Daniel Patrick Moynihan had the touch of a poet. He was also a practical man. In 1982, after Tim Russert's political skills had assured Moynihan's reelection, the senator invited me to lunch in New York. "I need your advice," he said. "Let me clutch my wallet," I replied. "No, no....

It is not a Miss Congeniality award, not a runner-up trophy, nor a consolation prize of any sort. The vice presidency has been derided and desired, but one central fact about it is inescapable

In 1966, after a reporting trip with Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, I enjoyed off-the-record drinks...

Edmund Muskie weeping in the snow, George Romney being brainwashed, Michael Dukakis in an Army tank, John Kerry on his windsurfer. These moments are memorable not because they are gaffes, but epiphanies, illuminating what many voters already think of a candidate. The images endure not because they were aberrations, but...

Has anyone noticed the resemblance between George McGovern and Robert Mugabe? Sen. Hillary Clinton and her inventive mathematicians have. They see a parallel between the longtime dictator of Zimbabwe and the heroic former South Dakota senator, who won the 1972 presidential nomination while losing the popular vote in Democratic primaries.

Is she Barbara Stanwyck of Night Nurse and Baby Face? The pre-Code 1930s Stanwyck was a tough cookie who did not stay home baking them.

Sally Field, Hillary Rodham Clinton's contemporary, could play her on screen. The Oscar winner for Norma Rae won again for Places in the Heart and...

A senator whose antiwar eloquence appealed to young voters faced off against a senator with a famous name seeking to restore a dynasty. In 1968, Indiana and its unique political heritage stood at the center of American politics. On May 7, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy of New York won the...

It's never too early to plan to think about choosing a vice president. Here are some rules.

1. Toss the Pollsters Out of the Room

They know nothing about choosing a VP because most voters are too busy to peruse the details of an office that is still standby equipment....