History, unlike photography, does not work well in black and white. The past is an abstract jungle of color that spills over neat lines of political thought. - Gerard DeGroot As the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall fast approaches...]]> For the first time since the early 1980's the unemployment rate in this country bumped above 10% as 10.2% of Americans were actively looking for work.  The coming days will no doubt bring a lot of hand-wringing and punditry about what this number...]]> What does a master politician learn from defeat?  Republicans are claiming the November election shows a renunciation of Barack Obama’s nine months of leadership.  Democrats are reassured by the Owens victory in New York: The Con...]]> One year later, where do we stand? A year ago today, Barack Obama was elected, breaking records and shattering the world’s notions about America. You probably remember exactly where you were and what you did. I took a moment today to reflect...]]> Despite the fervent, high profile effort to prevent New York's Twenty-Third District (NY-23) from electing Democrat Bill Owens their Congressman, the conservative upstate enclave has officially shifted from red to blue.  That the effort failed is...]]> Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) does it again.  One day she's calling the murder of Matthew Shepard a "hoax" and the next she's pronouncing health care reform is a bigger threat to American freedom than "any terrorist from any country."  That's rig...]]> Quite a bit of attention has gone to special election in New York's 23rd Congressional District.  The race has become a symbol of the split in the Republican party, as moderate Dede Scozzafava faced a tough challenge from Conservative party candi...]]> Tomorrow is Election Day, and although it's an off-year, it's an important day in Virginia.  Because our governors can only serve one term, tomorrow Democrat Creigh Deeds (who happens to represent my central Virginia district in the State Senate)...]]> Just over nine months into his first term, President Obama faces an unfortunate set of choices regarding another of his predecessors messes.  And as he contemplates his Afghanistan strategy, the president is taking pressure from all sides. His m...]]> This coming Sunday's New York Times Magazine cover is emblazoned with a shadowy picture of Barack and Michelle Obama on a dusty stage, smiling at each other and touching, about to embrace.  Superimposed over the photo is text: "The First Marriage...]]>