October 3 is the first debate. The moderator is Jim Lehrer of PBS, and the subject matter is domestic policy. It will last 90 minutes. The format will allow time for substantive answers. If present polls hold between now and October 3, President Obama will be going into the debate with a 79% likelihood of

I've got a few thoughts on the Romney tape debacle. 1. It's too early to determine whether Romney has done himself fatal harm.  2. Obama's reaction to Romney's self-inflicted wound has been understated and pitch-perfect. 3. Fox News showed how desperately dipsy they are by dredging up some 1998 tape in which Obama made some

It seems like you're always here. You spent a lot of time in the US as a student and in business. You speak perfect English, and I'm sure you know our slang and idioms well. So, you would know:  Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Familiarity breeds contempt. Fish, house guests, and visiting dignitaries start

Everybody knows Bibi, Mitt, and Barack. Sheldon Adelson could use some introduction. Sheldon was born poor in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1933. He is now the 8th richest person in the United States. He is a potent force in right-wing Israeli politics through his financial support of Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu and his ownership of the

That's right … October. Early voting starts in Iowa on September 27, and Ohio, October 2. One could have guessed that based on the recent travel schedules of the candidates. In 1992, early voting was 7% of the total votes cast. In 2008, it was 30%, and it will be more, by quite a bit,

Paul Ryan is a strong-willed guy. By the strength of his willpower, he is able to transcend the constraints of time and place and enter into the rarified air of a fact-free zone where things are so if he says they're so. A couple of days ago, Ryan was being interviewed by conservative talk radio

I'm surprised at how tongue-tied many Obama supporters seem when asked, "Are you better off now than you were when Obama took office?" Taken in the context of his time, the answer is a resounding, unapologetic yes. Obama kept us safe. Bush didn't. Obama got Osama Bin Laden. Bush didn't. Obama didn't start a stupid

Mitt Romney has a history of giving different answers to the same question depending upon which of his shifting interests he is trying to serve at the time of his answer. Bain Capital With Bain, there were deals that worked well and deals that went badly, especially for the employees of companies being acquired. Mitt

At the GOP Convention in Tampa, starting August 27, there will be a lot of talk about President Obama's frequently-quoted "you didn't build that" comment and on whether or not Obama has taken money out of Medicare. Let me add clarity on both points. YOU DIDN'T BUILD THAT To make this point, I've got to

I've been trying to get a fix on Romney's walk. It's odd. All the locomotion is from the knees down. There's no movement in the hips and thighs. There's a guy in my building who aspires to be a stand-up comic. I told him that if he could master the Romney walk and gestures, he'd