The assumption that seeing is believing makes us susceptible to visual deceptions

Neither candidate has found a compelling argument that knocks out the other or is decisive for their candidacy. It's like when there's parity in commercial products. After you've thrown everything at the other side, you bring in everything else you can and try to give this the standing of a national contest.

I find this more troubling than deception in the political campaigns. The level of misunderstanding and the consequences of misunderstanding can be much more dramatic. If we don't hold the right people accountable and the right processes accountable, we'll risk having another catastrophe without real preparedness, and more people will die needlessly.

As our country grapples with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the death of Chief Justice William Rehnquist, Constitution Day offers young people an opportunity to learn how a cornerstone of our democracy -- the concept of federalism -- shapes our lives.

As our country grapples with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the death of Chief Justice William Rehnquist, Constitution Day offers young people an opportunity to learn how a cornerstone of our democracy -- the concept of federalism -- shapes our lives,

We shouldn't call winners or losers immediately after a debate. Those calls have been useless as a guide to what really matters. . . . What matters is what the press focuses on.