The Political Discourse The mental picture of local Republicans, poison pens at the ready, waiting to pounce on Barack Obama's choice for vice president is mildly amusing (Letters, Aug. 26). Obama could have chosen Mother Teresa, and these right-wingers would have said she's a liberal who works with terrorist sympathizers. Such is the political discourse in this country. ...more

September 2, 2008

The "civil forum" featuring presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain may not have been as exciting as Michael Phelps winning his eighth Olympic gold medal, but it was civil and it was a forum from which emerged useful information. ...more

August 22, 2008

It can't hold as many screaming fans as the football stadium in Denver, where Sen. Barack Obama is to address an expected crowd of 75,000 on Aug. 28. Nor is it conveniently located near the scenic Mississippi River, like the arena in St. Paul, Minn., where Sen. John McCain is to take the stage a few days later. But the 3,000-seat auditorium at pastor Rick Warren's Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., does have one notable advantage: It's a stage that Obama and McCain recently agreed to share, at least for a little while, on Aug. 16. ...more

August 3, 2008