Alan Greenblatt

Sometimes the whole country wants to forget.

Tuesday marks the 10th anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq. The last U.S. troops didn't leave that country until the end of 2011.

But Iraq, which dominated much of the nation's political discourse over the past decade, already seems ...

Is it the message or its delivery?

That's one of the questions being debated as Republicans — like all parties that have lost a national election — plot their comeback.

Some think they need to take a new tack on issues such as immigration in order to appeal to changing ...

Whether President Obama attacks members of Congress, takes them out to dinner or pays them visits on Capitol Hill, he needs their support in order to achieve major parts of his agenda.

That presidents are at the mercy of Congress when it comes to budgets and legislation is an obvious ...

Doesn't the president get enough attention?

The president is always the star of the show. When just about any major event occurs — whether it's a downturn in the unemployment rate, a natural disaster or some crisis overseas — much of the news media ask how it's going to play ...

Inconveniencing the public is part of the plan.

It may never have been intended to play out in quite this way, but the automatic spending cuts set to take effect for most federal programs Friday leave little room for preserving the most visible and popular programs.

"The law basically says ...

If President Obama and Congress can't make a deal this month, the economy could fall into recession while tax bills go up for nearly every American. On the other hand, it would do a lot to erase the nation's deficit.

For years, the military has been held in high regard — to the point where some argue it became less accountable to civilian authorities. The affair involving retired Gen. David Petrae...

Obama has become only the third U.S. president to win re-election by a narrower margin than his first victory. Having won a second term, Obama will seek to set the nation's agenda on ...

What if Hurricane Sandy had waited a week to strike the East Coast? There's no contingency plan in place for rescheduling an election if a storm or terrorist attack wiped out power in...

The fearsome storm has shut down early voting in multiple states and disrupted the presidential candidates' campaign schedules. Sandy may wreak havoc as it claws up the East Coast, bu...

Amid all the talk of the economy and the Middle East, topics such as climate change, gay rights, campaign finance and the Supreme Court were completely ignored during the three presidential debates.

Since becoming president, Obama's rhetorical triumphs have been just that: moving speeches delivered on ceremonial occasions. When it comes to policy and attempts to move public opini...

Neither Vice President Biden nor GOP Rep. Paul Ryan gave any quarter Thursday night. The two men were pointed and at some points personal in discussing their differences across a broa...

Vice presidential debates are often quickly forgotten, but tonight's matchup — featuring what one pundit calls "probably two of the most substantive vice presidential candidates we've...

In November, voters will decide whether new state laws on issues such as labor policy, immigration and gay marriage can remain in effect. They're using a process called "popular refer...

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan compose the first presidential ticket in history not to feature a Protestant. And, of course, they're running against the first African-American president. A...

Americans for Prosperity, a well-funded political advocacy group, normally spends its millions on TV ads. But it's finding success in reaching out to voters directly by showing up at big events — like NFL games.

In recent decades, many U.S. embassies have become virtual fortresses. The difficulties diplomats have in mingling freely in other countries complicates their task of gleaning information and promoting the U.S. message.

Teachers unions were once a dominant force in American politics and education policy. While still major players, they are rapidly losing strength and having a harder time finding reliable allies.

The theme of the Democratic Convention has been "Forward." In accepting the party's nomination tonight, President Obama has to answer the question, "Forward to what?" And he may take ...