Newsday

Without independents, will McCain, Obama falter? (Newsday) "Certainly, closed primaries are better for those who have a stronger following among party faithful," said Steven Hill, the director of the political reform program for the nonpartisan New America Foundation.

"Iowa picks corn, New Hampshire picks presidents," goes the old Granite State-boosting saying. We shall see. But in the meantime, the presidential wheat is being separated from the chaff, to change the metaphor. And amid the excitement of the presidential horse races, we might pause over just one of the urgent challenges that the 44th president will confront -- and sadly, in terms of policy, there's plenty of chaff, not much wheat. Pakistan, for example, is home… more

So who's going to win the Iowa caucuses tonight?

History tells us that the winner will be the candidate of the base -- that is, the candidate who most appeals to the hard-core activists, those determined folk who have the patience for a lengthy public nose-counting session at a caucus site, as opposed to a quick dash in and out of a voting booth.

So Iowa caucusers concern themselves with ideological purity -- while, on the other hand, New Hampshire primary voters… more

My New Year's resolutions:

I resolve to worry more about Pakistan's 75-weapon nuclear stockpile than about global warming. I am more worried about being incinerated by a loose nuke than I am about the water table rising a few feet.

Yet, I also resolve to worry more about global warming than about democracy in Pakistan. Democracy is wonderful, but only for people who want it, and who are willing to play by its rules. Democracy without self-discipline is a formula for, well,… more

In American history, Christmastime has been wartime many times. And yet, in past conflicts our country seemed more motivated to win than it does today.

On Christmas Day 1776, Gen. George Washington crossed the Delaware River into New Jersey to attack the Hessian mercenaries at Trenton. The password for the day was "Victory or Death." 'Nuff said.

During the Civil War, on Dec. 20, 1864, Union General William T. Sherman completed his legendary -- Southerners say infamous -- March to the Sea.… more

Is Mike Huckabee a fascist? That's the insinuation from Ron Paul, one of Huckabee's rivals for the Republican presidential nomination.

And it's a cheap shot. One needn't agree with, or even like, Huckabee to know that throwing around the f-word "fascism" is a low blow.

This story is important, because it speaks to the larger question of whether Christians can fully participate in politics without being slurred. Here's the context: Huckabee ran a TV spot in which the former Arkansas governor wishes… more

Inside the mind of Mike Bloomberg, mayor of New York City:

Could the Democratic nomination really go to Barack Obama -- you know, middle name Hussein?

And could the Republican nomination really go to Mike Huckleberry? I mean Huck Finn; I mean Huckabee. Whatever.

This is the best the two parties can do? In which case, maybe I should reactivate my own presidential ambitions -- because I can beat those two, running right down the middle, in between the Third Worlder and the… more

So is Mike Huckabee an "easy kill" for the Democrats? And are the Republicans the distinct underdogs, no matter whom they nominate for the presidency?

Maybe. After all, in public opinion surveys, the critical "right track/wrong track" question shows negative feelings predominating by a 2-1 or even 3-1 margin. That's bad news for the incumbent party, in terms of holding the White House.

But some Democrats maintain that the former Arkansas governor, in particular, has a "glass jaw." Hence the headline in… more

Is Mike Huckabee too Christian to be president? Is Mitt Romney Christian enough? We'll find out soon.

The former governor of Arkansas is on the cover of Newsweek, and though the headline, "Holy Huckabee: The Unlikely Rise of a Preacher Politician," might suggest a mainstream media hatchet job -- in which yet another Southern Baptist gets the full Elmer Gantry-Pat Robertson treatment -- the article itself comes as a pleasant surprise.

Perhaps Newsweek, too, was surprised to discover that Huckabee's political views… more

The latest National Intelligence Estimate on Iran -- suggesting that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government is not an imminent nuclear threat -- will undercut some of the tough-talking foreign policy positions staked out by most of the Republican presidential candidates. Still, Democrats must beware, because the American people, inclined toward hawkishness since 9/11, will be suspicious of too-eager doves.

In the meantime, the seeming stand-down with Iran brings back memories of past presidential elections, won and lost.

I worked for George H.W. Bush in… more