Sarah Palin is the gift that keeps on giving -- to both Democrats and Republican party leaders. Judging from many of the GOP's visceral attacks in response to the Alaska governor's rambling pre-Fourth of July resignation speech, she has become as toxic as the H141 virus.

No matter how many...

It's tricky keeping track of all the freshly percolating sexual and financial scandals. I might not be alone in this regard, but I keep confusing Mark Sanford, the weepy Republican governor of South Carolina, whose lovesick affair with a South American woman continues to generate headlines, with Allen Stanford, the...

Try and imagine the mood of the country if it were McCain and Palin and their families on the steps of the Capitol being sworn in?

The musical piece, "Air and Simple Gifts," composed by John Williams and based on a Shakers' hymn, was surprisingly subdued yet moving; he usually...

Two female acquaintances, both in their late 30s and who work in the publishing industry, are extremely articulate, but whenever I bring up the name Sarah Palin, they suddenly become tongue-tied with unfocused anger and seething rage. The conversation often goes like this:

Me: "What did you think of Palin...

Gosh darn it, I was hoping to see Sarah Palin's hair catch on fire during the vice-presidential debate. Or failing that, I wanted to have one of those patented Palin-stare-blankly-into-the-camera moments in response to a thorny question and watch her freeze like some unlucky moose caught all alone on an...

With America on the verge of continued economic meltdown, Gov. Sarah Palin today announced her 10-Point Quick-Fix Financial Recovery Plan. Her campaign staff released this press statement to Fox News: "Republican vice president nominee Sarah Palin wants all of America to know just how serious she and Senator McCain are...

It seems like a fair question. No one apparently knows. Not the pundits. Not his opponent Obama. Maybe the wife with eight homes, 13 cars, one jet, and Oscar de la Renta dresses knows what makes him tick. Or perhaps his North Vietnamese jailers who were forced to keep a...

The Obama campaign promises to get meaner and tougher with its television ads. It has to. Time is running out for the candidate who had consistently promised to wage a clean, wholesome, and message-positive presidential campaign. But is this entirely possible when the other side is well-schooled in the dark...

"Terminator: The Sarah Palin Chronicles" which premiered in St. Paul to overwhelming critical acclaim has now taken its show on the road. But I got bad news for Democrats. She just might be the September surprise that will win the presidential election for John McCain. Overnight, she transformed the GOP...

Hurricane-force winds have just blasted the political shores of America, and the storm's name wasn't Gustav. Like a swirling force of nature, the maelstrom known as Sarah Palin ripped across the presidential electoral landscape as it rearranged lives, jostled expectations, and up-ended political odds.

Republicans were as flabbergasted by McCain's...

Less than 48 hours after the passing of the Olympic torch from Beijing to London, a political torch was passed at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. John F. Kennedy's legacy was formally handed over to Barack Obama. It helped that Caroline and her "Uncle Teddy" set the stage for...

Many of us have our own personal mental highlight reel from the Beijing 2008 Olympics. But as often is the case, many awards still await to being handed out in the now-concluded Games. Here then are my own HuffPost awards:

Biggest Disappointment If It Didn't Win Gold: USA men's basketball...

Political and Athletic Predictions for the 2012 London Olympics

Soon, many of us will be experiencing post-Olympics withdrawal once the Birds Nest blaze is snuffed in Beijing. There will be no more Misty May and Kerry Walsh passing, digging, and spiking volleyballs and then celebrating with hugs. No...

For the past week, America went into oxygen-debt watching Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps haul in a Fort Knox-trove of gold medals. In the water, Aquaman was all business. Deckside, he was emotional and exuberant as he cheered on his relay teammates. This was the kind of terrific theater that redefined...

Who is more nervous on the eve of the Beijing Olympics? The host country China which has dealt with a litany of Biblical-like woes, or the thousands of athletes ready to put their lungs and limbs on the line?

During the past few months, China has endured earthquakes, smog,...

For the second time in his life, John McCain finds himself in the unfortunate position as a POW. God knows what hell he went through during five years in captivity in North Vietnam. God knows what he's enduring as a prisoner of his own presidential campaign. In a most remarkable...

As his habit, New York Times political correspondent Adam Nagourney likes posing questions in his reporting but then leaves readers dangling by either not answering them or raising even more questions. It's a rhetorical dodge that suits him well in a long, drawn-out presidential campaign. But the big question he...

You almost gotta love the sheer audacity of John McCain's recent ad called "Pump" which blames Barack Obama for rising gas prices. It's the kind of over-the-top commercial you'd expect from Jimmy Kimmel or Jay Leno comedy writers, not one coming from a Republican presidential nominee.

What will be McCain's...

It's been just over six weeks since Senator Barack Obama of Illinois claimed the Democratic presidential nomination based on the tally of convention delegates, yet the press still calls him the "presumptive" nominee. Why is this so? Why is he presumptive? Isn't he a guaranteed lock? Hadn't Hillary reluctantly conceded...

President George W. Bush came into office as the "oil president," then immediately following September 11, he became the "war president." But he is now returning to his roots by defiantly pushing oil exploration due to rising gas prices. Bush wants Congress to open up offshore lands and protected Alaskan...