Boehner’s ability to end the standoff makes his bargaining power lower, not higher
Politics
How the GOP Congress Saved Obama from the Dog House
The former GOP House Majority Leader on why his party hasn’t learned the lessons of the ’95-’96 shutdown
Bob Barr: I Miss Bill Clinton
A veteran of the ’95-’96 government shutdowns writes that President Obama is no Bill Clinton—and the country is the worse for it
Newt Gingrich to House Republicans: “Don’t Cave!”
The former Speaker of the House tells Republicans that giving in will make things worse
Can Climate Skeptics Save the Planet?
The people who are most concerned about global warming are also typically opposed to the technologies most capable of reducing emissions
What the Ted Cruz Spectacle is All About
The would-be presidential candidate is cementing his leadership by telling his political base exactly what it wants to hear.
The World’s Emerging Democracies Don’t Like Us Either
Suspicions of American intentions in Brazil and elsewhere run deep after revelations about NSA data-gathering in those countries
How Washington Caved to Wall Street
In TIME’s recent cover story “How Wall Street Won,” Rana Foroohar gave an excellent appraisal of the last five years since Lehman collapsed. While her analysis hit at five of the major shortfalls in our “reformed” financial sector, there was even more she could have pointed to: Five years after the crisis, why have we not even begun …
Putin’s Pawn: Forget Chess or Checkers — Obama Forfeited
History is longer than the news cycle or a term in office, writes the chess champion
Sen. Rand Paul: President Putin, America Is Exceptional
It is our exceptionalism—and our separation of powers—that has kept us out of war in Syria.
Let’s Drink to Phasing Out the First Lady
The Office of the First Lady is a boondoggle and an offense to women. Let’s shut it down.
The Confusing State of U.S.-Russia Relations
Behind Putin’s latest move, and our on-again, off-again alliance
In the End, New Yorkers Reject Bad Boy Candidates
Tolerance of Anthony Weiner and Eliot Spitzer is not the same as acceptance