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May 9, 2013 President Obama may not like the bills Congress considers, but he rarely vetoes them. In fact, Obama has vetoed fewer pieces of legislation than any president since Martin Van Buren. It's not just because Congress is sending him fewer bills.

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April 15, 2013 During a time of paralysis in Washington, states are taking the lead on a whole host of issues, from guns and gay marriage to education and tax policy. Of course, not everyone applauds the laws they pass. The Daily Show's Jon Stewart recently called states the "meth laboratories of democracy."

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March 12, 2013 Americans expect a lot from the president — any president. Modern presidents are believed to control the economy, when the reality is that they have fewer tools even to control Congress or public opinion.

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March 2, 2013 From The View to the Oscars, Barack and Michelle Obama's regular appearances on talk shows and at sports events raise the question of whether even a president can become overexposed.

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February 28, 2013 No rational person would try to cut nearly all government spending by a fixed amount, regardless of the individual merit of any given program. That's kind of the point.

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February 22, 2013 If you can't tell what politicians in Washington are talking about, you're not alone. But eventually terms such as "sequester" and "reconciliation" can become less impenetrable, if only because of their constant repetition.

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February 17, 2013 A draft of the plan, which was leaked to USA Today, proposes the creation of a "Lawful Prospective Immigrant" visa for those living here illegally. But GOP Sen. Marco Rubio dismissed the proposal, saying it was "disappointing" to those working on a solution to the issue.

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February 9, 2013 Gun control historically has been one of the most divisive issues in Congress, between the parties and even inside the Democratic coalition. Yet some in President Obama's own party say he has put together a gun agenda that is sweeping without being too painful for most Democrats to support.

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January 29, 2013 President Obama will address the immigration issue in a speech Tuesday, following hard on the heels of a new overhaul proposal out of the Senate. Despite new momentum on the issue, those who favor a harder line against illegal immigrants are not convinced they need to change tack.

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January 22, 2013 George Washington invoked the Almighty, but the word "God" wasn't used in an inaugural address until James Monroe. Since then, few presidents have missed the opportunity to put God in their inaugural speeches.

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January 22, 2013 The President has been inaugurated. Now comes the hard part — getting his agenda through Congress. He also needs to fill the upcoming vacancies in his Cabinet.

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January 21, 2013 The first lady is well known for her wardrobe choices, and for the inauguration, Michelle Obama showed off her ability to make multiple style statements during a single day.

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December 16, 2012 The House speaker is showing new flexibility on tax rates in talks with President Obama on the "fiscal cliff." Boehner has proposed allowing income tax rates to increase on people making more than $1 million a year as long as the president agreed to substantial spending cuts.

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December 5, 2012 The president and House Republicans continued to snipe at each other Wednesday over the impending set of automatic tax hikes and spending cuts known as the fiscal cliff. President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner later spoke briefly by phone for the first time in a week, according to reports.

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