Ronald Reagan has a story for every occasion. Bill Clinton has an excuse for every occasion.

The American people are not as casualty-sensitive as the weenies in the American press are.

Obama specializes in knocking down straw men. 'I reject the view that says our problems will simply take care of themselves,' he said, implying that's the view of Republicans. It's the view of almost no one.

The coverage of Central America in recent months points up one of the ugly truths about the American press: the better the news, the less of it you get. As the war began to turn against the Communist guerillas in El Salvador, there was a palpable dip in the attention paid to it.

Candidates don't have to deal with reality. They talk about the wonderful things they can accomplish as if advocating them is the same as achieving them. They live in a world of political make-believe in which everything from reconciling conflicting interests to paying for costly programs is easy.

Religion's crucial role in the lives of many people... is rejected out of hand by the political community, especially the press.

The most important quality any piece of writing can have is doneness.