Outside the Beltway

A new book by former SecDef Robert Gates is making political waves in Washington power circles, but will it matter to ordinary Americans?

A GOP Senate Candidate in Georgia attempts to back track, and runs off the rails in the process.

The beginnings of a populist challenge to Hillary Clinton in 2016?

Fourth time’s the charm? Probably not.

For a year that seemed to start out so well, 2013 has been among the President’s worst of this five years he’s been in office.

The most important leader to come out of Africa in the 20th Century, and perhaps in all of history, has died.

Even as it defies China’s illegal territorial claims with military flights, the Obama administration is urging US airlines to comply.

A third term for any of these guys? Don’t count on it.

More bad poll numbers for the President and his party.

Conservatives have their own Kennedy myth to compete with the myth of Camelot.

A top House Republican suggested today that only Governor’s should be President. His argument has both practical and historical merit.

Accusations of blame are already being tossed around about why Republicans lost in Virginia, and they mirror a broader debate in the Republican Party nationally.

Some interesting polls out of Virginia today, but McAuliffe is still the clear leader in this race.

Until this weekend, Mario Cuomo had refused to watch The Godfather. He still isn’t being very fair to it.

Will the GOP learn the right lessons from the just-concluded showdown? That remains to be seen.

Nearly two-thirds of House Republicans voted for default. They lost.

Divided government is the worst political system ever, except for all the others.

Being Speaker of the House has become much more of a difficult job than it used to be.

The Finding Nemo Edition OTB Caption Contest^TM is now over.

With just hours to go, the Republicans on Capitol Hill seem prepared to take a big political risk.

It’s now clear that, absent an unlikely miracle, there will be a government shutdown.

Heading into an intense week of Congressional lobbying, the odds still seem against the Administration on Syria.

President Obama is trying to launch a war but there’s a lot of competition for attention.

Once, against Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg makes it clear she isn’t going anywhere.

As President Obama’s red line has been crossed more brazenly, he continues to sound reluctant to intervene in Syria while positioning forces to do just that.

Lieutenant General Michelle Johnson will be the first woman to lead a service academy.

Bill and Hillary are not cool with Anthony and Huma’s recollection of the 1990s.

Lindy Boggs, the Louisiana Congresswoman best known to many of us as Cookie Roberts’ mom, has died at the ripe old age of 97.

The high cost of raising children is making it difficult for many Americans to have multiple children.

What can an incident at an elite New York party ten years ago tell us about race in America?

President Obama has appointed a lot of donor’s and supporters to plumb Ambassadorial slots. That’s not at all unusual.

The Senate may be headed for an historic confrontation today if an 11th hour deal isn’t reached.

The Oval Office Address, once a common tool of the Presidency, has been in declining use of late.

Liberal leaders want Ruth Bader Ginsburg to retire so President Obama can appoint her successor. She wants to hang around another decade.

An empty threat.

CNN is reviving the Crossfire shoutfest with Newt Gingrich, S.E. Cupp, Stephanie Cutter, and Van Jones as hosts.

Two polls indicate that most Americans oppose the President’s latest moves on Syria. This makes sense considering actual policy there seems to be entirely incoherent.

Former President Bill Clinton says President Obama should ignore the polls and intervene in Syria.

Even if you trust the current occupant of the White House to exercise the powers granted to the agencies operating in secret under him, do you trust all future Presidents?

Former Senator Bob Dole joins the list of those not too happy with the current state of the Republican Party.

The GOP’s latest investigatory crusade could end up backfiring on them.

A government panel is recommending that the BAC limit for drunk driving be lowered nearly 40%.

We’re actually not speculating about who might be running any more than we used to.