Outside the Beltway

New video plus a basic primer on Ron Paul’s newsletter situation.

So what was it: taken out of context or written by someone else?

Should Ron Paul find his currently upward trajectory to continue he will find himself facing greater media (and opposition) scrutiny.

Newt Gingrich’s comments about Palestinian nationhood came up during last night’s debate.

Once again, Newt Gingrich speaks without thinking.

We’re running out of excuses.

Details are still sketchy but two men are dead in separate shootings at Occupy Oakland (California) and Occupy Burlington (Vermont).

Ron Paul is again making the argument that American foreign policy has contributed to terrorism. He’s more right than wrong.

British courts are handing out swift and harsh sentences for people involved in last week’s riots, including four-year prison sentences for two 20-somethings for Facebook postings in support of the mayhem.

The Air Force has suspended a course that teaches nuclear officers that Christian ethics permit them to do their job.

Condi Rice’s speechwriter thinks Huntsman can appeal to the Tea Party.

By insisting on perfection in the debt ceiling debate, the Tea Party has made itself irrelevant to the process.

The passage of a new same-sex marriage law has Democrats talking about Andrew Cuomo.

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has announced his retirement after 19 years as a pro. On Twitter.

A summary of the status of the “Arab Spring” uprisings with links to news coverage and commentary.

President Obama doubled down in his speech before this year’s AIPAC conference. Why he did so only he understands.

Republicans seem to have realized that the Ryan Plan’s Medicare reforms aren’t going anywhere.

The next week promises to be a battle between John Boehner and the Tea Party over whether or not compromise is a good idea.

Senator Joe Lieberman said today that we should intervene in Syria using the same rationale we did for Libya. Because, you know, what’s the big deal about a fourth war?

Obama is visiting Brazil and Chile while American fighting men join the coalition against Libya.

Warren Christopher, Bill Clinton’s first Secretary of State, has died at 85.

Muammar Gadaffi’s family hired big name entertainers for parties. What with the ongoing mayhem in Libya, that’s coming under scrutiny.

Ron Paul has won the CPAC straw poll for a second straight year. But YAF has voted him off its board over his opposition to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s speech to the nation tonight seems destined to make the situation worse.

The Beast has released its The 50 Most Loathsome Americans of 2010, which I gather is supposed to be amusing rather than taken seriously.

The Republican Study Committee has come up with some significant budget cuts.

Andrew Sullivan makes a rather bizarre charge offhandedly: “Who among the neocons would have thought that one of George W. Bush’s final legacies would be bringing pogroms, bombings and genocide to Christians in his new zone of freedom?”

Sarah Palin waded into the foreign policy pool today with a piece about Iran, and it was about as empty as most of the other ideas on Iran that we’ve heard over the last six years or so from everyone else.

Michael Wilbon departs the Washington Post after more than 30 years to work full time at ESPN. Here are his last — and first — columns.

The diplomatic ramifications of the latest Wikileaks leaks are just starting to emerge and may place some countries in very embarrassing positions.

The younger voters that flocked to Barack Obama two years ago feel let down. They need to grow up.

Ted Koppel thinks our actions since 9/11 have helped Osama bin Laden fulfill his goals. He couldn’t be more wrong.

Steve Emerson has reportedly found 13 hours of tape of Cordoba Initiative chairman Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf and found him to be a “radical extremist cleric who cloaks himself in sheep’s clothing.” Does it matter?