Erik Kurilla Nominated as Next CENTCOM Chief

A former classmate is going to be one of the US military’s most senior leaders.

Saudi Arabia Building Ballistic Missiles with Chinese Help

Our ostensibly ally is working with our chief adversary against our interests.

Hezbollah in Latin America! (Part Gazillion)

A possible murder plot in Colombia embedded into a problematic multi-decade narrative.

Is Autocracy Really Winning?

A depressing magazine piece argues it is.

DC Circuit Delays Trump Paper Release

The matter of Executive Privilege and former Presidents is settled law.

Mort Sahl, 1927-2021

The first modern stand-up comedian has died at 94.

Colin Powell, 1937-2021

The trailblazing soldier-statesman has died at 84.

Milley and Woodward Revisited

A follow-up to yesterday’s analysis.

A Nuclear Iran is Inevitable

The Islamic Republic is very close to being able to fuel a single weapon.

OTB 2003 Revisited

A blast from the past.

North Korea Restarts Yongbyon Reactor

Because Afghanistan and Hurricane Ida weren’t enough for the Biden administration to deal with.

Timeline Ripped Out of Arkansas Yearbook

When “the news” isn’t just “the news.”

A U.S. Marine opens the door as President Joe Biden prepares to disembark Marine One, Saturday, July 3, 2021, at Antrim County Airport in Bellaire, Michigan. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz) A U.S. Marine opens the door as President Joe Biden prepares to disembark Marine One, Saturday, July 3, 2021, at Antrim County Airport in Bellaire, Michigan. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz)

Biden Blamed for Afghan Fiasco

The collapse is not his doing. But he’s accountable for the poor planning.

The New Red Scare

Fear of Chinese spies led to a bizarre and illegal operation within the Commerce Department.

Donald Rumsfeld, 1932-2021

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

Friday Tab Clearing

Stories, links, and brief observations from the week that never grew into posts.

Who’s to Blame for the War Dead?

The answer seems simple but it isn’t.

Nick Burns to Be China Ambassador

An exceptional choice that breaks the recent tradition of politicos in the post.

Natanz Bombing More Effective Than Thought

Thousands of centrifuges have been destroyed.

Leaving Afghanistan After Only 20 Years

Four administrations and two decades later, it’s about to be over.

Natanz Sidelined by Another Israeli Attack

Iran’s top nuclear facility is offline again.

Larry McMurtry, 1936-2021

The author of “Lonesome Dove,” “Terms of Endearment,” and so many more great novels is gone at 84.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris participate in a virtual bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz) President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris participate in a virtual bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz)

Liberals Upset Biden Foreign Policy is Biden’s

Those expecting Bernie Sanders’ agenda are sorely disappointed.

President Joe Biden signs two executive orders on healthcare Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, in the Oval Office of the White House. President Joe Biden signs two executive orders on healthcare Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, in the Oval Office of the White House.

Biden’s First 50 Days

A way-too-early assessment of how it’s going.

President Joe Biden signs two executive orders on healthcare Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, in the Oval Office of the White House. President Joe Biden signs two executive orders on healthcare Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, in the Oval Office of the White House.

Ending the Forever Wars

It’s easy if you try.

Biden Punishing Russia but Not Saudi Arabia

The fecklessness of U.S. human rights policy in full display.

Eighteen Years of Blogging

Some reflections

George Shultz, 1920-2021

The longtime public servant has died, aged 100.

The Pendulum Is Broken, Not Swinging

Historical precedents fall apart when we’re in a truly unprecedented time.

All Lies Are Not Created Equal

President Biden told a little fib.

Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead

Trump’s Final Meltdown

The President of the United States is an existential threat to the Republic.

The Flynn Pardon

Perhaps the most normal thing President Trump has done.

Biden to Name Blinken for State and Sullivan for NSC

The 46th President’s foreign policy team is taking shape.

Al Qaeda Deputy Killed in Iran

The man behind the 1998 embassy attacks is dead.

The Line That Divides

Either democracy is sacred, or it’s not.

What’s a Republic?

What meanings might the Founders have had? How should we understand the term?

DNI Refusing to Brief Congress on Election Security

Yet more flouting of the rule of law by the Trump administration.

Foreign Interference in the 2020 Elections

The Russians are at it again, with the cooperation of the Trump administration and its enablers.

Larry Hogan 2024

Could a blue state governor be the future of the Republican Party?

Trump Commutes Roger Stone’s Sentence

A shocking and yet completely unsurprising development.

Israeli Bomb Sets Back Iranian Nuclear Program

The Natanz fuel enrichment site has been seriously damaged.

Bolton: Trump Asked China to Help Re-Election

Some explosive charges in the former National Security Advisor’s book.

Undercounting COVID Deaths

The counting methodology is flawed and that’s assuming honest reporting.

Eleven 9/11s

Another grim milestone

US Retaliates for Iranian Retaliation

A proportional response.

Iranian Attack Kills Americans

If a global pandemic and economic crisis weren’t enough excitement . . . .

SXSW Latest Victim of Coronavirus

Conferences, sporting events, and even school has been canceled to avoid spreading the pandemic.

American Gerontocracy

Is being ruled by the elderly a bad thing?

No, Mr. President, COVID-19 isn’t a Democratic Hoax

Donald Trump is once again trying to deflect reality.