In Freedom's Forge, bestselling author Arthur Herman takes us back to that time, revealing how two extraordinary American businessmen-automobile magnate William Knudsen and shipbuilder Henry J. Kaiser-helped corral, cajole, and inspire business leaders across the country to mobilize the "arsenal of democracy" that propelled the Allies to victory in World War II.

Fighting terrorism is a noble cause, but the laws we pass must have some real link to solving the problem.

60 Minutes and gun-control groupsmay beusing terrorism as an excuse to promote rules that they previously pushed.

When the federal assault-weapons ban expired last September, its fans claimed that gun crimeswould surge.Eight months later,the only casualty has been gun-controllers' credibility.

Pundits have lately been comparing Barack Obama to Jimmy Carter, suggesting he is a likely loser in 2012. It's always helpful to be reminded that early polls may not be predictive and that opinion can change, as was the case when Truman won in 1948 and when Carter lost in 1980. But we should also keep in mind that today's polls are better and more frequent than they were 63 years ago.

Doing a better job of providing accessible, high-quality training, and helping students identify those programs, may not garner the headlines of a new research lab or football stadium, but it's a whole lot more likely to make a difference for workers and communities across the land.

How much should we compromise freedom to combat the threat of terrorism?

Has one of our two major parties ever had a weaker field of presidential candidates in a year when its prospects for victory seemed so great? My answer, after hemming and hawing a bit, was yes: the Democratic party in 1932.