Outside the Beltway

The GOP still hasn’t dealt with the legacy of George W. Bush.

Jimmy Carter’s ex-presidency has lasted the equivalent of 26 Iranian hostage crises.

The recent;y concluded party conventions are further evidence that the events have largely outlived their usefulness.

Obama heads into his convention in a good position, but with several potential pitfalls in his path.

The front page of Sunday’s NYT profiled Valerie Jarrett, the power behind the throne at the Obama White House.

The Obama campaign clearly does not want Americans to consider whether they are better off now than they were four years ago.

Today’s convention activities will include the opening salvos of an attack on the President’s foreign policy. This strikes me as a mistake.

As its convention begins, one has to wonder what has happened to the Republican Party.

At some point, however, using the bad actions of the past to justify worse actions in the present has to stop.

GOP stratgist Alex Castellanos issues a challenge.

Victor Davis Hanson thinks President Obama plans to win the back the White House by alienating the white man.

The Obama campaign has begun to respond to the addition of Paul Ryan to the Republican ticket.

Examining a history that might have been.

The Romney campaign has hurt the press corps’ feelings.

With four months to go until Election Day, the Obama Campaign was greeted with a very dismal jobs report this morning.

From one Nobel Peace Prize winner to another.

It’s a wonder the Constitution gets followed at all.

The New York Times finds some infighting among old Republican foreign policy hands.

The margin between Barack Obama and Mitt Romeny is razor-thin, and it’s likely to stay that way for quite some time.

Figuring out how much of the opposition to a black president is based on racism is . . . complicated.

White babies now constitute slightly less than half of American births.

The Oval Office is nothing like a corporate boardroom.

He may be running against Barack Obama, but Mitt Romney seems to mention Jimmy Carter a lot.

Phony wars on Stay At Home Moms, dogs, and Osama bin Laden. The Obama campaign is pointing at the shiny object, and the right is falling for it.

Osama bin Laden’s death provides Barack Obama with an important political shield during the upcoming campaign.

We seldom blame presidents for bold actions that go wrong. We despise them for appearing weak and indecisive.

Once upon a time, Jimmy Carter was everyone’s favorite former president. Not so much these days, especially among other former presidents.

Fox, Rasmussen, and Gallup show Romney slightly ahead of Obama. I’m willing to call it a trend.

Rick Santorum won Louisiana last night, but he’s still going to lose the race for the nomination.

The odds are against anyone who challenges an incumbent President. So, how do you do it?

Did Ronald Reagan’s impending inauguration help get our hostages released after 444 days?

The differences between the parties when it comes to Iran are far less substantial than the candidate’s rhetoric would suggest.

Mitt Romney’s campaign gives us a lesson in how not to stage a “major” economic speech.

Is the United States a serious country? Should we be?

Conservatives seem to believe that Newt Gingrich can beat Barack Obama merely by debating him. They are delusional.

Michael Hastings has yet another credulous story attempting to smear the United States military.

The former Utah governor will almost certainly never be the GOP nominee. But someone like him will be soon.

Looking back at the Electoral College results of the modern era–and ahead to November.

Since the adoption of the current rules for delegate allocations only twice has either party nominated someone who did not win either IA or NH.

“Democratic” Pollsters Pat Caddell and Doug Schoen are out with another wacky Op-Ed.

The final candidate clash of 2011 didn’t lead to the sparring that some expected.

America’s greatest statesmen fear America’s political paralysis endangers our ability to lead the world.

A lesson in why the topline poll numbers are often only the beginning of the puzzle.