After a youth spent immersed in the romance of The People, with the populist movement of the 1890s and the united front of the 1930s among my favorite periods in American history, I’ve come to have grave doubts about populism over the past 30 years. No, it’s actually been longer than that: If you read [...]
TIME’s photo editors bring you the best pictures of the past week from the Beltway and beyond.
Last night’s debate was particularly fraught for Newt Gingrich, but I don’t know if it was for good or ill. Will Iowans remember him fumbling around trying to rationalize his $1.6 million relationship with Freddie Mac in the first half of the debate…or will they remember the red-meat eloquence of his second-half answers about the [...]
Last night’s Fox News debate in Iowa was a far more complicated thing than previous sessions. Most of the candidates had nice moments, Newt Gingrich had some tough ones. I have no idea how it will impact the race. But there were 4 moments, 4 answers to questions posed by the rigorous Fox News moderators, [...]
When we suggested Thursday that it might be nice if people toned down their political rhetoric for awhile over the end of the U.S. military’s role in Iraq, we didn’t have President Obama in mind. Turns out, we should have.
We all have verbal tics, my friends (as John McCain might say). And with the proliferation of speeches, interviews and debates that campaigns entail, the verbal proclivities of politicians are bound to make themselves apparent in an election year. From Newt Gingrich’s pedantry to Mitt Romney’s waffling, here’s a breakdown of the 2012 candidates’ most [...]
So Mitt Romney just won the endorsement of South Carolina governor Nikki Haley. Clearly a big deal, right? Newt Gingrich is beating him by 17 points in the latest poll out of the state, which could be a crucial barometer of conservative sentiment if Newt hangs onto his vaporous lead in Iowa and Romney cruises [...]
My reaction is similar to Andrew Sullivan’s, though I wasn’t as close to Christopher as Andrew was. Hitch and I had several memorable–to me, at least–sparring sessions. When we debated in England, just before 9/11, he attacked me from the left. When we debated in America, after 9/11, he attacked me from the right. His [...]
Congress funds the government for the rest of FY 2012 without a shutdown. Nikki Haley returns the favor of Mitt Romney’s early endorsement. His lead is comfortable again in New Hampshire. Romney gets moral in Iowa.
Correction appended, 12:04pm The new internet era of politics has changed a lot of things about the way Presidents go about their daily lives. A stray comment captured on tape can instantly ricochet and cause havoc. Post-9/11 security concerns combined with the ability to find detailed information about virtually any location has made the already challenging [...]
