COVER

Does Experience Matter in a President? (The Well / Cover Story)

Hillary Clinton and John McCain are arguing that Barack Obama is too green for the job. But history shows that when it comes to the presidency, experience doesn't guarantee success

The Science of Experience (The Well / Cover Story)

Would you prefer a doctor who has practiced medicine for 30 years or just 10? Research into expert performance shows that the choice isn't simple

NATION

Bill Clinton: The Bitter Half (The Well / Campaign '08)

The former President was supposed to be a major weapon in his wife's campaign. But is he to blame for its problems?

ESSAY

As Ohio Goes (In The Arena)

Middle-class voters are looking for big ideas. The candidate who provides them will win the White House

Hillary's SNL Strategy (Tuned In)

With assists from Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, Clinton tries to close the crucial entertainment-video gap

How Sorry Is This Guy?

If Ralph Nader wants any votes in this election, he should cop to the last one he screwed up

WORLD

Mission Unfinished (The Well / World)

For American troops on their second or third tours in Iraq, some familiar places now look much different. But in Mosul, the old battles have to be fought all over again. A report from the next front line

Ghosts of Kosovo (The Well / Commentary)

The latest flare-up in the Balkans is more smoke than fire, but crises like it may still come back to haunt us

Notes Of Hope (The Well / Dispatch)

Music opens doors that had been closed to our correspondent for two decades. A surreal day and a magical evening in Pyongyang

Postcard: Pasadena (Postcard: Pasadena)

At Caltech, basketball is the dismal science: the team hasn't won a league game since 1985. Air balls and astrophysics with the country's worst college hoops team

SOCIETY

Your Own Private Island (Life: Living - Health - Finance - Travel / Living)

New technology makes living on one more feasible. How to find the ultimate waterfront property

The Marketplace of Faith (The Well / Nation)

A new study finds Americans constantly moving among religions--or away from them

HEALTH & MEDICINE

How Not to Look Old on the Job (Life: Living - Health - Finance - Travel / Health)

More boomers are working into their senior years, and who wants to look like the office geezer?

SPECIAL SECTION

The Real China (Life: Living - Health - Finance - Travel / Travel Tips)

Whether you're heading east for business or pleasure, here's what you need to know to feel at home

BUSINESS

Visa Charges On (The Well / The Curious Capitalist)

If this is the worst financial crisis since the 1930s, why can the credit-card giant plan the biggest IPO ever?

Hey, Buddy, Can You Spare $10,000? (Life: Living - Health - Finance - Travel / Finance)

Peer-to-peer loans are rewriting the rules of credit and making bankers out of average folks

SCIENCE

Celestial Speeders (The Well / Science)

The Milky Way's stars move in predictably lazy ways--but 10 of them are breaking all the rules

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Life After Rent (Arts: Theater - Books - Downtime / Theater)

Can Broadway woo a younger, more diverse crowd? Two new shows aim to try

In Prison with Jodi Picoult (Arts: Theater - Books - Downtime / Books)

The author's 15th novel, Change of Heart, ponders capital punishment.

Rubber, Sold (Arts: Theater - Books - Downtime / 60-Second Synopsis)

5 Things You Should Know About. (Arts: Theater - Books - Downtime / Downtime)

A killer crime novel, more Tudor-era treachery and a musical ode to bologna

LETTERS

BRIEFING

Citizen Soldiers (The Moment)

The Golden State enlists its most reliable emergency responders ever

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

A New Tune for High-End Audio (Global Business: Life At The Top - Top Business Teams / Life at the Top)

McIntosh, beloved by fans but bereft of strategy, got a remix from its latest owner

Organizing Disaster (Global Business: Life At The Top - Top Business Teams / Top Business Teams)

CARE shows that planning carefully for the worst helps make a bad situation manageable