History Doesn't Turn On A Dime; It

In Another Life, Before Taking The Veil Of Journalistic Purity, I Practiced The Black Arts Of A Political Operative, Including 'debate Prep.

As A Personal Matter, I Stopped Voting More Than A Decade Ago, On The Grounds That It Helped Me As An Analyst Not To Think About Making A Choice In The Voting Booth.

History Doesn't Turn On A Dime; It Turns On A Plugged Nickel.

In Early 1961 A New President, John F. Kennedy, Was Told By Military Leaders And Civilian Officials That The Kingdom Of Laos - Of No Conceivable Strategic Importance To The U.s. - Required The Presence Of American Troops And Perhaps Even Tactical Nuclear Weapons. Why? Because If Laos Fell, Asia Would Go Red From Thailand To Indonesia.

Think About One Of The Most Powerful Influences On A Young Child's Life - The Absence Of A Father Figure. Look Back On Recent Presidents, And You'll Find An Absent, Or Weak, Or Failed Father In The Lives Of Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton And Barack Obama.