The fall of a leader is always tragic, and in David Petraeus’ case, much unexpected. In the immediacy of the moment, there is an understandable shock, and, within the ranks, it is not uncommon for those closest to him to feel a sense of betrayal. I was in the process of writing-up General Petraeus’ 12 Rules of Leadership when it was announced...

This story’s been on my desk since last month (Washington Post, Oct. 26). My attention comes, not so much from Armstrong’s clear violation of U.S. doping rules regarding competitive cycling, but from an astonishingly implausible defense of Armstrong’s actions by author Brad Allenby. Allenby, a Lincoln professor of ethics (remember this part) and engineering at Arizona State University, writes, “Whether...

It’s hard to believe that the 2012 presidential campaign is at an end… almost. What will “likely voters” do without all those hard-hitting, rhetoric-flailing, endless campaign ads? According toOpenSecrets.org, the total spent by both campaigns is reported to be almost $2 billion, and that doesn’t include money spent by PACs and Super PACs. After all the negative campaigning, what we...

This image along with Governor Chris Christie’s words of praise for President Obama’s actions concerning disaster-struck New Jersey have been played and replayed in video and news outlets for the last three days “The president has been all over this and he deserves great credit,” Christie said. “I’ve been on the phone with him, like I said, yesterday, personally, three...

What former Republican representative Mickey Edwards proposes in his new book, The Parties versus the People, can be seen by both Democrat and Republican parties as nothing short of heresy for a political system that has benefited them so much in the past. Both parties tightly control the process from primary through general elections, right into congressional committees. “We cannot go...

After serving 16 years as a Republican Congressman from Oklahoma, Mickey Edwards saw, firsthand, how the political system became dysfunctional. In a book that I believe should be required reading for anyone who wants a clear explanation, as well as solutions, to the gridlock facing Washington, Edwards latest book, The Parties versus The People – How to Turn Republicans and Democratsinto Americans makes...

One day a fool and a statesman were featured on a television broadcast. While the fool had been featured on many, manybroadcasts over the last year, the statesman – ever mindful of thinking before speaking – chose to stay out of the spotlight. The fool carefully primed the media pump by telling many,many people – especially Fox News’s FOX & Friends – about a...

“Heresy: any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs, customs, etc.” “[James] Madison understood that in the end, democracy is not about policy but about process – it’s about how we select our leaders, how we deliberate, how we decide – and it is the process itself that has broken down.” I’m going to tell you about...

My opponent and I slowly walked to our lecterns. While I was confident of my argument, I was nervous for the simple reason that this was my first debate and I had absolutely no idea how my audience would react, much less what kinds of questions would come in the second part. The topic was “Television in the Classroom” and...

This final ode to baseball comes from writer Norman Corwin. Originally posted May 12, 2008, he talks about two words that largely go missing today. Last week I attended a special memorial of this master of word, wit and wisdom known to most simply as Corwin. After listening to stories from Norman Lear, Stan Freeburg, Norman Lloyd and others, I...