It Doesn’t Matter Whose Idea The Sequester Was

Once again, politicians in Washington are engaging in irrelevant partisan battles rather than trying to solve the nation’s problems.

OTB Caption Contest Winners

The Quark Side Edition OTB Caption ContestTM is now over.

Bradley Manning Pleads Guilty

Bradley Manning has pleaded guilty to 10 charges stemming from turning classified documents over to WikiLeaks.

David Foster Wallace Course Syllabi

In “‘I Urge You to Drop E67-02’: Course Syllabi by Famous Authors,” Emily Temple collects actual syllabi for college literature courses taught by David Foster Wallace, Katie Roiphe, Zadie Smith, and others.

Bob Woodward’s ‘White House Threatened Me’ Grandstanding

Bob Woodward once again has Washington abuzz with a White House scoop. This one is BS.

OTB Caption Contest

Time for the Thursday OTB Caption ContestTM

Republican Brand Still Damaged, Little Hope Of Repair Coming Soon

The GOP’s public image continues to be bad and there seems to be little sign that they’re doing anything to change that.

Coffee Makes You Smart, Sexy

Coffee makes you smarter, burns fat, and is good for your liver.

Conservative News Consumers Again Surprised By Obvious

The Hagel confirmation, like Obama’s election, was big news to some avid news consumers.

Yahoo Bans Telework

Jerry Seinfeld Explains Joke Writing

Jokes aren’t funny if you have to explain them. Explaining how the joke got written can be marginally funny.

Obama Unloads Immigration Detention Centers Ahead of Sequester

Hundreds of illegal immigrants have been released from detention ahead of possible budget cuts.

Republicans Not Giving Up On Electoral College Allocation Schemes

Republicans at the state level are still trying to cook the books in the Electoral College

CPAC Snubs Chris Christie

CPAC’s organizers have decided not to invite the most popular Governor in the country.

Jack Lew’s Bonus

There’s an innocent explanation for giving a huge bonus to a financial exec going into government. And it still stinks.

When Can Government Force You to Violate Religious Beliefs?

A federal judge poses an interesting question in a case over Obama’s contraceptive mandate.

One Metric of the Size of Government

Looking at civilian employment in the executive branch since 1940.

OTB Caption Contest Winners

The Three senors Edition OTB Caption ContestTM is now over.

Census to Stop Counting Negroes

In a bold move, the Census Bureau has removed “Negro” from its racial categories.

Drink More Wine: It’s Science

A diet rich in olive oil, nuts, beans, fish, fruits and vegetables, and wine is good for your heart.

DC Politics and the Myth of Scheming

The Chinese are hacking Washington institutions to unearth the secret plan under which the town operates.

Sherlock Holmes Is Public Domain–Or Is It?

“Who owns Sherlock Holmes?” The answer is . . . complicated.

Emory President Extols 3/5 Compromise

Emory’s James Wagner sees the 3/5 Compromise as the price for achieving a more perfect union.

Bloomberg Big Soda Ban Dumber Than We Thought

The Big Gulp ban won’t ban Big Gulps. But it’ll ban 2-liter Cokes with your pizza and pitchers at Chuck E. Cheese.

OTB Caption Contest

Time for the Monday OTB Caption ContestTM

The Sequester, Moving Goalposts, and the 2012 Elections

Ezra Klein argues that the voters already decided how the sequestration fight should play out.

Die Hard’s Enduring Appeal

An excellent essay by Adam Sternbergh “On the Enduring Appeal of ‘Die Hard.'”

Let Them Eat Horse

Trying to Understand Benghazi!

A theory on why Benghazi will not die as a political issue.

Guns to Protect us from Sharia

Silly things members of Congress say (plus musings on authoritarianism).