Of the top 25 magazines circulated in the United States, only one has any real bearing on the national political conversation: Time.

The Audit Bureau of Circulations released its data for the first half of 2012 today, including a list of the top 25 magazines by paid and verified circulation. Amid the women's interest and home and garden magazines, Time stands alone as the one magazine dedicated even in part to political coverage (Oprah Winfrey's interviews with the Obamas and the Romneys for "O, The Oprah Magazine" notwithstanding.) 

AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin topped the list with 22 million issues a piece; the rest — including Better Homes and Gardens (fourth), Good Housekeeping (sixth), and People (ninth) — had between 2.2 and 8.2 million. Time magazine came in eleventh (between Woman's Day and Taste of Home) with 3.3 million, a 2.9 percent drop from the first six months of 2011. Time did not make the Top 25 single-copies list, though those purchases account for a relatively slim slice of the pie. (Cosmoplitan, which topped the list, registered only 1.35 million single-copy issues).

Some obvious takeaways: The cover of Time magazine still matters; Time and Newsweek aren't in the same league; and people care more about cooking tips than current events.