41.   And he came home from Vietnam doubting politics could make a difference.

42.   Baby boomers such as myself was used to getting caught in a quagmire of Vietnam where politics made decisions more than the military sometimes.

43.   Bragg, a Brit whose leftist politics made him a natural choice, enlisted American alt-country rockers Wilco for a bit of red clay and twang.

44.   But politics makes strange bedfellows, particularly in post-communist eastern Europe.

45.   Former Alabama coach Bill Curry thinks behind-the-scenes politics make it more likely that someone with ties to Alabama would be more likely to flourish as head coach.

46.   He said he quit because politics made it impossible to do his job.

47.   Politics also makes the arms market a volatile business.

48.   But the ability to keep a faction together in this Horn of Africa nation where clan politics make those of Byzantium appear simple depends on years of experience.

49.   Politics makes for strange bedfellows, but the detente between the ex-communists and Catholic Church has surprised many.