NATION

Only 648 Days Until the Election! (Campaign 2008)

A year before the Iowa caucuses, at least 20 candidates are already in the race or mulling it. Is this good for democracy?

8 Keys to the '08 Campaign (Campaign 2008)

The candidates are starting earlier than ever, but that's not all that is making this Presidential race different

Graphics

Your Guide To A Crowded Field

Some are in, some are still flirting with running. Here's where the candidates stand

SCIENCE

The Geometry of Music

A composer has taken equations from string theory to explain why Bach and bebop aren't so different

SOCIETY

Are Prisons Driving Prisoners Mad?

Maximum-security confinement may be pushing already unstable criminals -- "the worst of the worst" -- toward mental breakdown. And that's not good for any of us

Yep, They're Gay (Behavior)

A study of homosexual sheep has raised the ire of everyone from gay activists to PETA. John Cloud wonders why

SPORT

LETTERS

ESSAY

I'm Running Too

If elected President, I promise not to lead. Please send in your checks

BRIEFING

WORLD

In the Land Of the Lonely

Nearly 300,000 Israelis live on Arab territory in the West Bank. But with the U.S. pushing for a peace deal, their time may be running out

Britain's Boy Wonder (Profile)

David Cameron, the Consevatives' telegenic leader, has given the Tories something they haven't had in years: optimism

BUSINESS

Khakis Get the Blues

By putting finances before fashion, the Gap has lost its best customers. Can this company be saved?

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

YOUR TIME

SPECIAL SECTION

The Reality of Civil War (History)

America's conflict in the 1860s says nothing about internal strife in places like Iraq

PEOPLE

TO OUR READERS

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

Mumbai, Meet The Mob (Pursuits)

A sprawling new novel, cinematic in its scope, explores life in the underworld of India

Jaguar's Fastest Cat (Pursuits)

Performance meets luxury in the sleek and supercharged XKR, Jag's finest sports car yet

Carving a Niche (Pursuits)

After decades on the sidelines, women are finally taking to the slopes. Now the ski industry is having to slalom to keep up