And so, now the election is over, and all's right with the world. There is John McCain on "Saturday Night Live," making fun of himself. There is John McCain, giving what is universally described as a wonderfully "gracious" concession speech. There is John McCain going on the "Tonight Show," making...

Photography has gone through a twisted path. The earliest days, it was a difficult and convoluted process, loading the film (film, remember that?), lugging the bulky camera around, and manually configuring all the settings f-stop and aperture opening. Then Kodak and Polaroid (remember them?) simplified the process, either with instant...

For two months, when she was unknown, yet asking the American public to elect her vice president of the United States - when it mattered seriously for Americans to know precisely who she was and see her vetted in public- Sarah Palin couldn't be found anywhere near a challenging microphone....

For all the circus-like turbulence that the American political system goes through every four years, there ended up being only one headline this election. But there were many stories.

Most occur far from the limelight, yet they have their own impact, even if just on the local lives they...

Who knew?! According to razzle-dazzle conservative pundits, it turns out that the lesson of the 2008 election is that we are supposedly a "center-right" nation.

Yes, yes, I know, but stop laughing so that I can continue.

This reminds me of the joke about the definition of an economist. "An...

The final week of the campaign, a last-ditch fundraising email was sent out by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, under the name of actor Kelsey Grammer. It was notable in explaining the Republican loss for two reasons.

The first, and perhaps most bizarre, is a breathtaking oversight. Not once...

There is a famous phrase, "The more things change, the more they stay the same." Well, tonight, there is a twist on that - because the more things stayed the same, the more things changed. Hold on a moment, I will explain.

Politics like symbols. This evening, a night of...

My friend Mark Evanier was expounding on one of his theories the other day. It always pays to listen, since he's so insightful and profoundly fair-minded. Even on one of those rare times I don't agree, it's worthwhile, because he not only still makes sense, but I end up wildly...

Studs Terkel died on Friday in Chicago at the age of 96. He was too young. But then, whenever he ended up dying, he'd be too young. I'm not quite sure I believe that he actually has died, though. Studs was unique and not given to ordinary convention. And dying...

John McCain and Sarah Palin are proud conservatives. The poster soul mates of the Republican Party (except when they're throwing the other under the bus). Fair enough.

We have a pretty good idea that conservatives don't like government. Indeed, most self-professed conservatives acknowledge this proudly. Never mind that someone who...

The other day, I noted here that when trying to talk Democrats down from the ledge, nervous about the election, I ask how they'd feel if they were a Republican?

In truth, the question speaks louder in the wider, full view.

How would you feel if you were a...

My friend Mick is an unceasingly upbeat person - except when it comes to the Democratic Party's chances in any election. Mick is still nervous about whether Democrats can win the House two years ago.

Even with every major, respected poll giving Barack Obama a double digit lead, "My...

As we all know, Barack Obama hasn't passed any major legislation. He's inexperienced, never done anything. We know this. We know it because John McCain and Sarah Palin, bless her accomplished heart, have said so. And so, we know.

Far be it from me not to take their word for...

Arguably the simplest, most important and least-used application for computers is backing up. Time was that this title went to anti-virus checking, but that now comes fairly automated and more people are covered than in the past. But with backing-up, people tend to live in a blissful Computerland that doesn't...

Years back, I got my first big promotion, recommended by my wildly-temperamental boss. Weeks later, he stormed into my office, spewing profanity; he wanted me fired. Though he apologized days after, I was upset but conflicted, since I owed my job to him. In my father's Midwestern good sense, he...

The Republican Party and John McCain hate regulation. Hate government oversight. As a result, they have brought America to the edge of disaster.

I'm not talking about the economic crisis, however. Something else.

Of course, stripping away government regulation has been a proud tradition of Republicans. You know, the whole...

Republicans like to proudly claim that they love America. John McCain likes to insist proudly he always puts America First. But in their American Pride, they strangely have left out an important part of America - the President of the United States.

No doubt this is just an oversight...

There is a gorilla in the MP3 room, and it's an iPod. Whether it's succeeded to that status because it's the best player around is personal choice, but there's no question that its rise is thanks, in part, to the swarm of accessories that crushes across the land like a...

Recently, I wrote tongue-in-cheek that because Republican leadership has been exalting the Greatness of Sarah Palin, they'd set the bar incredibly high for her upcoming debate.

Joking aside, after her scary-ghastly interview with Katie Couric last week, even Republicans understand the scope of that failure, witness their refusing to make...