The great lesson my mother and father gave me was almost invisible. It was a strong sense of being rooted.

On Capitol Hill, the Republican-controlled House voted mostly along party lines tonight to pass President Bush's federal budget blueprint. This includes his big tax cut plan, partly bankrolled, critics say, through cuts in many federal aid programs for children and education.

I still love following and thinking about politics. I enjoy recommending important journalism I read or see from other sources.

Writing is the rock on which everything is built.

Well, first of all, I don't want to debate the word conservative, but by my definition, a conservative is someone who wants to conserve the Constitution of the United States and the American tradition and law that no one is above the law.

One finds oneself saying: 'I know the right question, but ... this is not exactly the right time to ask it.'

I respect and empathize with reporters and editors who must compete in today's environment. And I know full well that when I've been covering campaigns, which I still do, I've made my mistakes and have been far from perfect.