Sometimes in a tight race, the smart thing to do -- if you are the betting type -- is to simply put your money on the best horse. Right now, the race for the Whitehouse appears to be a dead heat, with a recent Real Clear Politics poll...

Sometimes when you see two people out on the dance floor, it is clear that they are partners. They move in sync, with energy and an unspoken discipline. Well-rehearsed steps are made to look natural and spontaneous. But this is not always the case. Sometimes -- especially on a crowded...

Let's call a spade a spade. The truth of the first 2012 presidential debate is that Barack Obama got spanked by Mitt Romney. This is true whether you are a Democrat or a Republican, a fan of Obama or of Romney. In NFL football terms, it is the...

Sometimes conventional wisdom is right, and sometimes it is wrong. In the case of Mitt Romney's selection of a 2012 vice presidential running mate, it may actually be both.

One piece of conventional wisdom circulating right now is that Mitt Romney should not pick a boring white guy as...

As a truly global city, Chicago offers up an almost endless variety of culture. From the high arts to pure entertainment, our city has music, performance, art, culinary and comedy venues for nearly every taste. For those in the know, Chicago also presents an up-to-date live theatre scene that is...

Paperwork is piled high on my desk, and so I am just now getting around to reviewing Boss by Mike Royko. Published in 1971, Boss tells the stories of Dick Daley, his democratic political machine and the City of Chicago during the 1950s and tumultuous 1960s.

In many ways,...

Ever since the late 19th century, the Chicago City Council has tended to suffer from a rather poor reputation: ineffective, low ethical standards, an old boys club. Back then, men such as Alderman "Bathhouse" John Coughlin were known for using their offices to create wealth for themselves, while...

In politics, as in life, there are usually at least two sides to a story. The resignation today of White House chief of staff Bill Daley is likely to follow this familiar pattern. Supporters of President Obama are apt to describe the resignation as the result of Daley's inability to...

Mike Madigan has ruled over the Illinois House of Representatives for all but two years since 1983, and what is his legacy? Who has he served? What are his accomplishments? Answers: Nothing, no one, nada.

But perhaps Madigan does not care.

Mike Madigan -- who is nearly 70 years...

In their youth, basketball was the favorite sport of some of Chicago's best known politicians, including Barack Obama, Rod Blagojevich and Richard M. Daley. It is unclear whether White House chief of staff Bill Daley possessed the same love of the game as these elected politicos, but it does seem...

I am a fan of the vigorous new mayor of Chicago, but the last five months have given me a certain sense of déjà vu. Watching Rahm Emanuel in office as Chicago's new mayor has been a bit like having the opportunity to see David Copperfield perform magic. The key...