It's likely that the political advisors, handlers, and speechwriters know that Americans have been casting our votes for hope for decades now -- and engineer the campaigns to maximize it.

From Paris, no coffee this time, but I did manage to stay up to watch the second presidential debate, beginning at 3 a.m. Unlike the first one watched in Amsterdam, the president was alert, prepared and seemed to leave Romney mystified at moments.

Shading the truth is one thing; Politicians of all stripes do that all the time. But Ryan's speech to the Republican faithful on Wednesday night abused truth so often and so shamelessly that even some mainstream media voices took notice in their post-speech coverage.

Matalin and Reagan differ on Voter ID laws that could undermine the right to vote. And will Obama win future GOP debates if Romney and Perry continue to audition for Fight Club?

***Scroll down for videos, including a complete version of Shirley Sherrod's speech that started the controversy.*** Shirley Sherrod has accomplished...

If the government doesn't create demand right now, then America is heading back into recession. That should have been a view represented more squarely -- and debated -- at the Aspen Ideas Festival.

Logic dictates that the higher you rise, the higher it is find friends you can trust. As Barack Obama rose to the most coveted office in the US, Valerie Jarrett became evermore important.

The BP spill has serious national security implications. Had Al-Qaeda blown up a supertanker, the national response would have been more intense by order of magnitude.

President Obama has a problem in his White House, and it is not Rahm Emanuel, but rather the overly parochial and partisan instincts that are driving Independent voters into the Republican camp.

Arianna appeared on "The Situation Room" Wednesday evening along with CNN Senior Political Analyst David Gergen to discuss financial reform. She said...

Watching the Senate Armed Services Committee hearings on repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell, I couldn't help feeling relief John McCain was soundly beate...

This past Tuesday night, the politics of positioning beat the politics of branding. As it frequently does. Scott Brown figured it would. As Barack Obama did in 2008.