COVER
Reaching for the Center: Realists Take Charge
The election whupping marked the end of George W. Bush's radical experiment in partisan government — and a plea for politicians to get serious about solving problems
NATION
"We Have To Start From A Level Of Trust" (Interview)
Three days after the elections, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi spoke to TIME's Perry Bacon Jr.
Karl Rove: A Passing Thing (Karl Rove)
Bush's strategist says Republicans can still maintain a long-term majority
The New Congress: Can the Democrats Get Anything Done? (Governing)
It depends on how well the new leaders in the House and Senate can maneuver through a set of tricky challenges
Places For Progress (The Agenda)
My Mother, My President (Viewpoint)
So they've called each other names. These two are pros. And they get along fine
Searching for an Iraq Exit Strategy
A new team, made up of some old Bush family friends, will try to help the President find a way out of the Iraq mess. Will this family intervention succeed?
The Return of the Realists (Viewpoint)
HEALTH & MEDICINE
Ahead Of Their Time (Health)
How doctors are rethinking the growing problem of preterm births--by focusing on the moms, not the babies
SOCIETY
Today's Nun Has A Veil--And A Blog
More young women are entering convents. How they are changing the sisterhood
BRIEFING
What's Next: Nov. 20, 2006 (Notebook)
Low-Carb Really Can Be Heart Healthy (Notebook)
The Ana Log: Nov. 20, 2006 (Notebook)
America's Feeling Blue (Notebook)
Verbatim: Nov. 20, 2006 (Notebook)
Numbers: Nov. 20, 2006 (Numbers)
Does This Look Like The Face Of A Killer? (Notebook)
Milestones Nov. 20, 2006 (Notebook)
Punchlines: Nov. 20, 2006 (Punchlines)
Going For Guinness (Notebook)
WORLD
The Secrets of Iraq's Death Row (Middle East)
With Saddam the latest to face the gallows, critics accuse Baghdad of hiding the real number of prisoners who are executed
Ortega's Encore (Profile)
How anti-U.S. cold warrior Daniel Ortega made his way back to power in Nicaragua
The Things They Carry (Middle East / Middle East)
Photographer Yuri Kozyrev captures the tokens of faith that help Marines face battle in Iraq
BUSINESS
Portrait of a Bull Market
What the latest record-setting prices for modern art say about the health of the U.S. economy
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Hooray For Holy-wood (Movies)
Movie studios, usually pegged as disciples of Mammon, are now trying to reach the faithful
Movies: Um, Is That You, Bond? (Movies)
The new model of the British secret agent is neither suave nor funny. But he has his charms
How Pedro Rescued Penelope (Film)
The director, his muse, her fake bottom and one triumphant role
Books: Pynchon vs. the Toaster (Books)
The literary master's dazzling, dizzying 1,085-page new novel is not for those looking for a snack
5 Sports Books That Deserve Big Cheers (Worth Your Time)
The next best thing to actually doing something athletic? Reading about it
YOUR TIME
When To Sell The Empty Nest (Money)
How to calculate the risks of downsizing in an uncertain housing market
6 Great Albums From 6 Decades
Travel: Savvy Travelers (Travel)
PEOPLE
10 Questions For Gore Vidal (Interview)
People: Nov. 20, 2006
LETTERS
Letters: Nov. 20, 2006
My Person Of The Year (Forum)
To help us make this year's selection, TIME asked people who were chosen in previous years for their 2006 nominations. The first installment:
ESSAY
When Oops Isn't Enough
Would it really kill the neocons to apologize for the Iraq war?
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
Mexico's Paradox (Time Bonus Section December 2006: Global Business / Flash Point)
Moneyed Monterrey can't mask an economy that needs a million new jobs a year
Felipe Calderon (Time Bonus Section December 2006: Global Business / Q&A)
Mexico's President-elect tells TIME about his plans for economic reform Felipe Calderon
The NBA's Play for India (Time Bonus Section December 2006: Global Business / Strategies)
Having won over China, the league eyes a huge, cricket-mad country with little hoops history
Empires: India's Tiger (Time Bonus Section December 2006: Global Business / Empires)
Ratan Tata turned a sleepy firm into a global power by targeting the low end of the market
Entrepreneurs: The Cell Islands (Time Bonus Section December 2006: Global Business / Entrepreneurs)
Phone upstart Digicel has taken the Caribbean by storm. The company plans to make landfall on the U.S. next year
CEO Speaks: Ferruccio Ferragamo (Time Bonus Section December 2006: Global Business / CEO Speaks)
Still faithful to its Italian roots, a business moves from family hands as it flourishes in Asia
Travel: Rooms to Grow (Time Bonus Section December 2006: Global Business / Travel)
Service can't be knocked off, one reason Western hotels are betting big on China
Very Rapid Response (Time Bonus Section December 2006: Global Business / Technology)
What can business learn from auto racing? Split-second decision making, says a British tech firm