With her victory by ten points in Pennsylvania, Hillary Clinton has re emerged as a very viable candidate for the Democratic nomination.  It is obvious that the party is severely split and that both she and Obama are like two punch drunk boxers slugging it out without a knock out coming.  They each have their own base in the Democratic Party, and neither is gaining or losing adherents to the other.  Clinton is strong with the lower class, union based, non college educated wing of the party that is deeply worried about employment and the difficult economy.  They are not much interested i

In their collective wisdom, the American Founding Fathers in the Constitutional Convention of 1787 wrote into our primary document that there would be no religious test for public office.  Later, in the Bill of Rights, they banned any interference between church and state.  They had learned the lessons of Western Europe all too well and sought to avoid that political climate where Catholic and Protestant did battle for centuries over religious preferences, ending up with the doctrine that the people took the faith of their rulers.

In the chaos of Iraq, there are some interesting lessons we might extract from our occupation of post world war II Germany.  The historian David Stafford has carefully shown where the similarities and differences between these cases.  With the collapse of the Wehrmacht in Germany, the Allies began a de Nazi program--dissolve the party, put war criminals behind bars awaiting trial and retribution, and abolish the Prussian state—often seen as the site of much militarism in that nation. <!--break-->

As spring comes, the landscape is still populated by presidential candidates. It appears that the Republican nomination is set, and Senator John McCain has positioned himself as a conservative Republican, even though large segments of fundamentalist Christian groups and the some of the GOP chattering class dislike the mercurial maverick. McCain continues to preach the sterling virtues of staying in Iraq-even if that commitment lasts a century. He has been the prime supporter of the surge in US troop force, which he proudly proclaimed is now working.

 On Easter Sunday, the Christian day for forgiveness and resurrection, the Untied States noted almost in passing the death of the 4,000th service person in the endless war in Iraq.  Of  that number 97% were killed after President George Bush proclaimed on the carrier, “USS Abraham Lincoln” that the mission of those fighting forces was accomplished.  But tragically, for all involved, the post war period wa

We have been so fascinated by the presidential horse race in 2007-2008 that we have forgotten about the number two slot on the tickets.  History tells us that the best way to get to the White House is by being a vice president at one time or another.  The office gives one opportunity, publicity, and party links that are important to ambitious politicians.  And in some instances, most notably 1960, the choice of a vice president on the party ticket can help carry an important and closely divided state like Lyndon Johnson did wit

On February 26, 2006, the New York Philharmonic went to North Korea to perform-the first major American cultural institution to visit that dismal country.  While they and their guests feasted on what the New York Times called an "endless banquet."  In the rural areas, people live in a state of malnutrition.

Last week, Mitt Romney faded into Belmont Massachusetts having given up his multi million dollar quest for the presidency.  On the face of it, one would expect he was the perfect candidate: a wealthy, handsome, fifty something, a moderate governor with a photogenic family.   But instead he was unable to command a good showing except in Michigan where he was born and his dad was a three time governor.

Before he became president, he was a war hero, a charismatic leader of men; he was a maverick in a conservative party; he drew strong support from independents; he was quite willing to face the interest groups in his search for reform legislation; and he was a traditionalist in his respect for American institutions.  It sounds like one is talking about John McCain, but it is also a summary of the career of Theodore Roosevelt. 

Looks like Bill Clinton did again: he starts strong and then undergoes a personality meltdown.  Now, poor Hillary is counting on him, and he is becoming a liability with his overheated campaign style especially in South Carolina.  One can imagine that a man would become protective of his wife, especially in the vortex of presidential politics.  It is sort of old fashion chivalry, which may be out of date but it’s still kind of nice.