2006 | 2005 | 2004 Barone Blog

Michael Barone is a senior writer for U.S.News & World Report and principal coauthor of The Almanac of American Politics. He has written for many publications–including the Economist and the New York Times. Barone graduated from Harvard College and then Yale Law School and was an editor of the Harvard Crimson and the Yale Law Journal.

2005 Columns

Lessons of 25 years: These lessons have been learned and applied by George W. Bush and also by Bill Clinton. (12/26/05)

Getting specific: "Our military has been doing what every competent military does: learn from mistakes and adapt." (12/12/05)

The (very) big lie: The charge that President Bush misrepresented pre-war intelligence on Iraq won't wash. (11/28/05)

Get immigration right: The guest-worker issue splits Republicans, and Democrats are not unified on it either. (11/14/05)

Spurning America: Liberal elites see the world differently from other Democrats and Americans as a whole. (10/24/05)

Down but not out: This is a president who responds to challenges with renewed bursts of vigor. (10/17/05)

The big picture: Images and headlines of a world spinning out of control belie a lot more good news than bad. (10/3/05)

Blame aplenty: We should resist the notion that we can find some organizational solution to prevent every mistake. (9/19/05)

An end to polarization?: The leading candidates of both parties are out of step with the hard-core bases. (9/5/05)

Of minds and metrics: Muslim support for terrorism in defense of Islam, a new poll shows, has declined dramatically. (8/29/05)

Cultures aren't equal: Most Americans know there is something special about our cultural heritage. (8/15/05)

Bush bashing fizzles: Attempts by the left and the liberal media to undermine the president are running out of steam. (8/1/05)

CAFTA: Points on the board for Bush: What Bush and the Republicans have been doing is less to reduce government than to change it. (7/29/05)

Roberts will redefine 'mainstream': The confirmation of John Roberts will move the court a significant distance in the conservative direction. (7/20/05)

Our House of Lords: Justices have typically felt little compunction about overturning laws. (7/18/05)

Bush well on way to meeting deficit promise: The deficit is projected to decline from $412 billion in 2004 to $333 billion in 2005, a 19 percent decline. (7/15/05)

O'Connor departure may alter redistricting law: There are no standards for deciding which partisan redistricting is too partisan. (7/7/05)

An emerging alliance with India: A new U.S.-India agreement increases the clout of a nation that is showing what representative democracy can do. (7/1/05)

A less perfect union: It was far from apparent that the EU constitution was in the interests of the United States. (6/27/05)

Reading the signs from voter turnout: The balance of enthusiasm may still be working in the Republicans' favor. (6/20/05)

Future shock: The lesson is that experts can err and big organizations can't always be relied on. (6/13/05)

Opposing free trade: How anger at Bush and special-interest lobbying have jeopardized a good deal for the U.S. (5/30/05)

What happens after North Korea falls?: If George W. Bush seriously envisions the peaceful end of the Pyongyang regime, his administration needs to think seriously about what comes next. (5/26/05)

Tony Blair's last hurrah: Blair has promised to retire before the next election, and Brown is the obvious successor. (5/16/05)

Political discontent in Britain: British politics has not been purged of rancor, as Tony Blair once promised. (5/3/05)

Faith in our future?: Whether the United States is on its way to becoming a theocracy is actually a silly question. (5/2/05)

The hardest numbers: District by district, the GOP is stronger than you think. (4/18/05)

No, it wasn't a cynical ploy: Federal intervention in civil-rights issues ought to be rare but sometimes it's downright essential. (4/4/05)

What do Democrats want?: Democrats air their concerns and voice their opinions about the direction of the party. (3/21/05)

Minds are changing: Just a thought for Old Europe to chew on: Bush might be right, just like Reagan was. (3/7/05)

Blogosphere politics: Both parties see the possibilities of playing politics in the ether, but it's working for one and not the other. (2/21/05)

Revolutionary president: He set out a breathtakingly ambitious goal: To bring democracy to the entire world. (1/31/05)

Eyes on the future: President Bush and Congress are dealing with issues that will shape the country for decades to come. (1/24/05)

Politics versus policy: If the Clintons were unable to pass their health care plan, how can Bush hope to pass his Social Security plan? (1/10/05)