By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

Calm down, Kansas City. The clumsy ouster of City Manager Wayne Cauthen isn't the end of the world.

By Tom Ryan, Kansas City Star Reader Advisory Panel

David Brooks recently called for a root-and-branch renovation approach for the Republican Party in an interesting column about Senator John Thune, South Dakota (R). The root-and-branch part is indigenous to our region.

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

Bad news for Barack Obama fans: The new Gallup Poll shows only 49 percent of Americans approve of his performance in office.

What a stunning turnaround from the heady days of near-70 percent approval ratings in early 2009.

George Harris Kansas City Star Reader Advisory Panel 2008

Maybe the legal minds out there can straighten me out on this. What is wrong with President Obama sounding confident about the conviction of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed?.

By Larry Marsh, Kansas City Star Midwest Voices columnist

I learned the Army way of cooking a turkey from a former Army cook in the early 1960s. I was just a kitchen boy at a girls camp in the Pocono mountains of Pennsylvania. I asked her how many she cooked for in the Army. She replied: "One hundred - - - every twenty minutes."

By The Kansas City Star Editorial Board

Shortly after Thanksgiving, President Barack Obama is expected to announce the way forward for the United States in Afghanistan. There is no simple solution, but it is clear that a radical rethink of our effort is needed.

By E. Thomas McClanahan, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

The whole phenomenon of Sarah Palin, I admit, is a mystery to me.

By E. Thomas McClanahan, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
This one bears watching. The Wall Street Journal reports that an important climate research center in Britain was hacked Thursday, and lots of embarrassing e-mails were dumped on line -- including one that talked about "hid[ing] the decline," an apparent reference to global climate data and different techniques for slicing and dicing the information.

Click READ MORE for larger version.

By Justin Sorg, Kansas City Star Midwest Voices columnist

Well, this is it, my final column. I wanted to go out on a high note. Maybe do some hard-hitting investigative journalism; real Pulitzer Prize-worthy, in-your-face, busting off the page, flying dragon kicktype stuff.

But, that’s a lot of work, and I’m fairly lazy, so that idea was quickly shelved.

By Matthew Schofield, Kansas City Star editorial board columnist

The Irish knew the Frenchman had cheated. The Frenchman admitted he'd cheated. The millions who were watching on television very clearly saw the cheat.

And there are even videos, looping videos, that show the brief (two seconds) of cheating, again and again, all over the internet.

By The Kansas City Star Editorial Board

With a mixture of wit, charm and excellent advice, Michael Kaiser this week challenged Kansas City to improve its already vibrant arts scene. It’s a worthy challenge.

By The Kansas City Star Editorial Board

When Hillary Clinton made her first visit to Beijing as secretary of state, she remarked that human rights could not be permitted to “interfere” with larger concerns, such as global climate change and financial-market mayhem.

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

Four city managers have served Kansas City since 1987 when I began covering City Hall. In that 22 years, only one has been fired -- Wayne Cauthen on Thursday.

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

Troy Schulte is the new acting city manager in Kansas City, replacing the fired Wayne Cauthen. But who is Schulte?

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

As a critic of Wayne Cauthen's general job performance the last few years, I'm not surprised nor disappointed he's out as city manager.

I do wish Mayor Mark Funkhouser would have arranged the firing in a more professional, less messy way.

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

The firing of Kansas City's first black city manager, Wayne Cauthen, wasn't based on his race. It was based on his inability to meet the managerial expectations of seven of his bosses on the City Council.

By Arturo Mora, Kansas City Star Midwest Voices columnist 2009

With the first big Senate vote set for Saturday on Senator Harry Reid’s version of healthcare reform, America inches closer to joining the rest of the developed world with a responsible healthcare system. It’s been a hard slog, but it was never going to be easy given the religious fervor in some circles about the sacred free market system. Once the task is done, however, it’s time for President Obama to laser beam on jobs, jobs, jobs. And furthermore, jobs.

By The Kansas City Star Editorial Board

Mayor Mark Funkhouser awkwardly forced City Manager Wayne Cauthen out of office Thursday, and in the process opened another unnecessary rift on the City Council.

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

Mayor Mark Funkhouser got his way Thursday when a council majority decided to fire City Manager Wayne Cauthen. Opponents correctly criticized the mayor for how he handled the matter. However....

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

How's this for bad timing: On Friday, Mayor Mark Funkhouser and the City Council will hold their annual legislative lunch.

It's where Kansas City's elected officials tell their local state lawmakers what they want to see happen during the 2010 legislative session in Jefferson City.

By E. Thomas McClanahan, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

The CBO says Harry Reid's 2,000-page monster bill will cut the deficit over a decade by nearly $130 billion. But the CBO had to swallow some Democratic fantasies to get that result.

By Miriam Pepper, Kansas City Star editorial page editor

The last time Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser tried to oust the city manager two years ago he failed to communicate with his council colleagues. And this time? Same story; no lesson learned.

By E. Thomas McClanahan, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

Probably not, although today's Wall Street Journal led with grim news about housing: new starts tanked and mortgage delinquencies increased. And yet: Leading indicators rose for the seventh straight month and initial claims for jobless benefits dropped for the 11th straight week. The economy still seems to be moving in the right direction. These reports come from the Carpe Diem blog , where you can find lots of interesting stuff, including another look at the odds for health care reform by the end of the year, as judged by the Intrade prediction market.

By Matthew Schofield, Kansas City Star editorial board columnist

Kansas City is the 20th most dangerous city in the United States for pedestrians, according to a Transportation for America study.

By E. Thomas McClanahan, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

It's an interesting question, and Attorney General Eric Holder didn't have a clue during his Senate testimony. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina tied the AG in knots with that query, and another Holder could not answer: Has there been any other instance in which an enemy combatant was picked up in a combat zone and then tried in a civilian court?

By Tom Ryan, Kansas City Star Reader Advisory Panel

This seems to be the norm these days. A coach is publically deconstructed in print when the going gets tough. Tough talk is cool when the statistics are good. Tough management seems idyllic, godlike when the stock is up.

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

Mayor Mark Funkhouser's attempt to get rid of City Manager Wayne Cauthen hinges on this question:

Does he have six other votes on the City Council to make this move?

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

Mayor Mark Funkhouser suspended City Manager Wayne Cauthen on Thursday. The mayor's letter to City Council members said the reason was, "I believe we need new leadership for the city." This is not surprising.

By Juanell Garrett, Kansas City Star Midwest Voices Panelist, 2008

Sen. Tom Coburn is threatening to make the Senate read the Senate healthcare bill aloud on the floor. There's nothing wrong with that.