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The US does not want to be transformed, just mended
Obama has veto power and a podium with the presidential seal but that is all
More clarity on the Fed’s future policy would be welcome, but QE3 without the back story is better than no stimulus at all
The Republican party has moved too far right to have a candidate that can thrill its base and appeal to the electoral centre as well
Less big vision and more humdrum pragmatism needed
Two narratives of America’s identity help explain why the country is so perplexing to outsiders and to Americans as well
Barack Obama said he wanted a $4,000bn ‘grand bargain’ on the budget - a day later the GOP said the deal was off
A modern economy hampered by pockets of backwardness
This is what Washington has come to: another short-term fix would be seen as a success
Advocates of comprehensive reform have their work cut out
The bin Laden operation gives him fresh political capital. He should use it to impose himself on Congress and the electorate
The president needs to rethink his definition of ultra-rich
A strong candidate’s chances in 2012 might be fair. All the party needs now is a strong candidate
Some kind of fiscal breakdown may be needed to force action
What counts is the long-term US fiscal outlook
Capitol Hill is threatening to drag the private sector back down
Public opinion is hardly rallying to the central bank’s defence
As the US went to war at the weekend, Obama left for Brazil to discuss trade
The housing mess is still capable of snuffing out the expansion altogether
Washington seems to have no intention of improving the country’s prospects and might choose to make things worse
The quality of public services is a bigger issue than the pay gap
Washington is quarrelling its way to a shutdown, but not to a remedy for its fiscal problems
President is letting the politics of austerity trump leadership
Vacillation in the face of uncertainty needs defending over blundering decisiveness
Barack Obama’s speech was fine in its way, but the timing was wrong
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