US President Barack Obama backed Alassane Ouattara on Friday as the new president of Ivory Coast, congratulating him on his election “victory” and warns his Christian rival Laurent Gbagbo to give up power. Muslim candidate, Alassane Ouattara, whose troop

Dan McCarthy takes exception to my description of the 2012 Republican field as the worst in a generation: It’s not true: they’re a sorry bunch, but they aren’t any sorrier than other Republican slates of recent years. The 2012 field has included the thri

Even on past occasions when the result of the Iowa caucuses appeared to be an aberration—and whether eight votes divides relevance from irrelevance this year remains to be seen—it has set the tenor of the subsequent campaign. Four years ago, both Democra

Adam Graham Rick Santorum finished eight votes behind Mitt Romney in Iowa, a virtual tie. If this were a general election or even a primary where votes were binding, there would be a recount, but as the vote is not binding, there will not be a hand recou

In a defiant display of executive power, President Barack Obama on Wednesday will “stick his thumb in the eye” of GOP opposition and name Richard Cordray as the nation’s chief consumer watchdog. Outraged Republican leaders in Congress suggested that cour

The next sounds you hear will be Iowa Republicans rendering their judgment for 2012. The road to the magic number of 1,145 — delegates needed to clinch the GOP nomination — begins today, Tuesday. The caucuses, all 1,774 of them, start at 7 pm Central t