With the U.S. Democratic presidential hopefuls nearing the end of their battle for delegates and U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona – the presumptive Republican nominee – hosting prominent political friends at his home recently, how could the nation avoid being abuzz over vice-presidential possibilities?
Many people have been sending their recommendations directly to me, in [...]

To unify Democrats, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois – should he secure the party’s nomination – will have to offer U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York the vice presidency. And that combination, though improbable, would be the party’s dream team. On the Republican side, the strongest running mate for U.S. Sen. John McCain [...]

WASHINGTON — More than two centuries after America’s first president, George Washington, dramatically freed his personal slaves, President George W. Bush grapples with the issue of involuntarily subjugated people. So will his successor, which leads me to ask:
Will human trafficking, as it is now known, ever end? Equally important, does anyone care?

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – In 1799, George Washington, America’s first president, personally took an important but still-debated step against one of the most despicable practices in human society: slavery.

When I wrote about presidential dream tickets nearly a year ago, with U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona leading Republicans and U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois as the No. 2 for Democrats, criticism rained from many directions.
“There is no way McCain will be the Republican nominee,” hundreds of people said. “Obama does not have [...]

The campaign for the U.S. presidency finally has veered in a more interesting direction. On a daily basis since Super Tuesday, dozens of people have contacted me to express similar thoughts. Especially on the Democratic side, the contest has turned into a real competition.
To generate even more appeal, the candidates in both parities – and [...]

After listening to U.S. presidential wannabes debate – and I use that word loosely, because I have yet to hear a real one in this campaign – and otherwise discuss key issues, I have a pressing piece of advice:
It’s foreign policy, stupid. And we hear too little about it.

Stephen Wayne, a Georgetown University expert on the American presidency, has written 11 books, including The Road to the White House. As part of his research on the 2008 presidential-nomination process, Wayne is conducting an evaluation of U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, a Democrat from New York. He discussed his preliminary assessment with foreign-affairs columnist [...]

Col. (ret.) Lawrence B. Wilkerson, who was former Secretary of State Colin Powell’s chief of staff from 2002-2005, currently teaches at The College of William & Mary. He shared his recommendations for the next U.S. president with foreign-affairs columnist John C. Bersia.

Thomas Mann, a specialist on campaigns and elections, is a senior fellow in governance studies and holder of the W. Averell Harriman Chair at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. He discussed developments in the U.S. presidential campaign with foreign-affairs columnist John C. Bersia.