TIME’s photo editors bring you the best pictures of the past week from the Beltway and beyond.
In the ArenaIn the Arena
11 Days Till Iowa: Less Paul
I can’t write about politics without actually hitting the trail and seeing the candidates work, and I’ve learned a lot these past few days in Iowa. (Actually, over the years, I’ve found that I’m better off writing about anything–from inner city schools to the war in Afghanistan–when I go out and experience it directly.) But there are …
Morning Must Reads: Rubes
- Obama won a tactical victory on the payroll tax cut, if not a particularly substantive one.
- Charles Krauthammer thinks Republicans got played.
- The House is poised to pass the two-month deal today.
- Vice President Biden counters Romney in a Des Moines op-ed, implicitly ties him to Bush 43.
Details of Mortgage Servicing Settlement Between Banks and AGs Begin to Emerge
The never-ending negotiations between the 50 state attorneys general (minus a few big ones) and five major banks over penalties and standards for past, present and future mortgage servicing are finally ending, and some details …
Rep. Sensenbrenner Says Michelle Obama Has a ‘Big Butt.’ Really!!?
When a 17-term Republican congressman and former chair of the House Judiciary Committee says the First Lady has a “big butt,” there’s only one way to respond. So with apologies to Seth Myers (and Amy Poehler)…
Really, Jim Sensenbrenner? Really?! While speaking to a constituent–and one who has just expressed her admiration for …
Cornered, House GOP Capitulates on Short-Term Payroll Tax Cut Extension
Updated: 10:13 a.m. Friday
On the fifth day since rank-and-file Republicans bucked a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut, the House GOP finally gave way under pressure. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell gave the …
On the Bus with Romney: Bain, Empathy and Obama
One of Mitt Romney’s challenges in running for President, both in 2008 and this cycle, is that he’s not exactly the most relatable guy. He’s fabulously wealthy, belongs to a religion that less than 2% of Americans share and is essentially selling himself as a technocratic captain of industry, not a share-your-beer-and-your-pain regular …
Morning Must Reads: 2011
- House Republicans are in a right pickle.
- Romney’s PAC continues its bombing campaign against everyone but Paul in Iowa:
[youtube=http://youtu.be/lBg8OtR74qM]
- Ron Paul walks out of CNN interview after being questioned on racist newsletters from the ’90s.
In the Arena2012 Election
Ron Paul Is Not a Politician
Washington, Iowa
I watched Ron Paul deliver his stump speech — to large and loving crowds — twice on Wednesday, and he did a very strange thing for a political front runner. He emphasized the things traditional Republicans …
Perry PAC Accuses Newt of Supervillainous Plot
The Super PAC supporting Rick Perry is airing a new ad bashing Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich in familiar terms. But it does so through a whimsical, old-timey newsreel device which I assume is meant to make the message feel less nasty. The Perry camp is probably mindful of the double-edged sword of going negative–namely that attack ads …
In the ArenaIn the Arena
13 Days Till Iowa: Remember Rick Perry?
Davenport, Iowa
Is it elitist to expect that a candidate for President of the United States have a passing familiarity with the English language? Rick Perry is a mud-track biker when it comes to fluency, slipping and sliding …
“If you can’t stand the heat in this little kitchen, wait until the Obama hell’s kitchen turns up the heat.”