Now that Iowa, Wyoming, New Hampshire, Michigan, Nevada, and South Carolina have voted, at least in one party, one thing is perfectly clear: While the identities of the two major-party nominees are not yet certain, the ranks on both sides have thinned dramatically and the finalists have emerged.
When House Republicans convene behind closed doors today (Thursday) at the Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, W.V., they have a chance to make two bold moves to restore their reputation for fiscal responsibility.
Supporters of one Democratic candidate or another may insist that their man or woman won last Monday's debate in South Carolina, but in their hearts most viewers could only have been disappointed by its childish tenor and puerile content.
Why is Bill Clinton courting such intense publicity, inevitably much of it negative? Is he crazy? Crazy like a fox.
Was it just last month that the Queen of Everything was everywhere, pulling tens of thousands of people into rallies in Iowa, stomping with Barack and Michelle Obama at just the point it seemed his campaign most needed a lift?
Hillary Clinton will undoubtedly lose the South Carolina primary as African-Americans line up to vote for Barack Obama. And that defeat will power her drive to the nomination.
You've seen the hound who sits out front and emits a low growl when people walk by. He's saying, "You can pass, but don't try any funny stuff."
Sen. John McCain's win over Mike Huckabee in South Carolina was no landslide, but stands as by far the most important win in his quest for the presidency. It means that McCain by any measurement is the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination.
Both Clinton and McCain scored hugely significant wins on Saturday in Nevada and South Carolina, wins which might set them on the road to the nomination.
As American banks go hat in hand to foreign financial institutions and governments, begging for capital to help them get out of the mess into which their subprime loans have landed them, the question arises as to whether the United States should permit nations like China, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the banks they control to acquire part ownership of our leading banks.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Republican Leader John Boehner are working behind the scenes to attempt rare bipartisan cooperation on an economic stimulus package.
My campaign and election memories go back to 1960, when I was one of the few who backed John Kennedy at an election night party that my parents were throwing.
It's been nearly three months since the writers went on strike. The TIVO broke a month into it, and no one in my house has bothered to fix it.
On the evening of Jan. 3, it became clear that Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) was going to be a serious candidate for president with a viable chance of winning.
The French have long tolerated adulterers, liars and hypocrites in their politics. A simpleton is another matter, and President Nicolas Sarkozy's public frolic with a former model and singer of heavy-breathing songs does not speak of emotional complexity.
As America marks the first anniversary of the troop escalation in Iraq, at least one thing has become clear. Although the "surge" is failing as policy, it seems to be succeeding as propaganda.
The Democratic nomination for president will likely be decided by the subtle pulls of ego against duty that tug at the conscience of John Edwards. He manifestly can no longer win - but he helps Hillary Clinton if he stays in the race and boosts Barack Obama if he pulls out.
One of the basic facts of American politics is that citizens will turn out to vote when they feel they have something to vote for.
With Barack Obama nipping at her heels in Iowa, Hillary Clinton went on the state's public television Dec. 14 to say: "I've been vetted. ... There are no surprises." That was the first use in presidential campaign politics of an unusual word.
The GOP race has now descended into total chaos. Mike Huckabee, John McCain and now Mitt Romney have each won an important primary or caucus and lost two others.
