Political commentator Eleanor Clift's Wednesday lecture at St. Ambrose University is titled "America at a Crossroads - Politics or Partisanship," but many will likely be more interested in inside baseball, particularly considering the unusual uncertainty surrounding the Democratic party's nomination for president.

With Representative Jim Nussle not seeking re-election and running for Iowa governor, Iowa's First Disrict seat in Congress became one of the country's most-watched races.

But with so much attention and money lavished on the race for its national political importance - control of the House of the Representatives could be decided here - there's been much less focus on the candidates and their views.

The Reader recently interviewed Democrat Bruce Braley (an attorney from Waterloo) and Republican Mike Whalen (founder, president, and CEO of Moline-based Heart of America Restaurants & Inns) in five subject areas. The audio from those interviews is available at (http://www.qcspan.com), along with an interview with Pirate candidate James Hill. Independent candidate Albert W. Schoeman of Waterloo is also running.

This year's general election includes the race between incumbent Dennis Conard and former Davenport mayor Phil Yerington for Scott County sheriff. Both candidates boast long-term careers in criminal justice. The sheriff's office has four primary areas of responsibility: jail management, courthouse security, service of all court orders, and rural-community policing.

By far the biggest issue in the Iowa gubernatorial campaign is the state's economy - both economic growth and the budget crunch that's plagued state government. Republican nominee Doug Gross has faulted incumbent Tom Vilsack, a Democrat, for the state's flagging economy, citing a variety of rankings for business health and business climate and noting that surrounding states are growing while Iowa's economy shrinks.