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Whether or not one agrees with his policies and political philosophy, it is irrefutable that President Obama's administration has been characterized by a noticeable tendency to go outside the legislative process to enact his policy priorities via regulation. Even the New York Times has noted "an increasingly deliberate pattern by the administration to circumvent lawmakers." The Wall Street Journal explained this pattern simply: "Mr. Obama proposes, Congress refuses, he does it anyway."

Politico - Jonathan Allen

Republican Rep. Tom Cole urged colleagues in a private session Tuesday to vote to extend the Bush tax rates for all but the highest earners before the end of the year — and to battle over the rest later.

The Oklahoma Republican said in an interview with POLITICO that he believes such a vote would not violate Grover Norquist’s anti-tax pledge and that he’s not alone within Republican circles.

Even in a year of severe drought, continued high unemployment, economic struggle, natural disaster, and a negative and divisive election, Americans have much to be thankful for.

Whether your side won or lost, all Americans can still feel pride and appreciation for a peaceful democratic system that remains a model for the world. Although many may have been inconvenienced by long lines or inefficient voting processes, no one had to risk his or her life to vote.

The Hill - Russell Berman

Meeting with his conference for the first time since the election, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Wednesday told his troops to settle in for a long battle over the “fiscal cliff.”

“Sit back, this is going to take a while,” Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said in characterizing Boehner’s message at the closed-door meeting.

In once again electing a Republican House of Representatives, Democratic Senate and Democratic White House, the American people voted to maintain the status quo in Washington's balance of power. While the composition of the legislative and executive branches may remain the same, a continuation of current economic policies is not an option.

TIME Magazine - Michael Grunwald

The thing about an Etch A Sketch is that the picture never looks real. Mitt Romney‘s attempt to draw one self-portrait for the Republican primaries and a different one for the general election left voters unconvinced that he knew who he was. So how could they?

The Hill - Pete Kasperowicz

Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) is calling on Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to speed up the process of reforming the department's internal postal service to ensure that members of the U.S. armed forces get their absentee ballots on time.

"For years our overseas service members have faced longstanding obstacles to their participation in elections," Cole wrote to Panetta in a letter he released Monday.