If you’ve spent any time watching politics, you know it’s a contact sport—sometimes literally. And after a career spent covering lawmakers arguing, posturing, and occasionally lunging at each other, Mack Callahan figured it was time to put his pen to good use.
A retired political reporter with an encyclopedic knowledge of politics, history, religion, and cultural shifts, Mack has spent decades dissecting the biggest questions of our time. From the halls of government to the complexities of modern life, he’s seen it all: the backroom deals, the performative outrage, the shifting tides of cultural debates, and the age-old conflicts between personal faith and public policy. Now, instead of simply observing, he’s here to offer his expert analysis (or at least some much-needed comic relief) in his new column, Asking for a Friend.
Every week, Mack will take on your burning questions—hypothetical, of course—about politics, public life, religion, and culture. Wondering if there’s a historical precedent for your least favorite politician’s antics? Curious about how faith and policy collide? Need to know whether a heated debate at Thanksgiving dinner can be settled with Supreme Court precedent? Mack has answers—or at least an insightful take with a side of dry wit.
With a career built on understanding the nuances of governance, belief systems, and cultural shifts, Mack brings depth, perspective, and just the right amount of exasperation to every question.
So if you’ve ever had a question but weren’t quite brave enough to ask it yourself, don’t worry—just say you’re asking for a friend.
Have a question for Mack? Send it his way, and you just might see it in the next column.
