Garry Wills, 02/12/13

Author, 'Why Priests?: A Failed Tradition'

We live in a time when Catholic priests are an aging and shrinking group, damaged in morale and reputation, overstretched in their monopolization of all sacramental services. Lay deacons and catechizers and readers, instructors for baptism and marriage, are filling in for the diminished priestly ranks in Catholic parishes. What we really need are no priests.

Marlo Thomas, 02/12/13

Award-winning actress, author and activist

As Valentine's Day approaches, it might surprise you to know that, according to the US Census Bureau, there are 97 million Americans that are over 45, and 40 percent of them are single! That's more than 32 million singles out there, and that means a lot of potential love matches.

Arianna Huffington, 02/11/13

The big news about President Obama's fifth State of the Union speech tomorrow night is that it's going to focus on "job creation" and "economic growth." But it's what comes after the speech that's important. Or, I should say, between this speech and the next one, since jobs and the economy have made regular appearances in his four previous State of the Union speeches.

Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, 02/11/13

Senior Religion Editor, The Huffington Post

Catholics may be surprised at how closely non-Catholics follow these very public moments in their Church, and how invested other Christians, and people of other faith and no faith are in the machinations of the Catholic Church.

Max Tegmark, 02/12/13

Physicist, MIT

Is there a conflict between science and religion? The religious organizations representing most Americans clearly don't think so. Interestingly, the science organizations representing most American scientists don't think so either.

Michael Hogan and Christopher Rosen, 02/12/13

We're closing in on the big night -- it's less than two weeks away -- and with a dip in the calendar, it finally feels like the right time to investigate the Best Documentary category.

Rep. Rush Holt, 02/12/13

U.S. Congressman from New Jersey's 12th district

We learn through the study of science that the world is not capricious, that there is a majestic order and beauty that emerges from understanding. Science leads to a more optimistic view of the possibilities of humans. For some it also leads to a greater appreciation of the divine.

Ralph Nader, 02/12/13

Consumer advocate, lawyer and author

There are hundreds of programs in existence that directly or indirectly provide billions of dollars of taxpayer money to corporations. Tonight the president should say he is getting tough on welfare -- corporate welfare.

Bill Moyers and Michael Winship, 02/12/13

By the standards of slaughter in Vietnam, the deaths caused by drones are hardly a bleep on the consciousness of official Washington. But we have to wonder if each innocent killed doesn't give rise to second thoughts by those judges who prematurely handed our president the Nobel Prize for Peace.

Richard (RJ) Eskow, 02/12/13

Writer; host, 'The Breakdown'; Senior Fellow, Campaign for America's Future

There are immediate, concrete steps the president can announce in tonight's speech which will help struggling homeowners while at the same time stimulating the economy and promoting job creation.

Jonathan Rauch and David Blankenhorn, 02/12/13

Gays are raising kids, straights are raising kids. Gays are marrying, straights are marrying. Could this be an "amazing moment" when the gay and straight family and marriage agendas converge? Is such a coalition even possible?

Mark Ruffalo, 02/11/13

Actor/Director

If rumor becomes plan, then the residents of the Southern Tier become unwilling lab rats in our governor's fracking experiment. It's an experiment that risks ruin for many in the form of poisoned water, toxic air, burning flare stacks, mystery chemicals, and 24/7 noise.

Leigh Weingus, 02/11/13

Assistant Editor, HuffPost TV

The Crawley sisters have replaced the "SATC" ladies via Masterpiece's "Downton Abbey." There's the beautiful and sweet Sybil, who couldn't care less about the British class system and marrying below her, Mary, the object of every man's affections ... and Edith.

John R. Talbott, 02/12/13

Author, 'Survival Investing: How to Prosper Amid Thieving Banks and Corrupt Governments'

No, the financial crisis is not behind us. The underlying causes are still with us, and lie in wait to exact even more pain and misery upon us in the next "crisis."

Janet Tavakoli, 02/12/13

President, Tavakoli Structured Finance

The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI is the Catholic Church's opportunity to send a strong signal to its remaining members by electing a new Pope committed to rooting out corruption in the Church.

Ethan Nadelmann, 02/12/13

Executive Director, Drug Policy Alliance

I firmly believe that at some point during his second administration President Obama is going to address the issue of mass incarceration in America. What I fear is that he is going to wait so long, and ultimately do so with such caution, as to minimize his potential impact.

Tom Engelhardt, 02/12/13

Editor, TomDispatch.com

The CIA pushed for and built the base; the White House clearly accepted it as a fine idea. An informal network of key media sources agreed that it really wasn't worth the bother to tell the American people just how stupidly their government was acting.

Dean Baker, 02/12/13

Co-director, CEPR; author, 'The End of Loser Liberalism: Making Markets Progressive'

Given that the stated goal of Fix the Debt is to reduce budget deficits, it is worth asking why taxes don't figure more prominently on their agenda. It is also worth asking why one tax in particular, a financial transactions tax, never seems to get mentioned in anything the group or its members do.

Robert Creamer, 02/12/13

Political Organizer, Strategist, Author; Partner Democracy Partners

Nugent will attend at the invitation of Republican Congressman Steve Stockman of Texas. But the message he sends is toxic for the Republican Party.

Rick Steves, 02/12/13

Writer of European travel guidebooks and host of travel shows on public television and public radio (www.ricksteves.com)

Maybe it's time to come to grips with the risk of terrorism and finally put it in a rational perspective.

Donald Gross, 02/12/13

Author, 'The China Fallacy'; Senior associate, Pacific Forum, Center for Strategic and International Studies

Now that China has moved to align its approach toward North Korea more closely with the U.S., Washington should focus on taking a new diplomatic effort to achieve significant progress on nuclear and missile issues with Pyongyang through both further sanctions and new incentives.

Lucia Annunziata, 02/11/13

Editorial Director, L'Huffington Post

Whether you are a believer or not, there can be no doubt that the pope's resignation only adds more uncertainty to the general political volatility Italy is experiencing.

Michael B. Keegan, 02/12/13

President, People for the American Way

I don't know what Sen. Marco Rubio is going to say in his official Republican response to the State of the Union tonight. But I think I can guess what he'll not be saying: anything new.

Devon Corneal, 02/11/13

Lawyer, Mother

We can give our kids information, we can lay before them a buffet of facts, observations, war stories and personal experience, but we can't process it for them.

Chris Carberry and Blake Ortner, 02/12/13

It is highly likely that the generation that will first step foot on Mars is already with us. Assuming these individuals are still of school age today, "The Mars Generation" will have a much different perspective of the world than previous generations.

Dave Johnson, 02/11/13

Fellow, Campaign for America's Future

The story of the intentional destruction of the U.S. Postal Service is one more piece of the story of crisis-after-crisis, all manufactured to advance the strategic dismantling of our government and handing over the pieces to billionaires.

Rick Jacobs, 02/12/13

Chair of the 750,000-member Courage Campaign

If you ever wonder what diplomats do or whether a policy goal on an issue like LGBT equality of a U.S. president matters in countries beyond our shores, wonder no more.

Jeff Schweitzer, 02/11/13

Scientist and former White House Senior Policy Analyst; Ph.D. in marine biology/neurophysiology

My thoughts when I heard Ratzinger was resigning? First, yet another hypocrisy from the church in flouting supposedly divine law for convenience, and second, the more than 10,000 children known to have been violated by Catholic priests.

Marty Kaplan, 02/11/13

Director, Norman Lear Center and Professor at the USC Annenberg School

With Pope Benedict XVI stepping down after two terms, the race to broadcast the first head-to-head debates among potential Vatican successors has been won by CNN.