in the state's Republican Senate primary by tea party-backed conservative Richard MourdockIn an election result that was hardly surprising to political experts and Washington insiders, longtime Indiana Sen. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Clinton: U.S. Must Use ‘Smart Power’

Staff / Truthdig Jan 13, 2009 Hillary Clinton began the first phase of her official vetting session for the position of secretary of state Tuesday morning on Capitol Hill, where she made opening remarks and faced her peers on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as they took a close look at her credentials -- and her husband's globe-trotting fundraising activities. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Key Republicans Push for Iraq Strategy Change

Staff / Truthdig Jul 15, 2007 Adding to the mounting pressure on President Bush to revise his stubborn "stay the course" strategy in the Iraq war, top Republican Sens. John W. Warner (pictured) and Richard G. Lugar made a gesture of dissent by proposing a U.S. troop redeployment plan on Friday. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Centrists Finally Face Reality on Iraq

Joe Conason / Truthdig Jun 28, 2007 Sen. Richard Lugar, the Indiana Republican who has long served as his party's voice of moderation on foreign affairs, is better known for judiciousness than courage. As the ranking member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he has certainly taken his time assessing the catastrophic war in Iraq. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Bush Ally Calls for Withdrawal

Staff / Truthdig Jun 27, 2007 Sen. Richard Lugar, a respected figure in the Republican Party and a traditional backer of the president's war policy, has broken with the White House and called for a draw-down of troops in Iraq -- ahead of the much-touted September review of the surge. In what some have described as a watershed speech on the Senate floor, Lugar warned that the coming election would make rational policy choices in Iraq politically unrealistic. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )