Outside the Beltway

A meme is emerging that the Occupy Wall Street protests are America’s version of the Arab Awakening. That meme must die.

Giving the President the unchecked power to kill American citizens raises some serious red flags.

When the old rules don’t apply anymore, the system breaks down.

Rick Perry has stumbled out of the gate, but he’ll be in this race for the long haul

Last night’s Republican debate is likely to raise more questions about Rick Perry in the minds of voters.

The Obama campaign’s new “Attackwatch” site is the latest Outrage Of The Day

It’s not a given that we’ll have a massive recovery during the next presidential term but it’s a pretty decent bet. And the party in power will get too much credit for it if it happens.

Paul Krugman chose to mark the the 10th anniversary of September 11th with an odd blog post.

Whether it’s a “Ponzi Scheme” or not, Social Security has serious systemic problems that must be addressed.

Governor, that analogy does not mean what you think it means.

Democrats are fearing the President’s jobs plan will be underwhelming. Based on initial reports, it looks like their fears are well-placed.

Richard Cohen reports that people like Richard Cohen have lost their enthusiasm for Barack Obama.

It never ceases to amaze me how many smart people manage to believe, against all evidence to the contrary, that their political philosophy has massive support.

The White House is still smarting over the fact that they got burned by John Boehner, again.

America’s journalists are far more liberal than America.

Rick Perry isn’t as radical as some on the left are saying, but that doesn’t mean he’s any good.

A new look at Clarence Thomas’s 20 years on the Supreme Court, from a critic, is surprisingly positive.

How would a Democrat-equivalent of Rick Perry be received?

Is America’s political system to blame for our current problems?

The reviews are in on the debt negotiations, and the public isn’t happy.

The cuts to Pentagon spending in the new debt deal are further revealing a split in the GOP over foreign policy and military spending.

Now that America’s political leadership have probably averted a self-inflicted global economic calamity, it’s time to assess the winners and losers.

We have a deal in Washington. Now, the leadership just has to make sure it can pass Congress.

Much like bills named for dead children, there’s a very high likelihood that any bill with “protecting children” and/or “pornographers” in the title is a) a very bad idea, b) a very stupid idea, c) of dubious Constitutionality, or, as here, d) all of the above.

Georgia Congressman Paul Broun has a radical suggestion: While we’re playing chicken with the nation’s debt, let’s cut $1.3 trillion from the debt ceiling!

A few liberal law professors say Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg should resign now so President Obama can pick her successor.

Barack Obama’s leadership style may be his undoing.

Another major campaign finance case from the Supreme Court.

Congress had a chance to send a strong message to the Executive Branch today. They failed.

Paul Krugman thinks liberals understand conservatives but not vice versa. He’s half right.

Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal sent a warning to his fellow Republicans. Too bad they probably won’t listen.

A retiree with some rather strange views hosted a Tim Pawlenty event.

Our long national nightmare is nearly over.

A majority of Americans think homosexuals account for at least a fifth of the population.

We’ve reached a turning point in the debate over same-sex marriage.

Thanks to an appearance on Hardball we’ve got another story about a 47 year old law.

Elias Isquith proclaims my Atlantic essay “How Perpetual War Became U.S. Ideology” to be “a total disaster.”

The Pew Center is out with a new political typology.

A study shows that most national columnists and talking heads are about as accurate as a coin flip.

Contempt for Congress is an old American tradition. Unfortunately.

If you look at the Tea Party’s impact on state politics, you see it really isn’t much different from the Religious Right.

President Obama is vulnerable, but he’s facing a GOP field that is underwhelming even for Republicans.

One of the Tea Party movement’s favorite Senators used the dreaded c-word.