Outside the Beltway

What if this is the new normal?

ISIS has captured Ramadi, and revealed yet again how fractured Iraq actually is. Fixing that isn’t something that American aid or arms can accomplish.

Lindsey Graham says that, if elected president, he would summarily kill anyone thinking about joining ISIS.

The relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia has seen better days.

Iraq seems to becoming a political headache for yet another member of the Bush family.

Seymour Hersh is out with a conspiracy theory about the death of Osama bin Laden that just doesn’t make sense.

Not surprisingly, the House Committee re-investigating the Benghazi attack seems more concerned with scoring political points than fact-finding.

Director of National Intelligence now tells Congress that he testified falsely about NSA spying because he forgot the program existed.

The Baltimore Police Department will finally be under the Federal microscope. But it took the death of Freddie Gray for it happen.

So far at least, there’s little evidence in the polls that Hillary Clinton has been hurt by the news reports about the financial dealings of the Clinton Foundation.

There must be something odd in the water in the Lone Star State, because a bizarre conspiracy theory seems to have taken root there.

In a move that is clearly designed to have an impact in the General Election, Hillary Clinton came out in support of broad immigration reform in Nevada yesterday.

Former President Clinton doesn’t seem to get it. Or, does he?

Rand Paul bucks Republican orthodoxy on Iraq, Libya, and negotiations with Iran.

The Clinton Foundation’s foreign donations continue to be a problem for the Clinton campaign, and the story isn’t likely to go away any time soon.

U.S forces in Afghanistan have been involved in missions that go far beyond the counterterror mission the Obama Administration said they would be limited to.

A sharply divided Court heard argument today on an issue that has sharply divided the nation.

Far from being a positive, Hillary Clinton’s time as Secretary of State provides ample material for those who would attack her over the next eighteen months.

Pot, meet kettle.

A series of mini-scandals point to the conflicts of interest around the Clintons.

Marco Rubio is often described as one of the GOP’s leaders on foreign policy, but a close look reveals a decided lack of substance.

Senate Republicans are working on legislation to fix the PPACA’s subsidies if the Supreme Court rules against the Federal Government in June.

Hillary Clinton’s political and personal baggage is likely to be a bigger problem for her than whomever her Republican opponent ends up being.

An attack on al Qaeda outposts in January resulted in the death of two hostages, but also resulted in the death of two high value al Qaeda targets.

A new report ties undisclosed donations to the Clinton Foundation to a Russian company’s acquisition of controlling interest in a major uranium mining company.

Not surprisingly, the Select Committee established by House Republicans to investigate something that has already been investigated multiple times, will be in operation well into the Presidential Election season.

New allegations regarding foreign government donations to the Clinton Foundation seem likely to become a campaign issue.

And the fun part is that his main motive for running appears to be the opportunity to troll Rand Paul.

Pundits and political scientists agree that, if the 2016 presidential election were today, we’d have a much better idea who would win.

The confirmation of a new Attorney General has been held up nearly six months for what amounts to no legitimate reason.

Like nearly all of his fellow Republicans, Jeb Bush has adopted the disastrous foreign policy views that typified his brother’s Presidency.

Some thoughts on a column by Roger Noriega on the Obama administration and Latin America,

A new survey suggests that fewer Americans lack health insurance than at any time since that number was first measured.

Marco Rubio is the first Republican in the race who actually has a plausible chance to win the nomination, but it’s not going to be easy.

Legislators in Tennessee have taken the “gun rights” argument further than it was ever intended to go.

One freshman Senator seems to think that war with Iran would be easy, just like Republicans used to think that war against Iraq would be easy.

Scott Walker’s response to the Iranian nuclear deal is perhaps the most irresponsible so far.

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

Talks in Geneva have reached a framework agreement regarding Iran’s nuclear program that, if it’s complied with, appears at first glance to be about the best deal available under the circumstances.

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

The Justice Department will not pursue contempt charges against Lois Lerner because it has determined that she did not waive her rights under the Fifth Amendment.

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

Hillary Clinton continues to look more inevitable by the day, but Joe Biden doesn’t want to go away just yet.

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

Bowe Bergdahl will face charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, and the White House’s narrative about this release lies in tatters.

Do we really want to put another first-term Senator with no executive experience in the Oval Office? Because beyond the mere legal requirements, it does not appear that Ted Cruz is qualified to be President.

Rand Paul now says he signed the Cotton Letter to strengthen the Administration’s bargaining position.

Senate Republicans have done more harm to the goal of stopping Iran from developing nuclear weapons than they have done good.

Amateurish? Condescending? Yes. Treasonous? No.