Of course, presidents are always blamed or rewarded for the state of the economy.

Since the Protestant majority in Northern Ireland wants to remain a part of Great Britain, and since Ireland itself has shown little interest in reunification, the IRA's prospects for success through political channels have always been limited.

Moviegoers love the intricacies of a crime all the more when it's for a good cause.

Standards wars involve lots of variables, and understanding them often seems more an art than a science. They generally involve just two big players, and end in a winner-take-all situation.

Capitalism, after all, is no fun when real failure becomes a possibility.

Campaigns fail if they waste resources courting voters who are unpersuadable or already persuaded. Their most urgent task is to find and persuade the few voters who are genuinely undecided and the larger number who are favorably disposed but need a push to actually vote.

Besides great climates and lovely beaches, California and Greece share a fondness for dysfunctional politics and feckless budgeting.