Outside the Beltway

The Iranian nuclear accords are barely 24 hours old and some people have already made up their mind about them.

Jeb Bush is leading the latest poll of the 2016 Republican race and Ted Cruz has surged since he entered the race, but the race is just beginning.

Some Republicans are trying to move their party in the right direction on marriage equality, but it’s unclear if they will succeed in the short term.

As expected, New Jersey’s senior Senator has been indicted.

New polling on President Obama’s opening to Cuba is likely to surprise some, and disappoint others.

We’re down to debating whether bigots should have to sell cakes to gay people.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio is getting ready to jump into the race for President, but he has an uphill fight ahead of him.

More than ever before, even mild criticism of Israel seems to be verboten among Republicans.

The Republican frontrunner claims he doesn’t read America’s most important newspaper.

After nearly 20 years in office, Harry Reid announced early today that he would not seek reelection in 2016.

Two weeks after the email story broke, there’s no sign that Hillary Clinton is losing ground in the 2016 race.

A brutal assessment of Chris Christie’s presidential chances.

Don’t say “climate change” or “global warming” if you work for Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection.

Sadly whenever Alabama is first at something (save perhaps in football) it is never for something good.

A powerful Democratic Senator looks like he’s about to be in a whole lot of trouble.

Just as his political star is rising among conservatives, Scott Walker is walking back his previous support for immigration reform.

Rand Paul is carrying on a family tradition, winning the CPAC straw poll won many times by his father Ron.

A fishy tale from the Supreme Court that may give us a clue about bigger cases to come.

Nearly three years to the day after it started, the George Zimmerman case is essentially over.

A new poll of 2016 primary voters shows that even Republicans are coming to accept that gays and lesbians should have the right to get married.

By refusing to stay the legalization of same-sex marriage in Alabama, the Supreme Court has sent the strongest signal yet that it is ready to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide.

Scott Walker surged to the top of a new poll of Iowa Republicans, but Iowa is not a very good predictor of success in the race for the GOP nomination.

Mitt Romney is set to make an announcement at 11 Eastern today. [UPDATE: He’s out!]

For some reason, Republicans want to change filibuster rules even though it’s unclear that they’ll still hold the Senate after 2016.

Advantage: Hillary.

The Tea Party may be the most vocal wing of the GOP but most Republicans seems to favor candidates that aren’t quite so right wing.

The Republican National Committee is trying to bring some sanity to the Presidential debate process, but there’s no guarantee it can succeed.

The two decade long argument over same-sex marriage appears headed for its final legal showdown.

He’s tan. He’s rested. And, apparently, he’s ready. Mitt Romney seems very interested in 2016 all of a sudden.

You come at the king, you best not miss.

Several Tea Party backed Members of Congress claim to be challenging John Boehner in tomorrow’s vote for Speaker. They are, of course, delusional.

Can ESPN cover sports while partnering with the sports leagues?

Some preliminary thoughts on the inaugural college playoff system.

Shortly after the new year, we could know whether or not the Supreme Court will issue a definitive ruling on same-sex marriage by the end of June.

Two potential candidates for the Republican nomination in 2016 traded barbs this week over the President’s new policy toward Cuba.

More interesting developments from the Supreme Court on what has been one of the biggest legal stories of 2014.

The fate of Cuba policy in Congress is far from certain, but what is certain is that following through on President Obama’s historic and necessary changes will face resistance.

The resumption of diplomatic relations between U.S. and Cuba, and expansion of some commercial trade ties, is historic but it’s only the first step toward the goal of ending an outdated embargo.

An American freed from captivity, and potentially huge changes in America’s diplomatic and trade relationship with Cuba.

The former Florida Governor announced that he’s taking the first step towards running for president in 2016.

As expected, the Senate passed the so-called “Cromnibus,” but not before a self-aggrandizing maneuver by Ted Cruz ended up being exploited by Democrats to pass outstanding nominations.

Rick Santorum looks to be getting ready to hit the campaign trail again, but it’s doubtful he can find appeal beyond the religious conservatives who supported him in 2012.

Some on the left are suggesting Democrats should write off the South for the foreseeable future, but that would be as foolish as Republicans assuming that their dominance in the region will last as long as Democratic dominance did in the century after the Civil War.

Even leaving aside the fact that it is far too early to be making such assessments, the idea that Rand Paul is the front runner for the Republican nomination in 2016 fails the logic test.