Continuing the backward look at Presidential elections past, we're taking a stop at the 1984 Democratic Primaries and this interview by Leslie Stahl with Democratic Presidential hopefuls Alan Cranston and Gary Hart on the eve of the New Hampshire Primary.

This broadcast of Face The Nation from February 27, 1984 covers a number of subjects, among them; Cranston's age (69 at the time), Jesse Jackson's slips-of-tongue, Gary Hart's 16% showing in Iowa and his surge in the polls before New Hampshire, Foreign Policy, Republicans in general - who will be left standing after Tuesday in particular.

Politics in 1984. 28 years and another planet later . . .

A significant day in history, but one that was moving so fast we didn't appreciate it at the time.

On February 7, 1990 sweeping changes were taking place in the Soviet Union, almost hourly and predominating the news of the day. As Mikhail Gorbachev repealed Article 6 in the Communist Party platform, making way for a multi-party system and Democracy to replace the old Communist system of government. Everyone was in favor, except for one - Boris Yeltsin, regarded by most as a maverick politician. The news was greeted in the West with enthusiasm, although President Bush quickly rushed to claim at least partial credit for the changes. Ironically, he also called for increased spending of the Star Wars Defense system, which baffled everyone, including Central Committee Member Georgi Abatov who said:

"I think you are, you Americans, not yet prepared to live without an enemy. You just don't know what to do without an enemy".

True, that. And still true, some 20 years later.

In other news - Vaclav Havel was scheduled to arrive in Washington for a visit and address a joint session of Congress. Jesse Jackson was scheduled to arrive in Johannesburg South Africa, continuing his call for an end to Apartheid and the release of Nelson Mandela. Schools in Selma Alabama were closed on this day, as racial tensions rose and black marched in protest to the recent dismissal of black School Superintendent Norbert Rousseau by a mostly white Board of Education.

The State Department was up to its eyeballs in scandal as it suspended employee Felix Bloch on spy charges. Chicago was minus 20 organized crime figures as the DOJ did a sweep and handed out indictments like party favors.

And a study found the majority of high school students had no idea about geography or even where they were on the map. The good news was 87% could find Canada - but that was about it.

And we were now The Big Kids Left Standing.

And so went this particular day in history as reported by CBS Radio and The World Tonight along with Special Reports and a word or two from Dan Rather.

By all accounts a normal day, this May 17th in 1988. There was a dramatic decline in the Trade deficit and stock markets throughout Europe broke out in waves of giddy. Even our own Stock Market rose 10 points over the news. Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, debate was girding its overblown loins for ratification of the INF Treaty and Conservative Republicans were threatening fits and tirades. Edwin Meese fired spokesman Terry Eastland and circles in the State Department thought it was Meese who needed to be fired.

Since it was election year, news was crowded with the horse race known as Primaries and the one in Oregon had Michael Dukakis and Jesse Jackson sprinting to the wire. A recently released CBS/New York Times Poll had George Bush trailing Michael Dukakis by 10 points if the election were held on that particular Tuesday.

On the world front - The Honduran Ambassador was arrested on Cocaine possession charges. South African Bishop Desmond Tutu called for an Isolation Campaign against the apartheid government of South Africa. Pope John Paul II was on a 12 day Latin American visit and exchanged finger wagging on Human Rights violations with Paraguayan Strongman General Alfredo Stroessner, whose miserable record of Human Rights earned the ire of the Vatican and whose Papal criticism earned the ire of Stroessner.

And it was the 1-year anniversary of the bombing of the USS Stark by an Iraqi jet.

Not thrill-packed, but dramatic nonetheless. Here is the CBS World News Roundup for May 17,1988 (A Tuesday).

On this day 21 years ago, President Bush (Sr.) visited Colombia amidst one of the most massive displays of security in recent memory. Well . . .the subject was drugs. Meanwhile back in the States - the drug trial of former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry was underway with promises of its fair share of revelations and surprises. In South Africa, Jesse Jackson visited with Nelson Mandela in Soweto to discuss the new South Africa, while the rest of the country was wondering what the ANC was planning on doing. And in Tajikistan, ethnic rioting was continuing with bombings of newspaper offices and a rising death toll all reported on the CBS World News Roundup for February 15, 1990.

A typical day. And there was probably paradise to be had somewhere in all of it.

And today . . . . .?