If NASCAR governed the 2008 race for the Democratic nomination, this would be called "The Chase." In NASCAR, that is the period when the regular season is over and the winner of the season-ending cup championship is named based on who won the most points in "The Chase." For Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, they easily dis...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — At last Thursday's Senate Banking Committee hearing on the government's historic bailout of Bear Stearns, two questions were expected. Who set the initial bargain basement price of $2 a share for the investment bank? Who picked JPMorgan Chase as the fortunate buyer? Those questions were not clearly asked, and were not answe...

BARACK OBAMA-JESSE JACKSON: "Our time has come!" His time has gone. OBAMA-JESSE VENTURA: Former presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee had Chuck Norris watching his back. Why shouldn't Obama have a former pro wrestler with demonstrated electability watching his? Both men champion change. Ventura proved that sometimes voters care more about on...

NAACP Chairman Julian Bond's decision to weigh in on the Democratic Party's conundrum when it comes to seating delegates from Michigan and Florida has created a firestorm of discussion on blogs and talk shows, and frankly, I'm still unclear as to what his intent was. Sure, he and others have the freedom to weigh in on the issue. But why be a Julian...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The absence of Oprah Winfrey from the frantic four last days of the New Hampshire primary campaign after her heavy schedule in Iowa backing Sen. Barack Obama may be traced to heavy, unaccustomed post-Iowa abuse of the popular entertainment superstar by women. Winfrey did not publicize it, but her Website was swamped with co...

WASHINGTON — Sen. Hillary Clinton faces tonight's Iowa caucuses not as the inevitable Democratic presidential nominee but seriously challenged by Sen. Barack Obama, thanks in no small part to committing a strategic error: premature triangulation. The problem is reflected by what happened to a proposal for a simplified, though sweeping, health...

What in the world is going on with these Christmas ads from the candidates for president? First, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee garners a ton of attention for what his critics called an over-the-top, cross-lovin' Christmas ad. Forget the fact that it was a bookshelf. They suggested it was lit to look like a cross and that's wrong. Wow. A Southe...

"What makes a pro a pro? What sets him apart from other players?" The question last week from Marty K. of the Illinois Quad Cities stopped me for a second. The easy answer is that a pro is someone who makes a living playing poker, but that's not all Marty was asking. What separates a true pro from the rest? It's a combination of experienc...

WASHINGTON — Agents of Sen. Hillary Clinton are spreading the word in Democratic circles that she has scandalous information about her principal opponent for the party's presidential nomination, Sen. Barack Obama, but has decided not to use it. The nature of the alleged scandal was not disclosed. This word-of-mouth among Democrats makes Obama...