FROM THE ARCHIVES

One Year Ago — September 24, 2010

VCI: NBC News Voter Confidence Index

One year ago today, I featured NBC News’ Voter Confidence Index (VCI), a measure of the political climate, which uses a combination of three questions commonly asked in national polls: the president’s job approval rating, the direction of the country (right track / wrong track), and the generic congressional ballot.

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Two Years Ago — September 24, 2009

Chuck Hagel Delivers Eugene J. McCarthy Lecture

Two years ago today, on September 24, 2009, I reported that former that former U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), Distinguished Professor in the Practice of National Governance at Georgetown University, delivered the Third Annual Eugene J. McCarthy Lecture at St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minn., on Wednesday, September 23, 2009. The address was titled after Hagel’s book, America: Our Next Chapter — Tough Questions, Straight Answers.

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Three Years Ago — September 24, 2008

U.S. Drone Down in Pakistan Amid Strains Over Cross-Border Incursions

Afghan police officers look for the belongings of their colleagues at the damaged police post after an explosion in the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2008. (Photo credit: Rafiq Maqbool / AP)

Three years ago today, on September 24, 2008, I reported the downing of a U.S. drone amid strains between the United States and Pakistan over cross-border incursions; the attempted assassination of the Kabul police’s head of criminal investigations in Afghanistan; and security incidents and U.S. casualties in Iraq.