Recent national polls show Bush's job approval rating at about 32 percent. In Pennsylvania, the president's approval rating has remained below 30 percent for much of the past year, according to some polls. A Franklin & Marshall College poll in February showed just 22 percent of Pennsylvanians surveyed believe Bush is doing a good or excellent job. read more »

The first contest of the 2008 presidential election year is over and Barack Obama is the winner. Senator Obama won the Iowa caucuses, receiving 38% of the delegates. And the PA Dems were watching the caucus in force. To read Mary's report on our caucus-watch party and blogjam, click here. For more information about the caucus results, read more »

As Philadelphians look forward with anticipation to Mayor-elect Michael Nutter taking office next week, legislation pending in Harrisburg could help the new mayor fulfill his pledge to help families move forward. read more »

Laws enacted in Pennsylvania during 2007 ran the gamut from giving certified nurse practitioners and midwives more leeway to treat patients to allowing local vineyards to sell wine at farmers markets. read more »

Sen. Bob Casey Jr. has to leave. Immediately. On this late summer morning, the Pennsylvania Democrat is sitting on a small chair in the Smithsonian's Ripley Center, surrounded by more than a dozen children in paper hats listening as he reads aloud to them. read more »

A principal feature of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has been the unusually heavy involvement of National Guard and Reserves. More than 250,000 Guard and Reserves troops have served in those countries. read more »

Gov. Ed Rendell could not persuade state lawmakers this year to embrace the cornerstone of his sweeping health care reform plan: expanding state-subsidized health coverage to roughly 800,000 uninsured adults. read more »

For two decades, Republicans in the state's most populous suburban county have been fussin', fightin' and feudin'. And all that brawling has left its mark. A history of infighting, renewed this week in the bitter political divorce of the party's two top elected officials, has diminished the power of the Montgomery County GOP and has accelerated Democratic gains across the border from Philadelphia. read more »

Rep. Josh Shapiro, Deputy Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, is on our blog! Click here to read his thoughts on reform in the Commonwealth. To learn more about Rep. Shapiro, check out the article about him in the latest issue of Philadelphia Magazine and read more »

Looking ahead to 2008, the Election Day results paint a potentially ominous picture for Republicans trying to compete in Pennsylvania, according to GOP lawmakers, consultants and Democrats. read more »