Gary Hart, 10/21/12

President, Hart International, Ltd.

George McGovern was passionate about ending an unwinnable war in Vietnam, reducing nuclear dangers, and eliminating hunger at home and abroad. But his most important legacy will be his rescue of the Democratic Party.

Gordon Brown, 10/15/12

Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; UN Special Envoy for Global Education

Malala's plight has unleashed an unprecedented outpouring of public support. Now all of us must make that support count -- and deliver on the cause she has been fighting for -- her dream of education for every child.

Robert Redford, 10/19/12

Actor, director, and environmental activist

We simply can't let Mitt Romney buy the keys to the White House and let the special interests write our nation's energy plan behind closed doors. He'd roll back every step of progress we've made -- not just in the last four years, but the last 40 years.

Arianna Huffington, 10/16/12

It's fun to see how a candidate responds to a zinger, but it'd be much more instructive to see how a candidate goes about seeking information that he doesn't know.

Cesar Millan, 10/15/12

Dog Whisperer and CEO of CesarsWay.com

If we could hold a debate with dogs as the audience, we'd learn a lot about the candidates. Dogs have had thousands of years of evolution, studying the faces, body language, and scent of the humans they travel with.

Daniel Ellsberg, 10/18/12

Former American military analyst who sparked a national uproar in 1971.

I don't 'support Obama.' I oppose the current Republican Party. The only way for progressives and Democrats to block Romney from office, at this date, is to persuade enough people in swing states to vote for Obama: not stay home, or vote for someone else.

Elizabeth H. Bradley and Lauren Taylor, 10/20/12

Although rarely included in the public discourse regarding health reform, stories like James Holmes' reflect the ways in which our faltering health care system is even more problematic when it comes to mental health.

Marlo Thomas, 10/18/12

Award-winning actress, author, and activist

If you are a parent, I just want to ask you for five minutes. I think that's all it should take to make you think differently about bullying, an issue most of us don't spend a lot of time on, but should.

Russell Simmons, 10/17/12

Founder, GlobalGrind.com

We have allowed our government to be bought and sold by a few lobbyists and the billionaires and millionaires who line their pockets with oil, prison, war, gun and insurance money.

Al Franken, 10/16/12

U.S. Senator from Minnesota

Gay and lesbian Americans have always been part of our communities. But over the course of the last generation, more and more of them have felt comfortable being truly honest about who they are. And, too slowly but very surely, it's changing our country for the better.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 10/17/12

U.S. Senator from California

Malala was targeted because she refused to remain silent as the Taliban turned women and girls into second-class citizens. She was targeted because she was an advocate for education. We cannot remain silent.

Richard Cordray, 10/19/12

Director, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

We recently found that a significant number of otherwise credit-worthy people may have been denied access to credit cards because they did not have their own income independent of their spouse. We thought this issue deserved further consideration.

Jillian Michaels, 10/18/12

Fitness Expert, Life Coach, Author

Knowledge is the key to creating a healthier nation. Currently, genetically engineered (GE) foods are not labeled, so we have no way of knowing if the food we are eating is a product of this artificial process.

Marian Wright Edelman, 10/19/12

President, Children's Defense Fund

As election season winds to a close, candidates from all sides are still making their final promises about what they want America to be. Those of us who share Dr. Harding's vision -- for a just, compassionate, multiracial, joyful nation which cares for children and elders -- must work to make that reality.

Noam Chomsky, 10/15/12

Institute Professor emeritus, MIT Department of Linguistics and Philosophy

In 1962, war was avoided by Khrushchev's willingness to accept Kennedy's hegemonic demands. But we can hardly count on such sanity forever. It's a near miracle that nuclear war has so far been avoided.

Christine Lagarde, 10/15/12

Managing Director, IMF

Natural disasters, unfortunately, will always be with us. And the cost and number of people affected by disasters continues to rise. But this visit to Sendai is a valuable opportunity for me and the others who participated in the Sendai Dialogue to learn how we can strengthen our defenses.

Sen. Harry Reid, 10/15/12

Senate Majority Leader

If Congressman Ryan truly wants to reduce health care spending, he should look no further than the Affordable Care Act. I will never stop fighting to preserve this successful program.

Robert Reich, 10/18/12

Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy, University of California at Berkeley; Author, 'Beyond Outrage'

President Obama should propose that the nation's biggest banks be broken up and their size capped, and that the Glass-Steagall Act be resurrected. It's good policy, and it would smoke out Mitt Romney as being of, by, and for Wall Street -- and not on the side of average Americans.

Rob Goodman and Jimmy Soni, 10/19/12

Cato didn't have Caesar's military skill, or Cicero's eloquence, or Pompey's boyish good looks. But he had something even more formidable: a determination to hold himself, and those around him, to an insanely high standard.

Rick Steves, 10/19/12

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

Determined to "pay their own way," John and Jane took out their credit card. After some convincing, I persuaded the nurse to charge them a small "donation" of about $200.

Wendy Fontaine, 10/17/12

Writer, Mother and Graduate Student

I was annoyed during most of last night's presidential debate, but when Mitt Romney insinuated that single-parent families are to blame for gun violence in America, my blood pressure shot through the roof.

Howard Fineman, 10/18/12

Editorial director, Huffington Post Media Group

We liked to call ourselves the "first rough draft of history" and we meant it. Newsweek rose to equal status with Time -- the founder of the genre -- by being years ahead of it and the rest of the media Establishment on three tectonic stories of the 1960s and 1970s.

Dominique de Villepin, 10/16/12

Fmr. Prime Minster of France

It's time for the United States to face the legacy of a half century of policies in the Middle East, the legacies of the Cold War as well as of the last decade's neoconservatism. Yes, mistakes have been made. Changes are needed, now. And they can be.

Stella Boonshoft, 10/19/12

Blogger & NYU Student

This picture is for me. For the girl who hated her body so much she cried for hours over the fact she would never be thin. Who was teased and tormented and hurt just for being who she was. I'm so over that.