Capital Journal

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  Approval Gap Between Obama and His Policies Could Spell Trouble

  What is becoming apparent in the third year of Barack Obama's presidency is that an awful lot more Americans like him personally than like him politically.

• Online, Small Voices Spark Revolutions

  The most important figures in a Middle East undergoing historic ferment may well be people who were unknown until recent months. We now seem to have moved into the small-person era of history.

• Health Care and the Supreme Court: It's All in the Timing

  The timing of the Supreme Court case on the health-care overhaul law could be important for the 2012 election.

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  Obama's Handling of Egyptian Crisis Will Tell Us About Him and His Future

  How the antigovernment unrest in Egypt evolves and how President Obama handles the challenges will tell us a great deal about the president and his future.

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  The Next Era of Middle East History

  The last six decades of Middle Eastern history can be neatly divided into three phases. A fourth likely started over the weekend in Egypt.

• Public Employee Unions: Public Enemy No. 1?

  It's a good bet that this year is going to be a tough one for public employee unions and their members, from tiny towns to the federal bureaucracy.

• What Sent States Into a Tailspin?

  Amid all the debate about bankruptcy and bailouts and all the headlines about local-government layoffs, ponder one simple question: How the heck did state and local governments get in such trouble?

  • Video: States Going Out of Business? | Audio

• Capital Journal: Obama Woos Center

  The theme of Obama's State of the Union address was "winning the future." It also could have been labeled, "winning the center."

  • Audio: Obama Changes Course With Address

• Obama's Speech to Kick Off Fight to 'Win the Future'

  The president's State of the Union speech night will mark a turning point in the Washington debate, shifting it from one focused on the past to one focused on the future.

  • Vote: Higher priority -- jobs or deficit reduction?
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  Why the Arizona Shooting Won't Lead to Tighter Federal Gun Laws

  Why Congress is unlikely to adopt a stricter gun-control law following the shooting in Arizona.

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  Schumer's Bad-Cop Role on Yuan Has Its Benefits

  Some people are preparing to give Chinese President Hu Jintao a warm welcome when he arrives in Washington this week. Sen. Chuck Schumer isn't one of them.

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  A President's Rating at 2-Year Mark Says Little About His Re-election Prospects

  History tells us that a president's favorable ratings halfway through his first term aren't a good gauge of his prospects for re-election.