The phrase “October Surprise” has a long history in American politics.  It refers to that event, policy, or government statement that changes everything in advance of the famous “first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.”  That was the Founders’ quaint way of describing Election Day. One famous example of an October Surprise was the announcement on October 26, 1972 by National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger that “we believe that peace is at hand” in the long, drawn out negotiations to end American involvement in the Vietnam War.  President Nixon was headed to a landslide victory that year against the hapless Democratic presidential nominee, Sen. George McGovern (SD).  But the Kissinger statement seemed to most observers to “put the election on ice.”  Twelve days after Kissinger’s statement, Richard Nixon carried every state except Massachusetts.  He even carried McGovern’s own...(Read Full Article)