I spent most of the 1990s heavily involved in politics and political campaigns, often working closely with individuals quite active in conservative and Republican Party circles, and became friendly with many of them. Bill Clinton was President during those years, and I never had strong feelings about him one way or the other, agreeing with... Read More

The Russians have a phrase, “the scream of the woodcock.” The phrase is derisory because the woodcock is nature’s ventriloquist, and if you fire your shotgun at the place where the sound comes from,you’ll go hungry. Shoot the woodcock, not the scream, the Russians say. So let’s see if we can’t find a woodcock—just one—in... Read More