Our budget quagmire
Social Security’s disability program as metaphor.”
GOP relents on payroll tax, averting fight
(Alex Wong / Getty Images)
House Republican leaders say they will support extending the federal payroll tax holiday through the end of the year without demanding spending cuts to pay for it, a concession aimed at averting another politically damaging showdown.
Why Obama’s budget is smart politics
THE FIX | President Obama’s budget proposal looks like a smart document — at least when it comes to his reelection campaign.
GOP: Obama’s budget a ‘gimmick’
Republicans say the budget plan puts off tough decisions about ballooning red ink until after the voters have cast their ballots.
Santorum catching up with Romney
Two new polls show the two contenders in a virtual tie among Republicans nationally.
Congress looks for ways around Supreme Court decisions
IN SESSION | Some lawmakers simply go over the nine justices’ heads by rewriting the Constitution.
Obama ‘Truth Team’ to fight attacks
Trio of Web sites will provide supporters with information on the president’s record — and more than a little dirt on his Republican rivals.
Mitt Romney’s Utah Olympics contributions questioned
Questions have arisen about whether he has overstated his contributions for political gain.
Senate GOP tries to restore pipeline
An amendment introduced to a transportation bill would speed the construction of Keystone pipeline.
GOP presidential race goes national
THE FIX | Next phase will bring race into bigger states holding contests on same day as one another.
Bachus probe echoes bygone era
Insider-trading investigation of House committee chairman evokes memories of 19th-century scandal.
Sarah Palin, motivator-in-chief
SHE THE PEOPLE | Palin had CPAC audience enraptured as she aimed year’s worth of sarcasm at Obama.
White House renews #40dollars Twitter campaign on payroll tax cut
On Tuesday, President Obama will renew his Twitter campaign to pressure Congress to approve a year-long extension of the payroll tax holiday.
Capitol Assets: Washington Post chat on earmarks
Post reporters David Fallis, Scott Higham and Kimberly Kindy today held an online chat with readers to answer questions on their investigative project on congressional earmarks.
Is ‘The Loving Story’ over, even now?
In a poll of likely Republican primary voters in South Carolina last month, 20 percent still said interracial marriage should be illegal.
Political Columns
From Our Partners
The Iran man
Rick Santorum says he’s been studying Iran for a decade. But does he know what he’s talking about?
Video: The winners and losers of Obama's new budget (2:04)
President Barack Obama unveiled a $3.8 trillion spending plan on Monday that seeks to achieve $4 trillion in deficit reduction over the next decade, with higher taxes for the wealthy and more investment in areas like community colleges. (Feb. 13)
President Barack Obama unveiled a $3.8 trillion spending plan on Monday for 2013 that seeks to achieve $4 trillion in deficit reduction over the next decade but does little to restrain growth in the government's huge health benefit programs. (Feb. 13)
President Barack Obama has sent Congress a new budget that seeks to achieve $4 trillion in deficit reduction over the next decade through cuts in government spending and higher taxes on the wealthy. (Feb. 13)
Mitt Romney has won The Washington Times/CPAC Presidential Straw Poll of conservative activists. Romney polled 38 percent of the respondents. Rick Santorum drew 31 percent, Newt Gingrich polled 15 percent, and Ron Paul polled 12 percent. (Feb. 11)
Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.) narrowly lost the Maine caucuses to GOP rival Mitt Romney Saturday. Paul polled 36 percent of the vote, compared to Romney's 39 percent. Several communities elected to hold their caucuses later, but those votes won't count. (Feb. 11)
Former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin brought her anti-Washington message to this year's Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington. She also urged conservatives to support the GOP's eventual nominee. (Feb. 11)
Mitt Romney, the one-time front-runner, stepped up efforts to court Republicans in recent days, reflecting growing concern about the outcome of what has become a two-man race in Maine. (Feb. 11)
President Obama has unveiled a birth control compromise that he says will protect religious liberties and ensure that women have access to free contraception. Some are applauding the move, but the Catholic League calls it a "slap in the face." (Feb. 10)
At the Conservative Political Action Conference--a combination trade show and political rally for College Republicans--conservatives express hope that the Repubican Party will be united behind a candidate before the general election in November. (Feb. 11)
GOP White House hopeful Newt Gingrich on Friday said the GOP establishment is not tough enough to win a presidential campaign. (Feb. 20)
Speaking at CPAC on Friday, Republican Presidential candidates Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich weighed in on President Obama's plan that would have required religiously affiliated employers to provide contraception coverage to women. (Feb. 10)
Newt Gingrich spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday in Washington. (Feb. 10)
The Navy has named a ship for Gabrielle Giffords, the recently retired congresswoman from Arizona who is recovering from a gunshot wound to the head received in January 2011. The littoral combat ship is among the Navy's most versatile. (Feb. 10)
Politics Galleries
Newt Gingrich’s 2012 run
The former House speaker is seeking the Republican presidential nomination.
Presidential candidate Ron Paul
Rep. Ron Paul is seeking the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.
Romney’s second run
After a bloated 2008 run, the GOP presidential hopeful returns with a tightly knit team.
Our unpopular Congress
GALLERY | You’d be surprised by some of the things that have been more popular than Congress is right now.
Campaign 2012: Rick Santorum
The former Pennsylvania senator is seeking the Republican presidential nomination.
Republican candidates: February
With four contests behind them, the remaining presidential contenders campaign.
Colo., Minn., Mo. voters choose Santorum
Former senator swept Colorado and Minnesota caucuses and Missouri primary.
Capitol Assets: Family ties
A Washington Post investigation uncovered cases where lawmakers directed money to institutions with connections to their relatives.
Bringing home the earmarks
Here are some members of Congress who have directed federal money to projects close to their personal or commercial property.
Interactive
Elsewhere in Post Politics
Featured Blogs & Columns
Powered by
The Post Most: PoliticsMost-viewed stories, videos and galleries int he past two hours
Campaign 2012 tools
