Little more than 36 hours after finishing first in the New Hampshire primary with 33% of the vote, Paul Tsongas was flying halfway across America for what he thought would be a campaign speech to the South Dakota legislature. There was one small problem: his staff had forgotten to tell the former Massachusetts Senator that the speech had been scrubbed in favor of a visit to the stockyards and a meeting with a newspaper editorial board. Stunned to learn from a reporter about the abrupt change in plans, Tsongas asked, "Where am I going tomorrow?"
Tsongas' befuddlement over his schedule can...