Ask any doctor whether his wife is going to wait until 50 to start mammography, and I will lay down bets on the answer. Should the federal government pay for every woman to do the same? Maybe not. Do I expect my private insurer to do so? Yes.

I really hate defending Sarah Palin. I mean, I don't agree with her on anything. Seeing a woman at her level saying and doing some of the things she says and does is like nails screeching against a blackboard for me.

There's an old saying that hard cases make bad law. The same rule, unfortunately, applies to presidential decisions. Welcome to the president's Afghanistan dilemma.

You've got to hand it to Nancy Pelosi. Love her or hate her — and there are probably more people in the second category than the first — you can't deny the enormity of her accomplishment.

The president's spokesman, contradicting the steady refrain of Republicans, said the results in New Jersey and Virginia had absolutely nothing to do with the president. In a way, that's true, which is not good for Democrats.