Inquiring minds may want to know how Iowans feel now that Rep. Michele Bachmann has dropped sharply in the GOP presidential derby. After all, the Hawkeye state often fashions itself as a presidential kingmaker, and it was Iowans — well, right-wing, evangelistic Iowans — who had crowned Bachmann as a frontrunner for the Republican Party’s [...]

Where is Buddy Roemer, Republican candidate for president? In the polls, the former U.S. Congressman and Louisiana governor is so low he hasn’t been included in any debates so far, and that includes Thursday night’s. This week, though, I knew exactly where I could find him – in Charlotte, N.C., around the corner from my [...]

On Oct. 28, 1940, when I was 15, my parents, brother and sister and I gathered by the radio, as was our custom, to listen to a speech delivered at Madison Square Garden by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The key part of the speech remains imprinted on my memory more than 70 years later. It [...]

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is at risk of having his presidential campaign derailed because of far-out remarks about Social Security – a “Ponzi scheme,” “a failure,” “a monstrous lie.” In June 2010 Iowa Republicans outdid Perry and called for scrapping not only Social Security but also Medicare and Medicaid. The Iowa GOP declared: “We believe [...]

Iraq looks more and more like the proverbial tar baby the U.S. can’t get off its hands. The Obama administration had visualized getting rid of the sticky mess by year end but now several thousand American troops may well be slated for duty there beyond the planned departure date. Speaking of the embarrassment that is [...]

If you want still another vignette or perspective on 9/11, I’d suggest a stroll down Henrik Ibsens gate in Oslo, Norway. If the palace grounds are on your right, then the U.S. embassy will be on your left, literally just across the street. The palace and its grounds are tranquil, idyllic and wide open, watched [...]