In the Arena by Joe Klein

The Limits of Saber Rattling

Monday, Apr. 08, 2013

Obama's policies are smart, but his loose talk could force military action in Iran and Syria

Ten Years After: A National Disgrace

Monday, Mar. 25, 2013

We owe a debt to our Iraq and Afghanistan war vets. Why is Washington so slow to take responsibility?

A Time to Think Big

Monday, Mar. 18, 2013

The country faces grave challenges. So why do Jeb Bush and Barack Obama spend so much time on small-bore maneuvers?

Aiming Low, Missing Greatness

Monday, Feb. 25, 2013

A lack of visionary ideas marks the start of Barack Obama's second term

Refighting the Last Wars

Monday, Feb. 18, 2013

What have we, and Senator John McCain, learned about Iraq and Afghanistan?

The Ice Is Breaking

Monday, Feb. 04, 2013

Obama's confident speech signals an end to deadlock in Washington

No Labels. No Agenda. Some Hope

Monday, Jan. 28, 2013

Why, in one centrist group, Republicans and Democrats are talking to each other

Obama's Second Chance

Monday, Jan. 21, 2013

The election gave the President some leverage. Can he be creative with it?

Obama's Next Foreign Policy Battle

Monday, Jan. 14, 2013

Sooner or later, the President is going to have to confront the neoconservatives

The 2012 Teddy Awards For Political Courage

Monday, Dec. 31, 2012

Obamacare vs. Medicare

Monday, Dec. 17, 2012

Meshing the two plans could lead to better care and savings for taxpayers

A New Birth of Politics?

Monday, Dec. 10, 2012

Abe Lincoln cut all kinds of deals to do great things. Now it's our turn

Campaign 2012: The Report Card

Monday, Dec. 03, 2012

Why the winners should listen to the reasonable arguments of the losers

Obama's Mandate For Moderation

Monday, Nov. 19, 2012

Obama's Mandate For Moderation

Closing Arguments

Monday, Nov. 12, 2012

We will not jump off the fiscal cliff. We'll be fine despite an unsatisfying campaign

Mitt and the Bomber Boys

Monday, Nov. 05, 2012

Would Romney really reject the bellicose neocon wing of his party?

A Campaign Without Heart

Monday, Oct. 29, 2012

Obama and Romney's town-hall debate was about politics but not the people

Note to Obama: Get Down off the Mountaintop

Monday, Oct. 22, 2012

Obama needs to embrace politics if he wants to win this thing

Old Borders, New Realities

Monday, Oct. 08, 2012

The next President will confront a Middle East that looks nothing like the past

The Imaginary Campaign

Monday, Oct. 01, 2012

Romney is running against notions of a President and the economy that are at odds with reality

The Mitt Mirage

Monday, Sep. 24, 2012

The Republican nominee can no longer say for certain what he believes in

Paralysis Rules

Monday, Sep. 17, 2012

The looming budget crisis raises a key question: Can either candidate close a deal?

One for All and All for One

Monday, Sep. 10, 2012

It's time for Democrats to move away from identity politics

Is Romney a Realist or an Idealist?

Monday, Sep. 03, 2012

The GOP nominee has yet to clarify his foreign policy instincts

Paul Ryan's Grand Vision

Monday, Aug. 27, 2012

Maybe the GOP's vice-presidential pick has a plan for the well-off, but what about everyone else?

The Trouble with Simpson-Bowles

Monday, Aug. 20, 2012

Obama has tried to reduce the long-term deficit, but he should try harder

Two Men, Two Weak Spots

Monday, Aug. 13, 2012

Romney is hard to pin down. Obama can be arrogant. A fall campaign primer

How The Gun Won

Monday, Aug. 06, 2012

Support for stricter gun laws has ebbed over the past 20 years. You can thank, or blame, a lot of people for that

Why Bain Matters

Monday, Jul. 30, 2012

It's not just the tax returns. It's short-term profits vs. long-term investments

And Now, How to Improve Obamacare

Saturday, Jun. 30, 2012

Obama could help himself if he leveled with voters about the law's weaknesses

The 20% Solution

Monday, Jul. 09, 2012

A Republican is trying to inject some budget sanity into Congress. Will it take?

An Election of Lesser Evils

Monday, Jul. 02, 2012

In the heartland, voters sound dissatisfied with both Obama and Romney

Where Checks Alone Can't Help

Monday, Jun. 25, 2012

Churches and faith-based programs step in to sustain the working poor

In Search of a Common Cause

Monday, Jun. 18, 2012

In a bitter and divided era, national service can help us regain our lost consensus

The Long Goodbye

Monday, Jun. 11, 2012

For five months, I was my parents' death panel. And where the costly chaos of Medicare failed, a team of salaried doctors and nurses offered a better way

The Best News Out of Afghanistan

Monday, Jun. 04, 2012

The mistakes made were tragic. But the lessons learned can be valuable

Why Tehran Might Be Ready to Talk

Monday, May. 28, 2012

Two years of persistent U.S.-led diplomacy may finally be getting to the powers in Iran

Learning That Works

Monday, May. 14, 2012

Dismissed by the left, vocational schools are making a comeback with new approaches that push kids to graduate — and get them jobs too

These Savings Are Unreal!

Monday, Apr. 23, 2012

Romney embraced a budget plan that can never work. It's a joke--or a cynical sham

The Wounds of Victory

Monday, Apr. 16, 2012

Mitt Romney prevails but is in trouble with women, Latinos and Midwesterners

Triumph of the Gun Fetishists

Monday, Apr. 09, 2012

The GOP is obsessed with the right to bear arms. And the Democrats have just given up

Ten Is Enough

Monday, Apr. 02, 2012

We've accomplished our mission in Afghanistan. Bring the troops home now

How Romney Can Win

Monday, Mar. 19, 2012

Mitt needs to portray himself as the penny-pinching rich guy who hates waste

The Hair-Fire Manifesto

Monday, Mar. 12, 2012

Will Romney remember that he needs to reach out to the middle, not play to the margins?

Is Iran Dangerous--or Desperate? Both

Monday, Feb. 27, 2012

How Obama and the Israelis have backed Iran's leaders into a corner

Halftime and Hyperbole

Monday, Feb. 20, 2012

How the GOP's overreaction to Clint's Chrysler ad hurts Romney's chances

Obama's Fairness Doctrine

Monday, Feb. 06, 2012

The President slaps the GOP candidates even as he invokes sacred conservative themes

Newt's Stamp-Out-Poverty Plan

Monday, Jan. 30, 2012

If you strip away the racial appeals, the former Speaker's proposal has merit

Revenge of the Aloof

Monday, Jan. 23, 2012

Romney is losing the populist primary, but that won't keep him from winning the nomination

The Passion of Rick Santorum

Monday, Jan. 16, 2012

How the former Senator will complicate Mitt Romney's march to the nomination