and this is one of them - when I think I could write a column simply extolling the virtues of Little Bo Peep, recipients of the Medal of Honor and the essence of our precious bodily fluids, and some of you beloved readers would still seize the moment to rant like Old Yeller toward the end about Republicans versus Democrats. ...more

August 24, 2008

Perverse monetary policy was the greatest cause of the Great Depression. But non-monetary missteps were important in making the Depression great, and the same missteps damaged the global economy as well. While many are thinking about the Depression, few seem concerned about replicating these mistakes today. Among them: ...more

August 24, 2008

President Bush's top advisers are not immune from congressional subpoenas, a federal judge ruled Thursday in an unprecedented dispute between the two political branches. ...more

August 1, 2008

Alarmed by a year of recalls targeting millions of tainted toys, the House voted overwhelming Wednesday to ban lead and other dangerous chemicals from items, such as jewelry and rubber ducks, that could end up in children's mouths. ...more

July 31, 2008

With gasoline topping $4 a gallon, President Bush urged Congress on Wednesday to lift its long-standing ban on offshore oil and gas drilling, saying the United States needs to increase its energy production. Democrats quickly rejected the idea. ...more

June 19, 2008

I'm disappointed, but that's not why I'm angry. I don't think Hillary Clinton lost just because of sexism. I think the part that has angered women so much was the sexism by the media, in particular, and the lack of outrage voiced by everyone concerned, especially those in the Democratic Party, especially leadership. ...more

June 15, 2008

Our tree-hugging Vermont daughter is using her economic stimulus check to buy German-made parts to convert an old diesel Mercedes to run on bio-fuel strained from the discarded grease of a local McDonald's french frier. ...more

June 14, 2008

If Barack Obama is elected president, mutual friends say the best course for Hillary Clinton might be nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court rather than staying in the Senate. ...more

June 9, 2008

A long way from Iraq and the war debate in Washington, Herman Moore sat outside a tent in a downtown New Orleans homeless camp, trying to make sense of a proposal that helps Iraqi war refugees but will likely exclude Hurricane Katrina victims. ...more

June 9, 2008

Between now and Election Day, Democrats say they will use Congress to showcase the kinds of change promised by their presumptive presidential candidate, Barack Obama. ...more

June 7, 2008