Outside the Beltway

A conservative columnist argues the legitimacy of our system is in question.

Eighteen years after it started, the American public seems to be mostly ignoring the war in Afghanistan. But that isn’t an excuse for not bringing it to an end.

Well that didn’t take long.

Eighteen years after the September 11th attacks, it’s becoming harder to remember what the world used to be like.

President Trump took to Twitter late this morning to fire his third National Security Adviser.

President Trump announced late yesterday that he had called off secret meetings with the Taliban. The fact that they were even going to happen reveals yet again what’s wrong with his foreign policy.

Trump’s trip to El Paso in one photo and two videos.

President Trump’s nominee to be the next Director of National Intelligence is quite simply not qualified for the position he has been nominated to.

Once again, President Trump can’t help but make something meant to recognize real American heroes all about himself.

Is it possible, or even appropriate, to express pride in a country that is being led by a President who stands against everything this country stands for?

The Kaine-Udall amendment has met its predictable end.

Democrats are trying to rein in President Trump. It won’t work.

South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg laid out his foreign policy platform in a speech this week. It’s certainly an improvement over the current President.

Almost eighteen years after the greatest terrorist attack on our country, we haven’t taken care of those who risked it all.

Strong public records laws, not an excess of weirdness, has driven a sad meme.

Former Vice-President Joe Biden is calling for an end to American support for the Saudi war on Yemen.

The U.S. military will no longer release reports regarding the success, or failure, of the current strategy in Afghanistan.

Sunday’s attacks in Sri Lanka make it clear that the claim that ISIS has been defeated are nowhere close to being true.

Having lost to him, she’s an ineffective voice on the matter of Donald Trump.

President Trump has not surprisingly vetoed a Congressional resolution to limit American support for the Saudi war on Yemen. His defense for doing so is utterly absurd.

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

Instead of merely seeking to block the President’s declaration of an “emergency” at the southern border, Congress should instead significantly amend the National Emergencies Act.

Republicans face a choice in the coming days. Do they support the Constitution, or do they support Donald Trump? You can count on them making the wrong choice.

Rather than pulling completely out of Syria the United States will be leaving behind a token force of about 200 troops. This is a mistake.

The NYT has a useful classification of previous declarations (which does show the odd nature of Trump’s wall declaration).

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.

The arguments against withdrawing American forces from Afghanistan are becoming weaker and weaker.

Critics on both the Left and the Right rightly see an injustice here but the US Supreme Court allowed it to happen.

Herb Kelleher, who helped found an airline that revolutionized the industry thanks to his unconventional choices, has died at the age of 87.

Terrorists aren’t walking across the desert to get here. Flying is so much easier.

Former Senator and Denocratic Presidential candidate Jim Webb is reportedly being considered for Defense Secretary.

President Trump’s job approval numbers continue to be worse than those of any President since the end of World War Two.

My latest for War on the Rocks.

The GOP is likely to lose control of the House of Representatives tomorrow, but could this actually help Trump?

The blatant stoking of irrational fear as campaign politics.

More outrageous behavior by the President of the United States.

She’s quite likely the youngest 4-star general in the U.S. Army, if not the U.S. military.

American involvement in the genocidal Saudi war on Yemen is getting more complicated. This is a bad idea.

While I was originally content to let Brett Kavanaugh sail through to confirmation, I now feel compelled to oppose his nomination to be a Supreme Court Justice.

Regardless of who wins control of the Senate in November, the person who will stand third in the line of succession will either be over, or very close to, eighty years old. That doesn’t make sense.

Happy weekend.

Seventeen years ago, America was thrust into a war that seemingly has no end.

A Federal Court has ruled that North Carolina can use its current Congressional District map for this year’s midterms notwithstanding a ruling that it is an impermissible gerrymander.

For the second time this year, a three-judge panel of Federal Judges has struck down North Carolina’s Congressional District map. The immediate question is what impact, if any, this will have on November’s election.

Through our so-called allies in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the United States is helping to destroy Yemen. It’s time for our support for that war to come to an end.

Facebook, Google, and several other companies have closed down accounts associated with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

At a minimum, Trump is betraying his oath of office. That is one hell of a minimum.

On the eve of the NATO Summit, President Trump continues to engage in tactics that seem to serve no purpose other than to undermine America’s most important and successful alliance.

The President is generating so much outrage on a daily basis that we’re missing important stories.

America promised immigrants who volunteered to serve in our military a fast track to citizenship. Now, we’re throwing them out.