Opinion - RealClearPolitics.com

In late September 2006, Republicans knew they faced a difficult political landscape, though few anticipated the party would lose as many seats as they did. Then, on September 29, Florida Congressman Mark Foley abruptly resigned amid charges of inappropriate relations with young House pages, a moment many call a tipping point that cost the GOP majorities in both chambers.

After three trial voyages, the humanitarian missions of the US Navy's hospital ship Mercy and other vessels have become fixtures in America's security posture in Asia and the Pacific.

ST. LOUIS - Entering tonight's debate, the overriding question was whether Sarah Palin was up to the task or not. Would she acquit herself well - or at least well enough - to put to rest many of the doubts about her that have been percolating among the public? Or would she crash and burn, potentially sending the McCain camp down in flames with her?

As the votes came in Monday afternoon, perhaps no one on Capitol Hill had more on the line than House Republican Leader John Boehner and Whip Roy Blunt. In the end, just 65 of the 199 Republicans in the House voted for the bill, sealing its fate as it went down to defeat.

You may have seen a YouTube that's been zipping around the Internet over the past week featuring clips from a Congressional Hearing on Fannie Mae that took place in late September 2004 (as of this writing it has registered more than one million views). The eight minute and thirty-seven second video attacks Democrats for thwarting oversight of Fannie Mae and shows Republicans voicing support for increased regulation.

The House of Representatives deserves praise for taking swift action to avert a growing economic crisis--by not approving the trillion-dollar financial bailout plan.

The proposed bailout of the financial system is a misguided scheme that will hurt the U.S. economy in the short run and long run.

Recently released state polling shows Barack Obama continuing to make gains across the country, expanding his leads in battleground states in the Midwest and Mountain West, and in two crucial states in what is now sometimes referred to as the New South, Virginia and North Carolina.

The amount of paper wealth that evaporated in the stock market debacle Monday -- $1.2 trillion -- is more than twice as much as the cost to date of the war in Iraq. That's a lot of money to lose because Republicans and Democrats were more interested in blaming each other for the crisis than in solving it.

A lot of attention is being paid to the youth vote in this election. Will the 18-24-year olds turn out in higher numbers this time than in past elections, and will they vote overwhelmingly for Obama as predicted by many pundits? Are the pollsters accurately capturing their opinions and their numbers, given the fact that many younger people use cell phones--which are not often incorporated into survey research?

In less than a month now McCain has rolled the political dice twice to change the campaign's dynamics and twice he has damaged himself.

While a stunned Wall Street looked on, a bipartisan majority of Congress sent a $700 billion financial stabilization bill crashing down to defeat. The unexpected result left the Dow Jones with a 777-point loss on the day.

Last Sunday, September 28th, I flew to Florida at the request of the Obama-Biden Democratic campaign for the purpose of speaking on their behalf in the Jewish condo community. Four years ago, in the last presidential campaign, I had flown to Florida at the request of the Bush-Cheney Republican campaign to rally support for that ticket.

One wonders how Sen. Joe Biden can talk so much with his foot in his mouth.

Sometimes people from outside the United States have views of American elections that are, at the least, different those of Americans and, more often, illuminating.

OXFORD, Mississippi -- In the first public meeting between Barack Obama and John McCain, the Democratic and Republican presidential nominees demonstrated clear contrasts, both in style and in policy. And though both campaigns sought to reduce expectations heading into tonight, each candidate had strong moments both to build their own case and tear down their opponent's.

Now that John McCain is on his way to Oxford, Mississippi and the first debate of the 2008 presidential election appears on track, both candidates are making last-minute preparations for what could be the most crucial ninety minutes of their campaigns.

John McCain's decision to "suspend" his campaign and return to Washington to help broker a bailout deal seemed at first sight to be reckless act of folly.