11/18/2009

Carl Leubsdorf: Obama and the politics of Afghanistan
Political factors appear to be shaping Barack Obama's long-pending decision on the next phase of the U.S. effort in Afghanistan. And while understandable, it risks extending the U.S. commitment longer than Obama and many Americans want.

11/11/2009

Carl Leubsdorf: Two events symbolize U.S. shift toward Asia
President Barack Obama, who passed up participating in the Berlin festivities, leaves Washington for the Far East on a trip that features a visit to China, rapidly becoming the key U.S. relationship in an increasingly Asia-centric era.

11/04/2009

Carl Leubsdorf: Elections spell trouble for both parties
Republicans are celebrating two high-profile electoral successes Tuesday; Democrats are licking their wounds. But the results and dynamics revealed long-term problems for both national parties.

10/28/2009

Carl Leubsdorf: What stalled the sweeping change Obama promised
On the night before the 2008 election, Barack Obama sounded a familiar mantra signaling the impending success of his once unlikely presidential bid. "We are one day away from changing America," he told a cheering Virginia crowd.

10/20/2009

Carl Leubsdorf: Unity proving elusive for both major parties
Recent years have seen the Democrats and Republicans evolve into predominantly liberal and conservative parties, but some current developments suggest neither has achieved total unity and that internal conflicts threaten both parties' goals.

10/14/2009

Carl Leubsdorf: White House-press tension nothing new
The enormous attention to the historic nature and activist agenda of the first African-American president has spurred allegations of liberal media favoritism. But for a White House to reward friendly correspondents and punish critics is hardly new.

10/06/2009

Carl Leubsdorf: Remapping makes 2010 vote critical
While the 2010 congressional elections will determine Congress for the second part of Barack Obama's term, these state elections will shape the U.S. House and many legislatures for the next decade because of changes from the 2010 census.

09/30/2009

Carl Leubsdorf: Ron Kirk, the White House enforcer of fair trade
Columnist George Will accuses President Barack Obama of caving in to fellow Democrats' political pressure for protectionist trade policies in hopes of salvaging his health care bill. Banker David Rockefeller warns that the administration's stance could endanger the global economic recovery.

09/22/2009

Carl Leubsdorf: No easy solution for Obama in Afghanistan
Presidents, unlike presidential candidates, often find themselves confronted with dilemmas that have no easy solutions and the potential for disaster, whichever route they take. That's what President Barack Obama faces in Afghanistan.