COVER
What Is Robert Gates Really Fighting For? (Cover)
A trusted aide to six Presidents, Robert Gates is the most powerful Defense Secretary in a generation. But what is the Republican at the head of Obama's war room fighting for?
Robert Gates in Afghanistan
Photographer Lynsey Addario tours the war-torn country with Obama's Secretary of Defense
Robert Gates' Career in Government
The Secretary of Defense has an impressive public service resume
NATION
Douglas Elmendorf: The Numbers Man Whom D.C. Trusts — and Loathes (The Well / Nation)
A profile of Douglas Elmendorf, the unassuming but much castigated director of the Congressional Budget Office
How to Tame the Budget Deficit (The Well / Nation)
With our economy on the brink, Americans need to cut spending and raise taxes. Sound impossible? Here's a way to forge a grand compromise between two warring parties
ESSAY
Republicans Must Embrace the Vital Center (Commentary)
Moderate Republicanism has imploded. But a new wave of conservatives could bring it back
Obama Calls Out GOP, but Nobody's Home (Commentary / In the Arena)
Obama is showing a welcome new taste for political combat. Too bad his opponents aren't serious
Heidi Montag, Spencer Pratt and the Limits of Celebrity (Commentary)
Heidi Montag is a star. So why did only 658 people buy her album? An investigative report
WORLD
Trying to Revitalize a Dying Small Town
In a corner of Illinois with a turbulent history and a grim future, a punk-rock impresario is trying to make a difference. Bringing a town back to life, one cup of coffee at a time
SPORT
11 Olympians To Watch (Sports / Sports)
On Feb. 12, the world's best skiers, boarders and skaters will descend on Vancouver for the Winter Games. A TIME guide to all the fire on ice (and snow)
How They Train
See TIME's video series about how winter Olympians train
LETTERS
Inbox (Inbox)
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Handicapping the Best Picture Oscar (Movies)
Everything you need to know about the 10 Oscar nominees
Patti Smith and Mapplethorpe: Bohemian Rhapsody (Books)
The rocker Patti Smith looks back on her youthful love affair with Robert Mapplethorpe
Serenity Now (Books)
In Devotion, writer Dani Shapiro chronicles her search for faith
Taste of Spring (Music)
With Teen Dream, indie-rock duo Beach House warms up
J.D. Salinger Dies: Hermit Crab of American Letters (Appreciation)
Author J.D. Salinger's only novel, The Catcher in the Rye, achieved a status that made him cringe. For decades the book was a universal rite of passage for adolescents, the manifesto of disenchanted youth
Short List
TIME'S PICKS FOR THE WEEK
SOCIETY
Facing Death and Divorce at the Same Time (Life / Marriage)
Why some people, including John and Elizabeth Edwards and Dennis Hopper and his wife, opt to go through two awful things at once: divorcing and dying
How to Build Your Own Bedbug Detector (Life / Do-It-Yourself)
Go ahead — scientists designed this so you can try it at home
Gift Giving on Facebook Gets Real (Life / Web Watch)
The social-networking site wants your money — and your friend's mailing address
How ShelterBox Helps Haiti Earthquake Victims (Life)
ShelterBox helps people after disasters. Tom Henderson tells how the little nonprofit he started is aiding 100,000 Haitians
ShelterBox: A Quick Fix for Home in Haiti
Video: ShelterBox, created by social entrepreneur Tom Henderson, provides temporary shelter and disaster relief for thousands of homeless earthquake survivors in Haiti
SPECIAL SECTION
The Chill in Davos (Global Business / World Economic Forum)
TIME's Board of Economists searched the global economy for signs of life. Asia? Yes. The U.S.? Too soon to tell
Rouge in Reverse (Global Business / Small Business)
Huron Valley Steel is taking automobile deconstruction to its logical conclusion: metal and energy
Prescription for a Turnaround (Global Business / Health Care)
A new boss gets Cardinal Health refocused on the supply chain
PEOPLE
10 Questions for Maxwell (10 Questions)
The Grammy-winning soul singer on music, hair and his eight-year hiatus. Maxwell will now take your questions
BRIEFING
The Moment
1|29|10: Haiti
The World
10 ESSENTIAL STORIES
Getting Your Way
Need to crack the whip at work? Persuading people to do things differently is difficult. How to change the way you approach change
Verbatim
Spotlight: Toyota's Recall
Debunked (Health Memo)
A pivotal paper linking vaccines and autism is retracted. Will the antivaccine movement go on?
Brief History of Gays in the Military
As Congress opens its first hearings into "Don't ask, don't tell" in 17 years, TIME takes a look a the history of the love that dare not speak its name on the battlefield
The Skimmer
Book Review: The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050 by Joel Kotkin