All Blog Posts from Couric & Co.

Greg Kandra is a writer for the CBS Evening News. He's also a Roman Catholic deacon for the Diocese of Brooklyn, N.Y.

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The first question my wife and I asked ourselves: what do you wear to a papal mass at Yankee Stadium?

A few weeks ago, when the deacons of Brooklyn were offered tickets to this big event, that seemed to be the most pressing issue. Jacket? Tie? Comfortable shoes? What if the weather was bad? In the end, we went for “Typical Sunday Catholic” – nice, casual, with shoes built for a lot of walking. It turned out to be a good move. When we arrived at the stadium Sunday morning at 10 a.m., there was a lot of walking. And waiting. And lines. It was like being at Disney World, but without the tropical sunshine and characters with big plastic heads. The weather was unexpectedly cool – brisk, in fact, up in the loge, where we sat – and I kept muttering over and over “I wish I’d brought gloves.”

I killed time by browsing the souvenir stands – which were jammed. They had two young women working one window with 40 or 50 people waiting. I got in line to buy a $20 tee shirt and some rosaries. It was nearly a half an hour before I got to the window. The girl on the other side sighed. “This is worse than a Yankees game,” she said. “Yeah,” I chirped. “But we’re a lot nicer, aren’t we?” She laughed.

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Greg Kandra is a writer for the CBS Evening News. He's also a Roman Catholic deacon for the Diocese of Brooklyn, N.Y.

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Watching Pope Benedict step out of his limousine this morning and wave to the thousands cheering on the White House South Lawn, one thought crossed my mind: What would my grandparents think?

They were immigrants from Austria-Hungary (later known as Czechoslovakia) who settled in the hills of northeastern Pennsylvania, where my grandfather spent most of his life deep under the earth, mining coal. Their English was spotty, and their education slim. I don’t think my grandfather ever graduated high school. Together they raised five children in a rickety wooden row house not far from the coal mines. All the Hungarians and Poles and Slovaks clustered in one corner of the town. I don’t know that I’d call it a Catholic ghetto – but it was definitely off the beaten path.

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Veteran political reporters will tell you: a lot of time on the campaign trail is spent in transit. Shuttling from event to event like so much cattle. Over at the From the Road politics blog, Dean Reynolds has some impressions of what it's like traveling with the Obama campaign through Iowa:

I've been riding campaign buses since 1972, and I've always thought of them as a great way to see the country, to ride those backroads most Americans never take.

This time of year, with the temperature in the teens, the senses seem more acute perhaps because the air is so bracing.

But look at the farms! The barns seem redder, the cows browner set off against the whiter-than-white backdrop. Someone painstakingly built that frozen fence over there. Somebody will ford that icy stream over there to gather his livestock.

Someone bailed that hay lying in frozen circular bundles. Someone set out the stream of decorations that are a feature of most little towns in this state, the holiday lights binding people together as one.

Check out the blog for the rest. And you'll also find a lot more colorful details there about what the campaign reporters are seeing in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Sharyl Attkisson in Washington has a First Look at her story for tonight on how a lot of veterans are being short-changed by charities.

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In First Look, Jeff Glor previews his story for tonight's Evening News about the deadly bombings in South Iraq.

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For today's First Look, Katie previews the devastating ice storms that have affected tens of thousands around the country.

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Dean Reynolds has the First Look at tonight's campaign coverage, with a preview of his Evening News story about Barack Obama and one of his supporters -- you may have heard of her -- Oprah.

Click the video link for more.

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Last week on 60 Minutes, Scott Pelley reported on the serious persecution Christians are facing in Iraq.

This weekend, the AP reported on what might be the flip side of that story: a mass celebrated in Baghdad by the newly elevated cardinal, and attended by about 200 people:

Under heavy guard and broadcast live on Iraqi state television, the service was capped by a handshake from a visiting Shiite imam—a symbolic show of unity between Iraq's majority Muslim sect and its tiny Christian community.

Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, leader of the ancient Chaldean Church, celebrated the two-hour Mass three weeks after Pope Benedict XVI elevated him to the top ranks of the Roman Catholic hierarchy.

Delly presided over other services this week in Baghdad and the northern Kurdish city of Irbil, spreading his message of unity and forgiveness among Iraq's Christians.

"We are of one family, everyone should work for the progress of this country," he said during his sermon.

The frequent target of Islamic extremists, Iraq's Christians have been forced to flee by the tens of thousands or to isolate themselves in barricaded neighborhoods if they choose to remain.

"We pray today for the sake of each other and to forgive each other, as well to be directed to do good deeds," Delly said. "That is my demand for the Iraqis, moreover I urge the return home for displaced people and immigrants to their ancestral land..."

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There are barely 15 shopping days left until Christmas. But for Iowa voters, there may be even fewer days to shop around and choose their candidates for president.

Over at Horserace, Vaughn Ververs explains:

For practical purposes, this could be the last full week for the candidates to begin delivering their closing arguments in the state.

Barack Obama appears to have already begun that process, using appearances by Oprah Winfrey in three early primary states to hammer home his message of "change." For all the words spoken at rallies before tens of thousands of potential voters over the weekend, it can all be summed up with this simple statement she delivered in Columbia, South Carolina: "I'm sick of politics as usual. We need Barack Obama."

Hillary Clinton, aided by her husband and a new ad beginning today, will counter with her message of experience. John Edwards an 8-day "Main Street Express" bus tour throughout the Iowa, where he maintains a strong organizational presence. Joe Biden gets into the act, as he will reportedly launch a $1 million ad campaign this week. Mitt Romney will try to regain his footing and Mike Huckabee will try to hang on in Iowa.

Closing arguments usually wait for the last week of the campaign, but with the crunch of the holiday season looming, we may be close to the time where all the ads and campaign events in the world won't be effective. Starting next week, people all over the country will begin their holidays in earnest. Last-minute shopping, travel, family, and all that goes along with this time of year will take precedence over politics. Or so the betting goes. By the time America pushes itself away from the table this season, the voting in Iowa will be well under way.

Check out the rest of Vaughn's post for more.

And happy shopping.

Steve Hartman previews his Assignment America for tonight, on the aptly named Camp Hope.

Click the video link for more.