In the Arena by Joe Klein

Is Al Gore the Answer?

Monday, Apr. 07, 2008

Both Democratic candidates are bloodied and losing altitude. This April promises to be crueler than most. Here's an unlikely but not totally implausible solution
Obama's Challenge — and Ours

Monday, Mar. 31, 2008

His speech on race was a triumph. Now he has to keep telling hard truths
The Race Goes On

Monday, Mar. 17, 2008

By focusing on national security — and laughing at herself — Clinton managed to stay alive. Now it's up to Obama to prove he's not just another politician
As Ohio Goes

Monday, Mar. 10, 2008

Middle-class voters are looking for big ideas. The candidate who provides them will win the White House
The Persian Gulf Primary

Monday, Mar. 03, 2008

A forum in Qatar illustrates the challenges that await the next U.S. President in the Middle East
The Spoiler

Monday, Feb. 11, 2008

Bill Clinton has cheapened the Democratic campaign and turned his wife's run into a co-candidacy. Here's why Hillary would be better off alone
The Gladiator Problem

Monday, Jan. 28, 2008

McCain has staked his career on talking straight. But this year voters want details too
How Hillary Learned to Trust Herself

Monday, Jan. 21, 2008

Shedding her private dismay that she's not the most charismatic candidate, Clinton allowed her humor — and anger — to peek through
A Tale of Two Romneys

Monday, Jan. 14, 2008

The GOP candidate accentuates the positive. Except when he goes negative
Striving Valiantly

Monday, Dec. 31, 2007

The annual Teddy Awards honor bravery — including that shown every day by those in uniform
Trudging Through Iowa

Monday, Dec. 24, 2007

Roads and voters have yet to thaw in a Democratic race that is still uncertain
Immigration: The Hottest Issue

Monday, Dec. 10, 2007

Candidates in both parties are surprised by the public's anger over illegal immigrants
The Tone-Deaf Democrats

Monday, Dec. 03, 2007

Too many of them — in Congress and the presidential campaign — still don't get national security
Hit Her Again!

Monday, Nov. 12, 2007

That's how pundits want Obama to handle Clinton. But he's far more presidential when he speaks the quiet truth
The Ramadi Goat Grab

Monday, Nov. 05, 2007

There's progress in Iraq — Sunnis and Shi'ites are meeting and eating — but it needs a push from Bush
McCain Is Back

Monday, Oct. 29, 2007

Not last year's zombie, but the funny, free-range independent unafraid to offend his audience
Does Merle Haggard Speak for America?

Monday, Oct. 22, 2007

At least one white male voter is planning to return to the Democrats' fold in 2008
Oh, My Mets!

Monday, Oct. 15, 2007

A ball team's historic collapse helped this fan reconnect with his most basic childhood sentiments
Inflating a Little Man

Monday, Oct. 08, 2007

The neoconservatives want you to think Ahmadinejad is another Hitler. That's dishonest, and plumps for war
Getting to Know Jim Webb

Thursday, Jun. 12, 2008

The surprising Virginia Senator is a potent example of the Democrats' new style and thinking
What Hillary Has Learned from '93

Monday, Oct. 01, 2007

It's a good thing. Rivals warn of 1993 redux, but her new health plan shows she's learned a thing or two
Hiding Behind the General

Wednesday, Sep. 12, 2007

Bush has made Petraeus the arbiter of Iraq policy when it should be set by the President
Ehud Olmert's Moment

Friday, Mar. 30, 2007

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 General vs. the Ambassador

Thursday, Sep. 06, 2007

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

Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2007

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

Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2007

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

Wednesday, Aug. 01, 2007

How did the most powerful moderate group in the country get shunted aside? The activists took over
Joe Biden's Quest

Thursday, Jul. 19, 2007

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

Tuesday, Jul. 17, 2007

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

Wednesday, Jul. 18, 2007

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

Wednesday, Jun. 06, 2007

Liberal pundits are now as enraged as their foes. That may be a problem for the Democrats
Mitt Romney's Disappointing Campaign

Thursday, May. 31, 2007

Mitt Romney moves like a man on a mission — but without a shred of courage or conviction
There's Good News from Iraq

Wednesday, May. 23, 2007

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

Thursday, May. 17, 2007

He came across as forceful and elegantly deflected the attacks from the other Republicans
Hillary's Quandary on the Campaign

Thursday, May. 10, 2007

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

Wednesday, Apr. 18, 2007

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

Monday, Mar. 26, 2007

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

Wednesday, Sep. 10, 2008

Viewpoint: The GOP candidate appeals to nostalgia for a country that no longer exists. It might be a winning strategy
How McCain Makes Obama Conservative

Thursday, Sep. 04, 2008

What the candidates' choice of running mates says about the kinds of Presidents they would be
Where's Obama's Passion?

Thursday, Aug. 21, 2008

His style worked in the spring but hurt him over the summer. In the fall, says Joe Klein, it might cost Obama the election
Open to Debate

Thursday, Aug. 07, 2008

The best way for Obama to defend against the McCain campaign's attacks is to start a real conversation
McCain's Foreign Policy Frustration

Wednesday, Jul. 23, 2008

While Obama moves elegantly through the Middle East, the pillars of McCain's bellicose regional policy are collapsing
Getting to Know Jim Webb

Thursday, Jun. 12, 2008

The surprising Virginia Senator is a potent example of the Democrats' new style and thinking
Bush's July Surprise for Iraq

Thursday, Jul. 12, 2007

The President is trying to fend off a Republican rebellion over the war. But broad-brush propaganda may not work this time
Joe Klein: How the GOP Lost Its Way

Thursday, Feb. 01, 2007

"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

Friday, Jan. 19, 2007

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
Good General, Bad Mission

Friday, Jan. 12, 2007

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
Why They're Both Running Against Bill

Monday, Jan. 15, 2007

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...
The Teddy Awards: 2006

Sunday, Dec. 17, 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?

Sunday, Dec. 10, 2006

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

In the Arena by Joe Klein

Stay Connected with TIME.com

Our partners