TIME.com Top Politics Stories

Dan Pfeiffer: The Next White House Communications Boss

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

The 33-year-old will guide the Obama administration's public face amid a feud with the powerful Fox news operation

RNC Health Insurance Plan Covers Abortion

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

The Republican National Committee's health insurance plan covers elective abortions for its employees, an option Republicans strongly oppose in health overhaul legislation

Democrats Worry Joe Lieberman Could Sink Health Care

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

The Democratic Party is trying to grin and bear the roguish independent Joe Lieberman in their caucus (they do need his vote on health care), but it is getting harder and harder

Homeland Security Chief: Many Border Security Goals Met

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Friday said many of the border security benchmarks set by the Obama administration have been met

Klein on the Iraq Surge: What Lessons for Afghanistan?

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

There's no guarantee that counterinsurgency tactics will succeed in Afghanistan

Will Senate Close Health Care Deal? Dems Feel Urgency

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

Now that the House has passed its health care bill with a vote of 220 to 215, Democrats on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue feel an even greater sense of urgency

Sarah Palin 'Going Rogue' Book Tour Hits Key States

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

GOP heartthrob Sarah Palin is back in the spotlight, this time as an author. Is she running for office -- or just the best-seller list?

Health Care Passes the House; Dems Forced to Go It Alone

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

Democrats on Capitol Hill are congratulating themselves on their historic achievement of passing a health care-reform bill, but they know as well as anyone that it is too early to really celebrate

Sotomayor Graces Cover of Latina

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

Sonia Sotomayor heeded White House advice to paint her fingernails a neutral shade during her Supreme Court confirmation process up to a point

Hillary Clinton After Mideast Trip: Diplomacy Success?

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

She is the star of the Obama Cabinet and an international celebrity -- and after nine months of staying out of the limelight, Hillary Clinton has arrived on the global stage. An intimate portrait of the diplomat and her world

Sources: Obama Near Decision on Afghanistan Troops

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

President Barack Obama is nearing a decision to add tens of thousands more forces to Afghanistan, though likely not quite the 40,000 sought by his top general there

Supreme Ct. to View Juvenile Life Terms

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

The Supreme Court is considering whether sentencing a juvenile to life in prison with no chance of parole is cruel and unusual punishment

Prosecutors Seek 27 Years for Ex-Lawmaker

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

Federal prosecutors want a prison term of at least 27 years for a former Louisiana congressman convicted of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes

Will Congress Pass Radical Bank Reform by Year-End?

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

What reform could dramatically remake America and become law by Christmas? Not health care

Republican Revival: Moderates on Rise After Election

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

Conservatives get the most attention as the GOP revives. But moderates in the Republican Party are rising too

Health Bill Unacceptable to Many Senators

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

A government health insurance plan included in the House bill is unacceptable to a few Democratic moderates who hold the balance of power in the Senate

Christie, GOP Wins Separate Dems from Obama Popularity

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

The GOP gubernatorial victories in New Jersey and Virginia may not have been a referendum on Obama, but they did show that the President's popularity cannot so easily be transferred

After Maine Gay-Marriage Defeat, Activists Look Ahead

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

Maine's vote against gay marriage, much like all of the states before it, including California's Prop 8 a year ago, will do little to slow the fight over it

Obama Signs Homebuyer, Jobless Aid Bill

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

President Barack Obama signed into law a $24 billion economic stimulus bill providing tax incentives to prospective homebuyers and extending unemployment benefits to the longtime jobless

Can Openly Gay Politician Charles Pugh Save Detroit?

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

Charles Pugh has a great personal story and lots of charm, but some wonder whether the former TV news reporter has enough substance to match his style

Bloomberg Wins Third Term as NYC Mayor

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

Billionaire Michael Bloomberg has narrowly won a third term as New York mayor in a race that was startlingly close

Reid Signals Delay in Passing Health Bill This Year

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

Senate majority leader Harry Reid says he "won't be bound by timelines" on health care reform despite pressure to complete a bill this year

House Dems in Final Push on Health Care

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

The House is steaming toward a historic vote on President Barack Obama's remake of the U.S. health care system, with Democratic leaders increasingly confident and the powerful seniors' lobby AARP about to get on board

2-Min. Bio: Virginia Governor-Elect Bob McDonnell

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

House GOP Pens 230-Page Health Bill Draft

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

After months spent criticizing Democrats' health overhaul plans, House Republicans have produced a draft proposal of their own. It's much shorter and focuses on bringing down costs rather than extending coverage

Health Reform: Can Schumer Push a Public Option Through?

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

A week after the Senate Finance Committee rejected two versions of a public plan -- including one authored by Chuck Schumer -- the New York Democrat was still "very optimistic" about the chances of one ending up in the final legislation

'Audacity to Win': Excerpt by Plouffe on Obama Campaign

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

In a new memoir, The Audacity to Win, David Plouffe, who managed Barack Obama's 2008 race for the White House, provides a behind-the-scenes glimpse inside the campaign

Mike Huckabee on 'A Simple Christmas' Book Tour, Politics

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

Former Arkansas governor and 2008 presidential contender Mike Huckabee is stumping again, this time for his new book, A Simple Christmas

Why Taxes Are Necessary to Pay for Heatlh Care Reform

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

To pay for health-care reform, both parties need to get serious about a topic neither one mentions: taxes

Treasury Chief Geithner Leads Financial-Reform Charge

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

In meetings with top bankers, key Capitol Hill players and others, the Treasury Secretary is upping the intensity to push through reform

House Republicans Look to Reverse 'Party of No' Label

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

To overcome criticism that the Republican Party doesn't stand for anything, Eric Cantor has a plan

Republican Bob McDonnell Wins Va. Gov Race

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

Republican Bob McDonnell tapped Virginia's independent voters Tuesday to win a landslide election for governor just a year after the state bucked tradition and voted for Barack Obama

Election Races to Watch: New Jersey, Virginia, New York

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

Welcome to America's 2009 off-off year elections, in which partisans and analysts hope to turn the usual dictum on its head: today, they'll try to convince you, all politics is national

Maine Voters Reject Gay-Marriage Law

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

Maine voters repealed a state law Tuesday that would have allowed same-sex couples to wed, dealing the gay rights movement a heartbreaking defeat in New England, the corner of the country most supportive of gay marriage

Virginia: Bob McDonnell Campaign a GOP Model for Success

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 EST

For all the talk of Republican chaos and infighting in this off-year election, the GOP in Virginia seems to have found the formula for unifying its party and delivering a winning message