The civil rights movement was born out of an intense struggle to enjoy those basic human rights we associate with happiness.

Early leaders of the movement settled on the theory that American society was primarily characterized by racism and that American institutions were grounded in the maintenance of racial privilege. Many of the black politicians who were swept into office on the heels of the movement consciously embodied this organizing principle.

I recently wrote an article about the legacy of Barack Obama, and I wrongly threw Michael Beschloss, the presidential historian, under the bus.
 
This is what I wrote:
 
“Historians will rate President Barack Obama as one of our nation’s greatest presidents. The question is: Was he any good? That the history profession is dominated by a liberal elite comes as no surprise. Robert Dallek, Arthur Schleschinger, Doris Kearns Goodwin and Michael Beschloss would all rank both Jack Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson toward the top of the list, and Ronald Reagan toward the bottom. George W. Bush will never, ever get his due for how he handled the 9/11 attacks as he passed landmark education and Medicare legislation or for his remarkable commitment to fighting AIDS in Africa.”

As most honest columnists will tell you, we often look upon editors with a wary eye, always worried that our perfect work will be desecrated by forces from above. Having noted this, it a perfect moment to express my respect and admiration for Mike Laws, a talented and extraordinary gentleman and editor I have worked closely with in recent years in my roles as columnist and Pundits Blogger here at The Hill. As most of you know, this is Mike's last day as he moves to greater heights in his education and career, which are destined to take him to even greater achievements going forward.

ObamaCare is supposedly the panacea to cure rapidly rising healthcare costs and lack of access for millions of uninsured Americans. It's continuing to prove just the opposite, with healthcare costs rising, in many cases quite dramatically. This has forced several businesses to reconsider whether they will offer healthcare coverage or accept the penalty, which in many cases is less expensive than offering the healthcare coverage. The other solution that many businesses are adopting is cutting workers to under 30 hours per week, which is the trigger for requiring healthcare coverage. In the long run, this means that people will have less access, and for those who do, the cost will be increased. Yet millions of people will listen to the mainstream media and the administration and continue to conclude that they have hit the healthcare lottery. This is a prime example of what happens when partisan politics and biased media are allowed to run rampant.

Rightfully declaring certain recent Republican challengers to be “the stupid party,” Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) steps up and claims that anyone thinking of running for president in 2016 now, when there is work to do, is crazy. And then he takes the first steps himself. And it is so good to have him. Jindal belongs to that rank of able and optimistic intellectuals that left conservatism with the passing of William F. Buckley Jr., leaving a bitter wake. He bristles with new thinking and the abilities to see it through. And with Jindal, you also get Rick Perry and Ted Cruz without the Texas talk. His is a new vision of America, so fresh and new it is hard to grasp its full potential. He appears potentially like one of those leaders the world has seen through millennia, who appears out of nowhere and leads a benign horde to a new awakening, as if deposited there by a force of nature.

The Hill's A.B. Stoddard takes your questions on immigration reform and President Obama's second-term agenda. 

To understand the true views of Roger Ailes, one of the smartest cats in media and politics, ask yourself: Who was his favored candidate for the Republican nomination in 2012? If you don't remember, read below. For now Ailes, in what may or may not be a hint of coming attractions at Fox News, has said farewell to Sarah Palin. Torches are being passed all over. As Palin fades from Fox, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) aspires to lead the conservative base toward more humane and creative policies, beginning with immigration. Kudos to Rubio. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton passes the torch at the State Department to Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), whose experience will make him an outstanding secretary. Speaking of passing the torch, how about President Obama sharing a “60 Minutes” interview with Secretary Clinton?

These are dangerous times in Egypt.

I was in Cairo’s Tahrir Square last week for the second anniversary of the Egyptian revolution that ended the 30-year rule of Hosni Mubarak.

On the square, the opposition demonstrators were shouting the same slogans that brought down Mubarak: “The people want the downfall of the regime.” I don’t think that Egypt’s Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, who was democratically elected only seven months ago, will suffer the same fate as Mubarak, whose rule was marked by corruption and nepotism.

For too long, the only Republican plan to deal with immigration reform was to tighten border security. This tack was a helpful dodge, not requiring a politician to detail what we would do with the 11-12 million illegal immigrants already here.
 
But in winning about 30 percent of Hispanic votes in 2012, the Republican Party has been forced to move to the middle with a more sensible, forward-looking plan that addresses the many complicated factors involved in immigration reform.