The James Logan Courier

McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)

The following editorial appeared in the Chicago Tribune on Wednesday, Aug. 27:

A group of 120 college presidents is pushing to lower the drinking age to 18, in an effort to curb binge drinking on campus. They've got an impressive name, the Amethyst Initiative, named after the ancient Greek words that mean "not intoxicated."

These college leaders hope that a lower drinking age will encourage more responsible drinking. They also think it will cut the excessive, furtive, forbidden thrill of drinking — "pregaming," in kidspeak — before a frat party or other public appearance. But we think these top academics forgot their Econ 101. Legalizing something generally invites more indulgence, not less.

Yes, binge drinking is widespread, entrenched and pernicious. And that is surely frustrating for college officials. But their strategy reeks of surrender.

By Dick Polman
The Philadelphia Inquirer (MCT)

Whenever I hear the '08 presidential candidates voicing despair about the U.S. economy and talking about how they're going to cure its ills, I remember the gut wisdom of Dave Vasvari.

During a stump speech by John Kerry in Youngstown, Ohio, in 2004, I fell into conversation with Vasvari, a hard-hat electrician. At that moment, Kerry was vowing to cure our economic ills, and Vasvari snorted an inch from my ear. He said, "This is all just showboatin'. See this guy right here? You think he can do anything about (the economy)? The economy runs on its own cycles, no matter who's in there."

McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)

The following editorial appeared in the Chicago Tribune on Friday, Aug. 1:

The Olympics in Beijing promise to be a stirring spectacle, assuming the air pollution clears. This will be China's moment to shine, and we're girding for hour upon hour of televised coverage of some of our favorite Olympic sports. The competition, as always, will be intense. And we don't just mean in front of the camera.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)

The following editorial appeared in the Miami Herald on Sunday, Aug. 3:

Put together a lame-duck president, a lame-duck Congress, an election year, two wars and an incipient recession and what you get is the current mess in Washington. And what a mess it is. While more Americans lose their jobs and the economy stalls, Democrats and Republicans — and the president, too — join hands in an apparent effort to see who can pull off the silliest political antics.

By Les Payne
Newsday (MCT)

If elected president, Sen. John McCain promises to stage a news conference every week, a singular horror that, of itself, should be enough to doom his chances.

This McCain threat shows no mercy for his staff, which trails this creaky circus doing what the man with the shovel does for the elephant. "Being human and tripping over your tongue occasionally doesn't mean a thing," said one top official for the GOP nominee. By contrast, McCain dismissed his opponent's verbal appeal last week as Sen. Barack Obama blitzed the Middle East and Europe, smooth-talking 200,000 in Berlin.

Time and again, McCain staffers must return to his messes and explain what their boss meant to say. In addition to the verbal slips, even in his so-called areas of expertise, McCain rolls out his thoughts with a disquieting inexactitude.