One approach for Mitt Romney would be what opponents might call a double-vanilla ticket, with another white male as vice presidential nominee. Four possibilities come to mind.

The tension between Congress and the president is palpable, and nowhere is that more true than in the controversy over recess appointments.

Inaction onpresidential appointmentsreflects a combination of the overall White House contempt for Congress and its hostility to Daschle and Democrats more generally.

The president and the White House, Senate leaders of both parties, the FBI and other agencies involved in the nomination and confirmation process need to get serious about changing its downward spiral.Blocking a highly qualified nominee to the Fed during a very difficult economic time is shameful.

Amid the pre-Jan. 3 buzz, it's worth remembering that Republicans in most states, for better or worse, haven't been doing much in the way of following Iowa's lead in selecting a GOP presidential nominee.

The popular vote for the House and the president have converged. Here’s what it means for Obama’s chances in 2012.

This debate was held against the background of things going Mitt Romney’s way: he continues to be ahead, tenuously in some polls and by growing margins in others, in South Carolina as well as nationally, even as he finds himself the target of sustained attacks by the pro-Newt Gingrich superPAC and, in a sudden surge, by Rick Santorum.