Outside the Beltway

We are governed by the petty and myopic.

Finally.

Is being ruled by the elderly a bad thing?

There’s nothing to see here, folks.

The chief diplomat of the United States isn’t very diplomatic (nor informative).

In response to the American assassination of a top General, Iran has announced the end of yet more restrictions imposed by the 2015 nuclear deal.

Policies towards Iran and NK are both a mess.

With one speech, Kim Jong-Un has demonstrated the Trump Administration’s North Korea policy to have been an utter failure.

The DPRK is promising a “gift” to the United States. The only question seems to be what form it will take.

A much smaller debate stage led to a much better debate last night.

New polling shows that the American public does not support the President and his trade war.

WIth North Korea’s end of the year deadline for progress on talks quickly approaching, it is clear that the Trump Administration’s policies with regard to the DPRK have failed.

The final two witnesses in this week’s public hearings before the House Intelligence Committee reduced the Republican talking points in the President’s defense looking as absurd as they have always been.

Late last week, Attorney General William Barr demonstrated quite aptly the extent to which he has become just another Trump loyalist.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch described how the President’s allies intimidated her out of her position, while the President intimidated her live on Twitter.

A top U.S. diplomat involved in Ukraine policy confirmed the existence of a quid pro quo regarding U.S aid to Ukraine.

So far at least, Elizabeth Warren is not doing a good job of articulating her foreign policy positions. That needs to change if she’s going to be a serious candidate.

A second potential whistleblower and an apparent criminal referral from the CIA’s top lawyer make a bad week even worse for Donald Trump.

It’s not just Ukraine.

A little bit of this for a little bit of that.

The latest allegations about exactly what the President may have been trying to do in a phone call with a foreign leader that caught the attention of a whistleblower are becoming more serious by the day.

A Harvard law professor makes my case better than I did.

As the Saudis continue to evaluate the impact of the weekend attack on a major oil facility, the Trump Administration tones down the anti-Iran rhetoric just a bit.

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

The Trump Administration from projects to build on-base schools and daycare facilities to spend on his border wall.

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.

President Trump doubled down on his tirade against Jewish American Democrats from yesterday with some even more offensive comments.

Under the Trump Administration, the American commitment to human rights around the world is basically dead.

Jon Huntsman has resigned as Ambassador to Russia ahead of an anticipated bid to return as Utah’s Governor, a position he held 11 years ago.

The Trump Era is raising doubts about many things, including America’s most important alliance.

Joe Biden delivered his first major foreign policy address of the campaign. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than what we have right now.

In memos to his superiors, the British Ambassador to the United States had an exceedingly frank, and negative, assessment of the current occupant of the White House.

Realistically, President Trump has very few options when it comes to dealing with Iran and its nuclear program.

President Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un met at the Demilitarized Zone for what amounts to their third summit in a year. As with the previous two, there was nothing of substance accomplished.

The Trump Administration unveiled new sanctions against Iran yesterday. They’re unlikely to accomplish the entirely unrealistic goals the President claims to have in mind.

A possible way forward?

As we head toward a potential crisis in the Persian Gulf, the consequences of the President’s lies are coming home to roost.

The Trump Administration continues to misstate what the DPRK agreed to regarding its nuclear program. That’s why talks between the two nations are stalled.

While the American media was paying attention to President travels and travails in Europe, there was another meeting taking place.

Last night, President Trump announced a new round of tariffs against Mexico for reasons that have nothing to do with trade itself.

President Trump is in Japan, and while there is is dismissing the seriousness of new North Korean missile tests that threaten Japan.

A new poll indicates that at least some Democrats continue to hold Biden’s 2002 vote in favor of the Iraq War.

The Trump Administration is taking an unnecessarily militaristic approach toward Iran, and that poses real dangers for the country and for the Middle East.

The United States agreed to pay North Korea $2 million for “medical treatment” for Otto Warmbier. Did the Trump Administration actually pay the bill? They aren’t saying.

The Trump Administration still doesn’t have realistic goals for its negotiations with North Korea.

The Saudis tortured an American citizen, but the Trump Administration doesn’t care.

In the wake of the failure of the Hanoi Summit to reach any agreement at all, North Korea appears to be returning to old form.

Michael Cohen pulled back the curtain and revealed much about the true nature of Donald Trump yesterday. It’s not a pretty picture.

President Trump and Kim Jong Un hold their second summit in Hanoi later this week, but it’s unlikely anything significant will happen.

In his business career Donald Trump relied largely on fear and intimidation to get his way on business deals. As President, he’s finding that nobody is afraid of him.