Outside the Beltway

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

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

John McCain is not a fan of Code Pink.

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.

My latest for The National Interest, “Obama’s Paris Blunder: Part of a Much Bigger Problem,” has posted.

An entirely unsurprising decision from Federal Prosecutors in Washington, D.C.

A man best known, perhaps, for what he didn’t do, has passed away

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

For the fourth time in three years, a Federal Court has ruled that Florida’s law requiring drug tests for welfare recipients is unconstitutional.

The next President will have a profound ability to shape the future of the Supreme Court, but that is unlikely to be the most important issue on voters minds in 2016.

After a disastrous campaign in 2012, Texas Governor Rick Perry appears to be gearing up for a new run for the White House in 2016, but questions remain.

Columbus, Philadelphia, or New York City (well, Brooklyn really)?

A critic of the imperial presidency becomes an imperial president.

For better or worse, Marion Barry was a fixture in D.C. politics for much of the 40 year period of home rule that began in 1975.

On a preliminary examination, the President’s executive action on immigration appears to be within the boundaries of applicable law. However, as with other exercises of Executive Branch authority, it raises some important concerns about the precedent that it sets.

The Office of Legal Counsel told the president Wednesday he couldn’t do what he did on Thursday.

Former Senator Jim Webb is the first Democrat to kinda, sorta, throw his hat into the ring for 2016.

A Presidential candidate’s health and fitness for office are legitimate issues. When it comes to bringing up Hillary Clinton’s age in the context of 2016,, though, Republicans need to proceed with caution.

Tuesday’s Republican wave didn’t change the fundamentals.

To a large degree, the Democratic Party’s supposed advantage among women voters appears to not exist this year.

An unsurprising decision from the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

If the GOP wins the Senate in November, their majority could prove to be fleeting.

In the current situation, speaking out forcefully as some are demanding can only do more harm than good.

Chief Justice Roberts lamented recently that an increasingly partisan confirmation process could mean that Justices who have contributed much to the Court would not be confirmed today. He’s right.

President Obama hits new job approval lows, while the GOP seems poised for success in November,

A set back for opponents of Voter ID in Wisconsin.

Another Federal appellate Court has struck down state law bans on same-sex marriage, but the only thing that matters now is the Supreme Court.

Some have argued that there is an historical bias against political parties holding on to the White House for more than two terms. As with most commonly held ideas, that simply isn’t true.

It’s hard for a party to win four straight presidential elections. The Democrats may pull it off.

Former Reagan speechwriter and gun control activist Jim Brady’s death has been ruled a homicide. No, there was no foul play involved—at least not recently.

Could John Hinckley, Jr. face murder charges 30 years after his attempted assassination of President Reagan?

Relying on the policies of a man who was President in a very different time is not a substitute for a rational foreign policy.

Turnout to date for the 2014 primaries is at record lows, but its unclear what that tells us about November.

George Will has come under criticism for pointing out what seems to be an undeniable fact.

Rick Perry and Rand Paul are highlighting what looks to be a coming battle inside the GOP over foreign policy.

Republican overreach could end up helping the President and his party.

Emil Henry makes “The Case for Mitt Romney in 2016.”

Reflections on a story making the rounds this Independence Day.

Obama is the worst President since FDR died? Only if you believe a mostly worthless poll.

It turns out there was much less to that Scott Walker document dump than the press coverage claimed.

One of Washington’s giants has passed away.

Even the most ideologically divided members of the Supreme Court agree with each other 65% of the time.

Not surprisingly, Bill Clinton is the most admired recent President according to a new poll, but his predecessor seems to be underrated.