Politics Apr 22 Confidence, Conviction and Campaign 2012 I once covered a politician who was a very certain man. He remained convinced throughout his public career that he knew best - certainly better than any naysayer, political opponent or reporter. His certainty got things done, but you had…
Politics Apr 01 Iowa, I Hear You Calling AMES, Iowa | I have this little theory that has long served me well. Everything, I believe, is politics. Politics determines whether your children go to school or to jail; whether they eat or starve; whether their futures will improve…
Politics Feb 11 Gwen’s Take: When Sending Signals Matters, When It Doesn’t House Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor strolled out onto the White House lawn after lunch with the president this week to deliver an upbeat and focused message to the reporters gathered there. "I thought it was…
Politics Dec 03 One-Week Wonders: We Pay Attention So You Don’t Have To I have a new theory. Let me know what you think about it. Has it occurred to anyone lately that so many of the things we obsess about turn out to be stories that last for - give or take…
Politics Sep 03 Gwen’s Take: Middle East Peace Talks Then and Now "A great moment of opportunity," she said. "There's a lot of skepticism out there," he said. "But I think there is ground to be hopeful." She was Madeleine Albright, a Democrat and former secretary of state. He was Stephen Hadley,…
Politics Aug 27 Gwen’s Take: Why We Love It When the President Goes Away The president of the United States is on vacation. I am not. It rained for his first three days in Martha's Vineyard. The sun was shining here in Washington. (Tee hee.) Forgive my enjoyment. But it's nice to take a…
Politics Jul 30 Gwen’s Take: Toxic Conversations A few years ago, my friends Mark Halperin, now of Time Magazine, and John Harris, now of Politico, coined the term "freak show" as a catchall for the fever that overtakes those of us in the information gathering business from…
Nation Jul 16 Gwen’s Take: Entering the ‘Twitterverse’ You see, that headline is what I've always hated about Twitter. It's way too cute. But, alas, I have been lured in. My first week on Twitter has been enlightening, funny and a little creepy. You have to understand…
Politics Jul 09 Gwen’s Take: Taking the Candor Challenge Let me let you in on a Washington reality game show -- the ongoing push and pull between journalists and the people they cover. The prize: simple candor. By candor, I don't mean that I expect the people we interview…
Politics Jul 02 Gwen’s Take: Who Knew the Supreme Court Could Be Funny? Perhaps Antonin Scalia has met his match. It is all well and good that the high court's most conservative justice probably disagrees with Elena Kagan on nearly everything involving Constitutional interpretation. But Scalia and Kagan may find far more common…