In the Arena by Joe Klein

Hiding Behind the General

Bush has made Petraeus the arbiter of Iraq policy when it should be set by the President

The General vs. the Ambassador

Are the U.S. military and diplomatic leaders in Iraq on the same page? We won't know until Petraeus and Crocker testify before Congress

The Next War in Iraq

The final outcome will depend on the Shi'ites fighting it out. There's little the U.S. can do but stand by

Romney's Edge

Nervous Republicans may prefer a squeaky-clean Mormon to a pro-choice New Yorker on his third marriage

Political Pariahs

How did the most powerful moderate group in the country get shunted aside? The activists took over

Joe Biden's Quest

You'd think the guy who has devoted his campaign to Iraq would be rewarded. That's not how it works

Bush's July Surprise for Iraq

The President is trying to fend off a Republican rebellion over the war. But broad-brush propaganda may not work this time

Beware the Bloggers' Bile

Liberal pundits are now as enraged as their foes. That may be a problem for the Democrats

Mitt Romney's Disappointing Campaign

Mitt Romney moves like a man on a mission--but without a shred of courage or conviction

There's Good News from Iraq

Al-Qaeda is in retreat. But that success may only lead to more violence between Shi'ites and Sunnis

How Rudy Won the Second Debate

He came across as forceful and elegantly deflected the attacks from the other Republicans

Hillary's Quandary on the Campaign

Clinton knows more about natonal security than any other Democrat in the 2008 presidential race. But will that matter?

Getting Around Bush

The President won't budge on Iraq. Here's an ingenious way the Democrats can get him to compromise

Ehud Olmert's Moment

With poll ratings at rock bottom, Israel's PM could make a grand gesture toward a Middle East breakthrough. Don't hold your breath

The Second Commandment Republicans

Mike Huckabee is more interested in salvation than condemnation. And that's exactly why he irks people in his party

Joe Klein: How the GOP Lost Its Way

"Stop moping around," former Governor Jeb Bush told an audience of conservatives convened by the National Review in Washington last weekend. That wasn't quite fair. The wingers weren't exactly moping...."

The Democrats' New Western Stars

Joe Klein looks at the Democratic revival in the Rocky Mountains, where a raft of colorful candidates are winning over independents — and even some Republicans

Why They're Both Running Against Bill

Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will make their presidential intentions known in the next few weeks. They're probably running--but with greater reservations than you might imagine. These...

Good General, Bad Mission

Gen. David Petraeus helped write the book on counterinsurgency tactics. But now, says Joe Klein, the man overseeing Bush's Iraq surge has a near impossible task

The Teddy Awards: 2006

Kofi Annan and Al Gore are just two of the public figures who deserve to be singled out this year for making their mark

Can We Improve on Affirmative Action?

The Supreme Court appears set to roll back racial preferences. But there may be better ways to achieve racial diversity

The Absurdity of it All

Bush's summit with al-Maliki had all the makings of a dramatic turning point. Instead it was a farce.

Inadvertent Wisdom from George H.W. Bush

As his father indirectly acknowledged, the President is about to be deluged by advice on Iraq. But the best counsel shouldn't be how to "win" but how to withdraw creatively

What Baker Should Tell Bush

The memo that the former Secretary of State and co-chair of the Iraq Study Group ought to send to the President

The Year the Democrats Punched Back

This time around, when the GOP campaign turned nasty, the Dems were ready and waiting

If You Break it, You Pay For It, Mr. President

Bush hits the campaign trail stumping for two troubled candidates just as Iraq and his Republican Party seem to be falling apart simultaneously

When Loyalty Trumps Truth

The House of Bush is a feudal operation, except when it's an Oedipal one

Iraq? Who Cares! Say, Is Your Mom Jewish?

Jim Webb's Iraq argument is flawed, but what scenario isn't? It should be the centerpiece of a serious national debate. But we remain a nation befogged by affluence and voyeurism

In Pennsylvania, it's the Admiral Vs. the Firefighter

A key Congressional battle pits two local boys against each other. The Republican, a former volunteer fire chief, has been in power for 20 years but now faces a formidable candidate 

The Middle Is a Bad Place to Be

How do we restore some balance to American politics? That question is at the heart of the 2006 congressional election

What Bush Should Have Said

An alternative speech for a president seeking support on Iraq

Running Against the Big Shots

Is there room left in the Senate for a courageous moderate Republican? Not if Steve Laffey, who wants to oust Lincoln Chafee in Rhode Island, has anything to say about it

Three Cheers for Triangulation

What Lieberman's primary defeat means

Even Churchill Couldn't Figure Out Iraq

The Bush Administration has created such a mess in Iraq that despairing military strategists are talking about drastic, flawed measures such as taking sides or partitioning Baghdad

Lieberman's Last Stand

The Connecticut Senator's almost saintly civility may be coming back to haunt him on Iraq

The Iran Factor

The new crisis in the Middle East shows how a major consequence of Bush's disastrous foreign policy has been an emboldened Tehran

The Democrats' New Populism

The best symbol of how the party hopes to take back the Senate this year may be Montana candidate Jon Tester's flattop

What the Democrats Could Say About Iraq

The only way to turn the tide is to make counterinsurgency operations, which require both patience and person-to-person skills, the military's highest priority

Why Bush Is (Still) Winning the War at Home

Can the Democrats Handle a Heretic?

Senate candidate Jim Webb's campaign will help determine whether Democrats can become a majority party once more

Barack Obama Isn't Not Running for President

Since baby boomers haven't proved very adept at running the show, it may be time for a new generation of leadership.

Bush Is Smart on the Border — and the G.O.P. Isn't

With their get-tough-on-immigrants stance, Republicans have blown an opportunity to guarantee a GOP majority in perpetuity

A Mea Culpa, Sorta

My TV comments on nukes were wrong, and the liberal bloggers are right — up to a point

Pssst! Who's behind the decline of politics? [Consultants.]

Our Eyes Are Open. Now What?

What options does the U.S. have left?

Iraq-War Vets: The Democrats' Newest Weapon

Almost all of the Iraq veterans running for Congress as Democrats are in a tough, high-profile fight against a Republican

It's Economic Security, Stupid

America needs a sober discussion on economic freedom and economic security

Bush's Broken Political Antenna

In the face of growing public discontent with his policies, Bush is sounding airy and out of touch

Cheney's Thousand-Yard Stare

Did the Vice President's behavior exhibit a disdain for accountability or a reaction to emotional trauma?

Will Someone Please Lend This Guy a Hand?

With a new Iraqi government being formed soon, how much power will the Sunnis be given?

A Bush Without Boldness

In his State of the Union speech, Bush called for cutting our Middle Eastern oil imports; then came a retreat

Democracy, the Morning After

Joe Klein on the easy rhetoric and hard realities of spreading democracy in an unstable region

It's Easy to Be Hard and Hard to Be Smart

In an Ohio Democratic primary an amateur's bluster squares off against an old political pro

How to Stay Out of Power

Why liberal democrats are playing too fast and too loose with issues of war and peace

When Hollywood Gets Terrorism Right

Are war shows affecting the public's view of the real war on terrorism?

Why Washington Is Playing with Fire

These are not clever times in Washington

The Republican Who Thinks Big on Health Care

Governor Mitt Romney's gamble for Massachusetts

Think Twice About a Pullout

Will a withdrawal increase the threat of another terrorist attack at home?

Why the Democrats Are Happy Warriors

The party tries to move forward with five big ideas

The Perils of the Permanent Campaign

Can the public live with an adminstration that is cutting corners and ignoring the details?

Searching for Saviors in Strange Places

Could Ahmad Chalabi end up running Iraq?

How Bush Should Renovate the West Wing

With 1,200 days left in office, the President needs a Grand New Policy Proposal to take the focus off his second term slump

Let's Have an Antipoverty Caucus

Katrina and Rita offer a chance to rethink societal strategies

Listen to What Katrina Is Saying

The latest natural disaster to hit the Gulf Coast has a message for the entire U.S.

The Danger of Yellow Ribbon Patriotism

Why Cindy Sheehan's Crawford war vigil spurred a long-awaited dialogue on Iraq

Stop Trying to Spin the Iraq War

The Bush Administration needs to stop fighting its critics and figure out how to fight the war

Staying—and Overstaying—the Course

Bush's perseverance can be admirable, but it's time to rethink Iraq

Which Brand Would You Buy?

In the marketplace of politics, two new choices are being tested

Iran's Pragmatic Face

Did Iran benefit most from Bush's Middle East Policy?

Hillary in 2008? No Way!

Why the former First Lady should stay in the Senate

The Perils of Hands-On Diplomacy

An ambitious energy-independence campaign would be boldness of a sort that George W. Bush usually loves

The Blair Legacy: Not Exactly Piffle

Tony Blair's campaign is an odd combination of success and unpopularity

The Next Foreign Headache

The next major hurdle to clear in the Middle East is a Palestinian State

A New Idea for Democrats: Democracy

In focusing too much on the legal process, the party is in danger of losing the people

The Reform Action Figure

Schwarzenegger is going to war against the special interest groups that dominate the Democratic majority in the statehouse.

The Creative Stubbornness of Harry Reid

The Senate Democratic leader keeps the GOP in check

Look Who Has a Shot at the Nobel Peace Prize

If, and it's a big if, Arab democracy flowers, George Bush deserves it

Appointment in Damascus

TIME columnist Joe Klein on the Syrian troop withdrawal and President Assad

The Camel That Came in Second

Anti-terrorism and democracy in Saudi Arabia

The Blink Presidency

Bush's supporters would argue that his instincts seem to be paying off

The Incredible Shrinking Democrats

State of the Union heckling showed desperate state of the Dems

The End of Rose-Petal Fantasies

A less peremptory, more conservative U.S. foreign policy could help solve troubles in Iraq

Playing with Fire

Will President Bush's attempt to confront tyranny with utopian bellicosity be the end of the conservative pendulum swing?

...And Here's How To Do It

President Bush is planning to reform Social Securtiy

Where's the Outrage?

Despite numerous reports of torture, there has been little public outcry over the U.S.'s treatment of prisoners

The Democrats' Hope in the Desert

New minority leader, Nevada Senator Harry Reid, talks to TIME columnist Joe Klein

Is Bush Serious About a New Spy System?

Botching intelligence reform will produce worse intelligence

The President's Real Enemy

Iraq is proving to be a far greater threat to Bush's re-election than John Kerry

Plenty More to Swear About

Bush's security team faces a barrage of criticism as the facts about Iraq come to light

The Secrets of Reagan's Success

Unlike other Presidents, Reagan came to power as the leader of an ideological movement

A Simple Cure for Iraq Fatigue

Kerry and Bush have their plans, but neither is saying anything real

Fighting for the Soul of the Democrats

A new group emerges, home to a more moderate form of moderation

The Perils of a Righteous President

Faith without doubt leads to moral arrogance

Israel's New Normalcy

In comparison to the rest of the Middle East, the Gaza strip is quiet

Does Bush Really Get Us?

Bob Woodward's book presents a President who makes the wrong calculations

Condi: The Problem with Big Thinkers

Rice kept stressing the importance of strategic thinking, but that's what hampers the Administration's foreign policy

Sending Out the Smite Squad

The Bush Administration gets ugly and personal in response to insider critics

Why the "War President" Is Under Fire

Bush's anti-terror policies are dangerously simple

Let's Make a Deal

Joe Klein on Bush's post Saddam plans

It's Time For Extreme Peacekeeping

A new nation-building force might be just what the military needs

How the Unions Killed a Dream

A Philanthropist withdraws his offer to donate $200 million to Detroit's inner city public schools

Dick Cheney, Hard-Liner in Chief

Turf wars, temper tantrums, mysterious leaks—has Bush lost control of his own government?

A Rush to War—Now a Rush Out of One?

Joe Klein on finding an Iraqi exit strategy

Who Is Losing Iraq?

Iraq is our greatest crisis since Vietnam

Who Killed Teach for America?

Joe Klein on the the death of Teach for America

California's Bad Karma

Politics in California has become a dismal proposition. Why?

How Bush Misleads Himself

Bush must get over his self delusions and take responsibility for Iraq

Are Voters in the Mood for an Angry Democrat?

That’s the main question at the center of the Dean-Kerry showdown

How the Supremes Redeemed Bush

The conservative court's decisions on homosexuality and affirmative action boost Bush's image with moderates

Why Dean Isn't Going Away

He won the Straight Talk primary; now he needs to show there's substance behind the sizzle

What Is Your Government Not Telling You?

Obfuscation from the Oval Office

To Remake Iraq, Invite the Neighbors Over

To rebuild Iraq, says Joe Klein, Bush must reach out to its neighbors

How to Make the Victory Stick

Can Bush ride his triumph into 2004?

You Remember The Democrats, Don't You?

Joe Klein prods a Democratic Party cattle call

Weapons of Mass Distrust

Why Washington is losing the battle for Arab hearts and minds

The PG-Rated War

War is a force of primal disorder, but we prefer not to see it that way

America Shows Its Colors

Joe Klein on whether victory will make the U.S. humble or arrogant

Two Cheers for the Peacekeepers

Joe Klein on the United Nations

The Poker Player in Chief

Joe Klein argues that the strength of Bush's confidence could be his undoing

Why Not Kill Dictators with Kindness?

Joe Klein on North Korea and the prospect of the Fatal Hug

In Defense of Macaroni and Cheese

Joe Klein on Democrat Richard Gephardt's surprising assets as a candidate

The Blinding Glare of His Certainty

Joe Klein on how Bush's faith shapes his approach to Iraq

How Soccer Moms Became Security Moms

Joe Klein on the half-hearted effort to establish real homeland security

How Israel Is Wrapped Up in Iraq

Joe Klein contends that a stronger Israel is very much embedded in the rationale for war with Iraq

Stealth Warriors From Washington

Elections 2002: In North Carolina, Liddy goes "local" in her bid to beat an ex-Clinton aide

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