Carter is the best President the Soviet Union ever had.

One challenge to the arts in America is the need to make the arts, especially the classic masterpieces, accessible and relevant to today's audience.

On the analogy of 'Dictionary Johnson,' we call Fred R. Shapiro, editor of the just-published Yale Book of Quotations (well worth the $50 price), 'Quotationeer Shapiro.' Shapiro does original research, earning his 1,067-page volume a place on the quotation shelf next to Bartlett's and Oxford's.

I want my questions answered by an alert and experienced politician, prepared to be grilled and quoted -- not my hand held by an old smoothie.

Previously known for its six syllables of sweetness and light, reconciliation has become the political fighting word of the year.

A book should have an intellectual shape and a heft that comes with dealing with a primary subject.

Last, but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.