Outside the Beltway

The corrupt leader is back for a sixth term.

Many and small beats large and heavy. Finding beats flanking. Swarming beats surging.

Vladimir Putin is banning commodity exports.

Pundits like Thomas Friedman struggle with premature prognostication.

The silly season has commenced a mite early.

Will there be in-fighting? Yes. A break-up? No.

The GOP will almost certainly survive. But in what form?

Donald Trump’s Jerusalem decision reveals yet again that he is an appallingly bad deal maker.

The story about the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia didn’t start with Michael Flynn, and it isn’t going to end with his resignation.

Obama’s current policy—tactical level strikes with no obvious long-term strategic aim—may well be the best we can hope for.

The burgeoning science of additive manufacturing is on the verge of being able to print functioning human organs.

David Brooks thinks that the problem with American Government is that the Presidency isn’t strong enough.

David Brooks tries to “describe what being a moderate means” in a way that most Americans would find puzzling.

Thomas Friedman continues his quixotic quest for a third party. His candidate: a fantasy Barack Obama.

Are infrastructure projects the key to turning around the economy? Not really.

Americans Elect is dead. This should surprise nobody.

Thomas Friedman is like a goldfish who only sees China, jobs, and the Internet.

Thomas Friedman is fantasizing about Michael Bloomberg again.

Is it time to just admit that the good old days are over?

Like clockwork, the arguments for creation of a third party are popping up again.

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.

A profile of George Mason economist and blogger Tyler Cowen offers this amusing description: “Cowen, 49, has round features, a hesitant posture, and an unconcerned haircut.”

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

Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson takes a look at the Tea Party movement and claims to find racism.

Political columnist John Heilemann thinks he’s come up with a scenario that would put Sarah Palin in the White House, but his assumptions don’t add up.

The Silent Majority Wants a Dictatorship Run by Thomas Friedman

Thomas Friedman engages in some early speculation about a serious third party presidential run. As usual, such speculation ignores the basic structures of American politics.

Support for the Tea Party is at record levels but that movement does not have a coherent policy platform. Can the energy be harnessed to good use?

A bizarre rant in American Spectator contains some interesting thoughts about the nature of America’s political elite.