What a political scandal feels like to a staffer--current, former or "it's complicated"--is an awful lot like grief.

There are stages. There is the initial chaos where the stories appear fast and furious like punches only Palin, Craig, Vitter, Foley, Spitzer, and Clinton, etc staffers can...

There have been so many lies told about the war in Iraq it is hard to keep track of them all: weapons of mass destruction, September 11th, and the escalation will bring about a political solution. There have been so many lies that Pinocchio's nose could stretch all...

For three decades, Bob Shrum put words together for some of our greatest leaders. He understands the power behind a word, a phrase, and a story. That is what makes his statements about former Senator John Edwards in his new tell-all book, No Excuses: Confessions of a Serial Campaigner so...

Here we go again. Our political rhetoric has taken a turn toward danger. In the days since Veterans Day, some of the language has been dishonorable and it will surely inflict more sorrow if we do not condemn certain callous words.

Oh no, this has nothing to do with...

Tonight, skip Bill O’Reilly and watch Bob Loblaw instead. That might be obvious to most Democrats. But most people aren’t Democrats and most people don’t watch cable news in primetime. Unless you’re a junky, you’re probably never going to say, “Hey, did you see Chris Matthews last night?”

For...

The other day, I found a piece of paper with one of the last things I wrote for Senator John Edwards in the 2004 presidential campaign. It reads, "We've waited a long time for this moment. For months, we've told you that help is on the way. For months, we've...

This is how I hope the first 16 questions unfold at the White House briefing.

1) Does “Official A” still work at the White House?

“The White House will not comment on investigations that might or might not be still going on.

2) Does the president plan to fire “Official...

In recent weeks, the message coming from the Democratic Party—my party—is a slogan from the past. We’ve brought back “We can do better” a phrase used by President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert F. Kennedy.

It makes sense to borrow something old, especially language that connects to Senator...

With “The West Wing’s” TV presidential campaign in full swing, many people are asking me two questions. First, “Is that what it’s really like?” Of course not, it’s TV. Scheduling meetings and message meetings are never that jazzy. They’re more like watching the Lawrence Welk Show on a slow day....

There is a great American tradition. We gather around the fireplace, the radio, the TV, the computer -- even that patch of concrete in Times Square -- in times of crisis to listen to our president speak. Even if we disagree with most of the things the president has done,...

Where in the world are the great words leaders are supposed to utter in these times of darkness? Why has this tragedy made it so difficult for leaders to speak with the clarity that seemed to come effortlessly from New York in those dark September days?

So far the...