As advertising blather becomes the nation's normal idiom, language becomes printed noise.

Remember Henry Adam's jest that the succession of presidents from Washington to Grant disproved the theory of evolution?

An alloy of innocence and arrogance, young (Ted) Williams came to Boston when it had four morning and four evening local newspapers engaged in perpetual circulation wars. He became grist for their mills, and his wars with the sportswriters brought out the worst in him, and cost him. He won two Most Valuable Player Awards and finished second four times. Several of those times he would have won had he not had such poisonous relations with the voting press.

What is really shocking in America isn't what's done in and by Washington that is illegal by that what is done in and by Washington that's legal.

Term limits would make Congress bolder, more independent, and less risk-averse.

Stalin's henchman Molotov, 96, died old and in bed, a privilege he helped to deny to millions.

Civilization depends on, and civility often requires, the willingness to say, 'What you are doing is none of my business' and 'What I am doing is none of your business.'