In pondering the question of how to measure the recovery of a city, we realize that one’s response depends upon one’s perspective. It is clear that race and place greatly determine personal ability to recover from Hurricane Katrina and color a personal view of recovery. Communities least affected by the storm tend to have larger percentages of white residents. These communities are also more likely to describe the recovery as satisfactory. While these areas received less damage, they have also benefited the most from federal dollars for recovery. Flood insurance claims were larger, leading to a large concentration of hazardous mitigation dollars flowing into these areas. Because of this, these areas are well on the way to a full recovery.

Ezra Klein: One of the things that's very striking about the Obama campaign is that, less so for Carter but certainly for Clinton, there was a tension between the presidential campaign and the party itself. That had to do with the times, certainly, and the toxicity of the issue environment. But also, I don't want to get into the whole triangulation argument, but even in 1992 when he's a New Democrat, and sort of keeping it at arms length, "I'm a little bit different," and "there were reforms that needed to happen." That hasn't so much been the operating mode of the Obama campaign.

See related article, No Art for Oil by Kriston Capps

How will the proposed drilling specifically affect Spiral Jetty?

Lynn de Freitas: This is a very intrusive kind of presence -- for the viewshed, for the landscape due to that sense of noise and light and dust -- that has far-reaching implications. To the extent that the visual impact is great or subtle, it's there, and what we don't know is what it will be like when drilling begins. What we also don't know but can probably presume is that, if this phase of exploration goes forward, there will be other leases that come forward for approval to drill.

Although the gaming industry has long been a major campaign contributor, this year's early Nevada caucuses hauled it into the political theater and flooded it with neon light. Sen. Barack Obama, who won the endorsement of the casino workers' union -- but not necessarily the votes -- was challenged to declare his support for gaming. To demonstrate her commitment to the industry, Senator Clinton assembled a Nevada Business Coalition comprised largely of casino CEOs and stakeholders.

Editor's Note: On Wednesday, Linda Hirshman panned many of the stories in our current "Mother Load" special report. Below, some of the authors respond to her criticism, particularly about the role of fathers.

March 14: Linda Hirshman