An editorial / By Dale McFeatters , Scripps Howard News Service

The dirty little secret about the numerous films and TV shows set in Washington, D.C., is that few of them are shot there, even though the capital city would love to have them, residents are star-struck enough to love having them around and the city needs the dollars they generate.

Saul Alinsky never met Barack Obama. The activist died suddenly of a heart attack at age 63 in California when the future president was 11 and living in Hawaii. Yet, GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich works tirelessly to link their names, probably to the confusion of his audiences, many of whom probably have no idea who Alinsky was.

Make no mistake: The economy is recovering, just not as fast as anybody, including the Federal Reserve Board, would like. We still may be three to four years away from anything that looks like a full recovery.

Mainstream Republicans had to be dismayed by Monday's candidate debate in Tampa, Fla.

Although Rick Santorum and Ron Paul say they're in the GOP's nominating race for the duration, they are increasingly nonfactors, leaving Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich to savage each other for the front-runner's spot.

Traditionally, nations have been defined by geographic boundaries, common ethnic and linguistic heritage, subjugation into larger political entities or even accidents of history.

Christmas was controversial from the moment it arrived in the New World with the first European settlers. And, despite the intervening four centuries, it has intermittently remained so ever since.

No one expects challengers in a U.S. presidential race to present realistic economic plans. Promise them anything, their campaign consultants advise. On that score, GOP frontrunner Newt Gingrich's tax reform plan exceeds expectations.

Give the House Republicans a nonissue, a bill that is going nowhere and that addresses a nonexistent problem and a vote that doesn't matter and you've got a tough, hard-fighting bunch of lawmakers on your hands.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who have emerged as the two most dynamic leaders in dealing with the European debt crisis, have their work cut out for them at the European summit at the end of this week.

OK, maybe this theory is a conspiracy too far, but Congress seems bent on abolishing Friday, at least in the sense of it being the last workday before the weekend.