Warned that a publication would soon out him as gay, a Republican congressman decided in 1996 to come out voluntarily. Before telling the world, though, he first told his closest political friend, fellow Arizonan John McCain. "There's something personal that's going to come out that I need you to know about me," Jim Kolbe recalled last we...

The children's publishing world is awash in new picture books about presidential candidates, real and imaginary. These thoughtful and even humorous books should help young children enjoy making sense of all the talk they hear from parents and the news. "Madam President" by Lane Smith; Hyperion; 32 pages; $16.99. Lane Smith's quirky, super...

The convention floor was abuzz all Thursday with the news of the CBS poll showing a dead tie (42-42) in the presidential race. And the poll, conducted through Wednesday, couldn't reflect the impact of John McCain's speech, or the full impact of Sarah Palin's late Wednesday night. It reflected opinions only after the Democrats' convention, Barack Ob...

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Republican National Convention is over (let's hear a loud shout-out for St. Paul!). All the 2008 presidential primaries and caucuses are history. Barely eight weeks remain before the nation's voters — in the civic sacrament of democracy we call a national election — will choose a new American leader. Republic...

ST. PAUL, Minn. — If you didn't know that John McCain was a Republican, you might think he was running against the Republicans. "We were elected to change Washington, and we let Washington change us," McCain told the Republican National Convention Thursday night. "We lost the trust of the American people when some Republicans g...

John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin was the most inspired decision of his long race for the White House. The ads lampooning Barack Obama's messianic pretensions were skillful as well. But the Palin pick accomplished several goals at once. It is, it must be acknowledged, a terrible year to be a Republican. A decidedly unpopular Republican president ...

If I were an aspiring sexist or racist — God forbid — yet still cared what people thought about me, I'd make sure I became a conspicuous liberal. I'd also make sure my targets were conservative. That's the ticket to immunity for all kinds of outrageous conduct and statements. If you are a liberal darling, like Bill Clinton was for a dec...