To quote Mr. Dickens, they were the best of times and the worst of times. This is Galloway writing "-30-" and farewell to this weekly column after almost seven years and wrapping up half a century in the newspaper business.

From that first day in November of 1959 when Jim Rech, the managing editor of The Victoria (Texas) Advocate, hired me as a reporter to this day when I say my goodbyes I have, with few and momentary exceptions, loved all of it. » read more

Health care reform is on life support now, and it's time to consider pulling the plug and letting it die peacefully.

There was some of that kind of reform in the first bills that began the long journey through the minefields of the U.S. Senate, but a cabal of blue dog Democrats and Republican know-nothings has pulled every tooth. » read more

WEST POINT, N.Y. — Wet snow blankets the Military Academy Cemetery deep enough to discourage my usual trooping of the long, sorrowful line of headstones of those graduates who died in Vietnam.

They fought and died for duty, honor and country, as have so many others of the long gray line who rest here or in Arlington or in other National Cemeteries across this land. » read more

It's traditional to count our blessings at this time of year, but given the general state of affairs and Washington's whole lot of talk and no action, it's hard to get into the holiday spirit.

The national treasury is pretty much empty, and our line of credit with our traditional allies, formerly known as Red China, is drying up. We still have plenty of paper and ink, though, and the Treasury's printing presses are running 24/7 with no sign of a respite. The dollars they crank out are sinking like the Titanic, and gold is at $1,300 an ounce and rising fast. » read more

President Barack Obama has yet to decide where we're going and what we're doing in Afghanistan, but if the flood of leaks this week is any indicator, he at least has decided what he isn't going to do.

He seemingly is unwilling to buy a pig in a poke from any of the players — not from Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan, who wants another 40,000 to 80,000 American troops; not from his own national security wizards who've proffered four different pigs in four different pokes; not from Vice President Joe Biden, who wants to leave the fight to Special Forces and unmanned Predators. » read more