TIME.com Top Politics Stories

GOP Debate: Candidates Say America Should Stay Out of European Debt Crisis

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:35:00 EST

Republican presidential rivals agreed Wednesday night that Europe's countries should rise or fall on their own without any American bailout

Gov. Rick Perry Compared Homosexuality to Alcoholism in 2008 Book 'On My Honor'

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:35:00 EST

The origin of homosexuality has become something of a political litmus test for presidential candidates, almost akin to their stance on abortion

Rick Perry's Complicated Relationship with Latinos

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:35:00 EST

To understand Perry's relationship with Latinos, it helps to consider the state he's governed for the last decade

How Rick Perry Aggressively Pursued Federal Aid He Now Decries

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:35:00 EST

In several cases, the Texas lobbying campaign won funds for programs that Perry now says he opposes as fiscally irresponsible intrusions on state responsibilities

President Obama at Martha's Vineyard: Bad for the Vacation Spot?

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:35:00 EST

As the First Family heads to this island retreat, one Vineyard lover fears imminent Obamization

In the Midwest, Obama Grapples for an Economic Fix and a Political Narrative

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:35:00 EST

Barack Obama hit the road Monday for his three-day Midwestern bus tour toting an array of political baggage

Amid Straw Poll Nonsense, the Republican Presidential Race Roars to Life

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:35:00 EST

It's not clear why the straw poll should be very interesting in the first place. Maybe it's just fun to have some empirically-measured competition between the candidates

Social Security Critic Perry Cites Constitution in Attack

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:35:00 EST

The Supreme Court may have settled the Social Security issue 74 years ago, but there are some on the right who see a legal case as the best hope for getting rid of the program

What You Missed While Not Watching the Iowa GOP Debate

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:35:00 EST

As everyone awaits the third Republican presidential debate of the season, Bill O'Reilly is wrapping up his show on Fox News. When he threatens to call Professor Cornel West a "pinhead," America knows. It's go time

Q&A: Texas Governor Rick Perry Is Ready to Run

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:35:00 EST

He may not have announced anything yet, but Rick Perry's travel itinerary in the coming days makes it easy to believe that he'll be a Republican candidate for President in a week’s time

What Obama Can Learn from Reagan: Staging the Right Image

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:35:00 EST

President Barack Obama seems to need another Mike Deaver, who served as White House chief of staff under Ronald Reagan -- someone who understands that sometimes a good picture is really worth a thousand words

Facing Economic Headwinds, Obama Struggles Again to Find an August Story Line

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:35:00 EST

A week in, here's the hand Obama has drawn: the return of double-dip recession fears, an emboldened Tea Party, a sinking Dow, stagnating employment, and the nation's credit rating downgraded for the first time in 70 years

Why Congress and Standard & Poor's Deserve Each Other

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:35:00 EST

Having Standard & Poor's downgrade the creditworthiness of the United States is a little like having the Catholic Church lecture scout leaders on the proper behavior toward boys

Articles of Faith: Did Ayn Rand and Austerity Politics Kill Compassionate Conservatism?

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:35:00 EST

Few Republicans who value their careers would run as a touchy-feely politician. But is compassionate conservatism dead, or just mostly dead?

Is the Debt-Ceiling Hostage Scenario Really Bound to Repeat Itself?

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:35:00 EST

It's unclear if purely political incentives for another hostage situation are really there

Did the Nasty U.S. Debt Debate Sour World Opinion for Good?

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:35:00 EST

The longer the debt fiasco rages on in Washington, the more foreign debt holders will be wracking their brains for other ways to escape

Are You a Winner or a Loser in the Washington Debt Deal?

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:35:00 EST

A look at the unelected winners and losers of the debt-limit debate

As Debt Plan Faces House Vote, Compromise Brews Behind the Scenes

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:35:00 EST

Until the tension is resolved, bipartisan work on a compromise will remain hush-hush. But that doesn't mean there's no progress being made

Threatening the Life of a Politician Is Protected Speech

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:35:00 EST

A federal appeals court made the right call in reversing the conviction of a California man who posted violent but vague messages about Barack Obama

Michele Bachmann: Why Iowa's Republicans Love Her

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:35:00 EST

Though she now represents Minnesota in Congress, she has Iowa roots and her pronouncements have stirred a conservative swell in her favor

California: Why Redistricting Is Worrying Republicans

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:35:00 EST

The most populous state in the U.S. is redistricting, and the effects may reach all the way to Washington, D.C.