While Republican voters have remained universally supportive of their President, Democrats and Independents are returning to a more naturally critical stance.

In the House, Republican prospects have been buoyed by several successful rounds of redistricting, which have sharply reduced the number of competitive seats and given the Republicans a national advantage of at least a dozen seats.

We are not separate and independent entities, but like links in a chain, and we could not by any means be what we are without those who went before us and showed us the way.

All of this suggests that while citizens became more comfortable with President Bush after September 11 and thought him to have the requisite leadership skills, they continue to harbor doubts about his priorities, loyalties, interests, and policies.

America is an outlier in the world of democracies when it comes to the structure and conduct of elections.

Beer soothes the upset soul.

Responsibility for overseeing the implementation of election law typically resides with partisan officials, many with public stakes in the election outcome.