Outside the Beltway

Is S&P’s downgrade of the US bond rating “free speech” and thereby protected by the Constitution?

State-level job approval numbers seem to suggest that the President could have Electoral College worries in 2012.

Examining the impact of current events requires stepping back from them just a little bit.

So, you want a career in foreign policy field and are weighing your options….

Today is Cost of Government Day, at least for those who can’t do math.

Presidents are not a powerful as they seem (and a return to the “are things broken?” theme).

Dan Drezner believes those worrying that we’re seeing the global meltdown of 2008 repeat itself are kidding themselves.

The more education you have, the more you’re likely to spend on booze.

Rick Perry’s entry into the race could quickly turn the 2012 GOP fight into a two man race.

Rebecca J. Rosen explains why “Ridiculously Long CVS Receipts Will Remain Ridiculously Long.” And Mitch Hedberg ponders why they give you a receipt for a donut.

Time for the Thursday OTB Caption Contest^TM

Non-rich people are in favor of taxing the rich and using the proceeds to fund programs for non-rich people

What you think you know about the U.S.-China trade relationship may not be entirely true.

Some thoughts on the riots (especially some US partisan responses to it).

The second round of the rolling Wisconsin recall elections was held yesterday. The Republicans are still in charge.

Through 20 years of effort, we’ve successfully trained everyone to use passwords that are hard for humans to remember but easy for computers to guess.

Should President Obama call Congress back into session? Not if there’s nothing to do he shouldn’t.

Michele Bachmann is claiming that the debt downgrade proves she was right about not raising the debt ceiling.

Will the Fed announce another round of Quantitative Easing?

If we cannot adequately diagnose our problems it will be even harder to fix them.

The Obama re-election campaign is preparing an extraordinarily negative campaign against Mitt Romney.

Honoring the fallen by ensuring that the didn’t die in vain is a recipe for getting more good men killed.

Joseph Nye explains why China’s “demand the United States address its structural debt problems and ensure the safety of China’s dollar assets” is really just talk.

The Ya Der Hey Edition OTB Caption Contest^TM is now over.

Michele Bachmann’s view of history is based in a world view that would be foreign to most Americans.

Any politician telling you that solving our problems will be easy is lying to you.

The 30-year bond has actually gained more than a point in early trading after the S&P downgrade!

Lost in the hubbub of S&P downgrading the US bond rating is news that the Italian government has the ratings agencies under criminal investigation.