Mike Pence Drops Out of Non-Race

The fourth place candidate for second place in the Republican primaries has taken his ball and gone home to Mother.

Ezra Klein on Israel and Hamas

The best statement on the complexity of the Israel-Hamas conflict that I have heard/read.

Scalia Law School is Conservative!

The New York Times looks into ties between a DC area law school and the Supreme Court.

Pentagon Opposes Helping Prosecute Russian War Crimes

A wrongheaded if longstanding position.

Lackadaisical Handling of Secrets by Top Officials

It’s becoming a sad joke.

The American Military Officer and the Constitution

My latest publication.

Liz Cheney Walloped in Primary

The Trumper consolidation of their control of the GOP continues.

Liz Cheney’s Future

She’ll almost certainly be out of a job in January. Then what?

Liz Cheney 2024?

She’s almost certainly going to lose her House seat. Can she get a promotion?

Russia Warns US Against Arming Ukraine

The proxy war is working.

Former Congressman and Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows Former Congressman and Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows

Did Mark Meadows Break Electoral Laws?

It would appear to be the case.

Nick Kristof Ineligible to Run for Oregon Governor

Apparently, New York and Oregon are not the same place.

Vice President Kamala Harris talks on the phone with French President Emmanuel Macron Monday, Feb. 15, 2021, at the Blair House in Washington, D.C. Vice President Kamala Harris talks on the phone with French President Emmanuel Macron Monday, Feb. 15, 2021, at the Blair House in Washington, D.C.

Kamala Harris’ Frustrating Start?

A weird new narrative has emerged.

Colin Powell, 1937-2021

The trailblazing soldier-statesman has died at 84.

Mike Richards Next Jeopardy Host?

A guy I’ve never heard of is apparently replacing the legendary Alex Trebek.

Money and Intra-Party Competition

More in a series of ongoing observations about the GOP primaries.

Donald Rumsfeld, 1932-2021

He was both the youngest and oldest man to run the Pentagon.

Who’s to Blame for the War Dead?

The answer seems simple but it isn’t.

Biden First Since Reagan to Get All Cabinet Picks Confirmed

The seemingly unremarkable event hadn’t happened in four decades.

The Biden-Harris Administration

A curious bit of branding.

Former SecDefs Sign off on an Extraordinary Message

On the op/ed page of WaPo, the 10 living former U.S. secretaries of defense say things that shouldn’t have to be said.

Trump Commutes Roger Stone’s Sentence

A shocking and yet completely unsurprising development.

Intel Briefers Stopped Telling Trump about Russia

The President didn’t want to hear about bad behavior from Moscow, so he wasn’t told.

Biden’s Veep Search

Every Democratic woman seems to be under consideration.

Only the Best People, Part ???

Who can keep count?

Liz Cheney For Senate?

It’s not clear if Congresswoman Liz Cheney wants to run for the open Senate seat in Wyoming. If she did, though, she’d be the prohibitive favorite.

Valerie Plame, Ex-CIA Operative, Running For Congress

Valerie Plame, the former CIA agent whose identity was outed during the Bush Administration, is running for Congress in New Mexico.

Andrew Marshall Dead at 97

The legendary figure was in charge of strategic forecasting at the Pentagon for decades.

No Secretary of Defense in Sight

The office has been vacant for 81 days. President Trump has yet to nominate a replacement.

Walter Jones, Iraq War Supporter Who Became Anti-War, Dies At 76

Walter Jones, a former supporter of the Iraq War who became one of the most prominent anti-war voices in Congress, has passed away at the age of 76. He will be missed.

Lyndon LaRouche, Conspiracy Kook And Perennial Presidential Candidate, Dies At 96

Lyndon LaRouche, an eight-time Presidential candidate who ran a cult-like organization that spread bizarre conspiracy theories, has died at 96.

President George H.W. Bush Dies At 94

George H.W. Bush,, who served his nation as a warrior, Congressman, Ambassador, Vice-President, and President, has died at the age of 94.

Christine Blasey Ford, Sally Quinn, And Why Women Don’t Report Sexual Assault

Fifty years ago, a young college student who would become one of the most influential women in Washington was sexually assaulted by a Senator. She didn’t come forward with her story for more than fifty years, and the reasons why strike close to what we’ve been talking about for three weeks now.

Washington Bids Farewell To John McCain

Washington said farewell to John McCain today in a service that both remembered his spirit and his heroism, and stands as a sharp rebuke to what politics has been reduced to in America today.

Trump Pardons Right-Wing Provocateur Dinesh D’Souza

President Trump has issued another controversial pardon.

Trump Losing Another Lawyer, But Adding One Of Bill Clinton’s Impeachment Lawyers

Another one of Trump’s lawyers bites the dust, and hired someone with some very specific experience.

Ronny Jackson’s Nomination Becomes More Imperiled As Accusations Mount

With the accusations mounting, the nomination of Ronny Jackson to be Secretary of Veterans Affairs is becoming more and more imperiled.

Trump Plans To Pardon Scooter Libby

Out of the blue, President Trump plans to pardon Dick Cheney’s former Chief of Staff, but the move seems to have more to do with James Comey than it does Scooter Libby.

Mueller Investigating Gulf State Influence, Too

Americans actings as agents for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have been working hard to manipulate the President.

Trump’s Own Lawyers Reluctant To Let Him Talk To Robert Mueller

Donald Trump’s own lawyers are afraid he can’t help but lie to such an extent that he should not sit down for an interview with special counsel Robert Mueller.

The Roy Moore Case and the Nature of US Political Parties

The Moore situation illustrates the nonhierarchical nature of US parties. This is nothing new.

John Bolton Reportedly In Line For Number Two Spot At State Department

A controversial member of George W. Bush’s foreign policy team is up for a post in Donald Trump’s State Department.

Vice-Presidential Debate Draws Lowest Viewership Since 2000

Tuesday night’s running mate debate had lower viewership than any such encounter in sixteen years.

Majority Opposes Trump’s Muslim Immigration Ban, But It’s A Different Story With Republicans

Polling shows that most Americans oppose Donald Trump’s plan to bar Muslim’s from immigrating to the United States, but Republicans are far more receptive to the idea.

Trump’s Plan To Bar Muslim Immigration Widely Condemned, But It’s Unlikely To Hurt Him

Donald Trump’s plan to bar all Muslim immigration to the United States is being widely condemned by his fellow Republicans and others, but the proposal probably won’t hurt him politically in a Republican Party that is deeply bigoted against Muslims in general.

The 2016 GOP Race And The Battle To Define What ‘Conservative’ Means

Much more so than in the past, the race for the Republican Presidential race has become a battle to define what it means to be a ‘conservative.’ Especially on issues like immigration and national security, one side seems to be winning the battle.

Republicans And The Legacy Of George W. Bush

Republicans haven’t really moved beyond the legacy of George W. Bush’s failed Administration as much as they’d like to think, but it doesn’t seem to be hurting them very much.