With all the 'fiscal cliff' drama going on in D.C., I have been thinking about cliffs lately.

The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press reported this week that Americans are more upbeat about the war in Iraq than at any time in the last 14 months.

The real story of the 2000 campaign and election will, in the end, be the resilience and patience of the American people. Voters had a hard time choosing in this election, and the results were so painfully close because people (collectively and individually) liked some qualities of both Al Gore and George W. Bush, and they disliked some characteristics of both men.

Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, almost everyone is rethinking his position on almost everything. And that includes the role and performance of the news media.

Supporters of drilling for oil in a sliver of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge have known all along this day would come. They've kept the faith that some day, a majority of Americans would come around to the idea of getting oil out of an area that Congress had already set aside for that purpose.

WASHINGTON - For weeks, nearly every time President Bush has spoken about energy he has re-emphasized his support for drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Remember those crucial voting blocs, the soccer moms of 2000 and the security moms of 2004?