Opinion

Amid the post-mortems of the four-day, 15-vote marathon to elect Kevin McCarthy House speaker, I remind readers of the headline of my Nov. 30 column, “Kevin McCarthy, a Republican Leader for Complex Times.”

WASHINGTON -- A full House for four days and four nights felt like 40 in the political wilderness. Pumping his fist like a frat bro, California Republican Rep.

Today is the 12th day of 2023 and the 23rd day of winter. T ODAY’S HISTORY: In 1915, the U.S.

Dear Annie: My husband and I have been married for almost 29 years. We have three grown children, two granddaughters and a third grandchild on the way. My dilemma is that although we have been married so long, we have had more downs than ups, especially this past year.

Joe Biden has done so many things well -- saving Ukraine, confronting China, signing a bipartisan gun control bill. And in a week of right-wing crazytown, he stood out as a comforting keeper of stability, But there’s one thing he hasn’t gotten right: curbing the chaos at the border. The problem isn’t just the policies themselves, which are a mixed bag. It’s the messaging. It’s the air of apology when he does something real to stop illegal border crossing. He seems afraid to displease some progressives in his party who think anyone poor should get in.

I grew up in a household with parents who were of the Greatest Generation. They lived and shouldered through the Great Depression, and then their lives and families were thrown into turmoil on Dec. 7, 1941. My grandfather worked for the War Department in Washington, D.C., and during World War II, my father served in the Pacific Theater.

WASHINGTON -- Norman Mailer once told me that the American people respect an eminence merely for growing old. I believe he was right, and as I am growing older, I am even counting on it.

Dear Readers: Many of you were touched by the husband “Anonymous,” who wrote a letter about the loss of his wife to the disease of alcoholism. She is still alive, but the woman he married was a different person than the one who is an alcoholic. Most recommended Al-Anon, a spin-off from Alcoholics Anonymous that focuses on helping people who are suffering because of a loved one’s drinking problem. Here is just a sampling of letters in support of Al-Anon, which I heartily support:

Today is the 10th day of 2023 and the 21st day of winter. T ODAY’S HISTORY: In 1776, Thomas Paine published his pro-independence pamphlet “Common Sense,” which quickly sold some 100,000 copies.