Outside the Beltway

An absolutely ridiculous criminal case out of West Virginia.

The infamous VA backlog is finally dwindling. Much of it was a function of good intentions.

The economy is so bad there’s a thriving business in tire rental.

Some interesting choices ahead for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie

The story of an American Green Beret found living in Vietnam 44 years after he had been declared dead appears to be a hoax.

Chuck Hagel has countermanded his predecessor and canceled the Distinguished Warfare Medal.

If kids practiced French two hours a day . . .

Bill McClellan calls for ending military funeral honors for most veterans.

The Iraq War did significant damage to the legacy of the Republican Party.

A tendency to expand objectives mid-fight has seen America fail in its last four major wars.

The final release of President Lyndon Johnson’s tape recordings reveals a bizarre plot.

President Lyndon Johnson considered flying to the 1968 convention and offering himself up for re-nomination.

The GOP’s public image continues to be bad and there seems to be little sign that they’re doing anything to change that.

For the moment, Republicans appear to be blocking Chuck Hagel’s nomination to be Secretary of Defense but they don’t seem to know why they’re doing it.

A 5-year-old Alabama boy is safe after authorities killed his kidnapper.

Andrew Bacevich bemoans the social impact of the all-volunteer force.

The notion that guns prevent tyranny is based on fantasy and movies, not reality.

In “Veterans and Senate Buddies, Until Another War Split Them,” Elisabeth Bumiller profiles the relationship between Chuck Hagel and John McCain:

General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, commander during Operation Desert Storm, has died at the age of 78.

Will the massacre of twenty children in a Connecticut elementary school mark a turning point in America’s gun culture? Don’t count on it.

Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates is bemused that the generals who worked for him lived more lavish lifestyles than he did.

It’s okay to criticize military veterans–even if you never served in the military.

The title of most impressive Heisman winner of all time goes to Pete Dawkins, who won the award in 1958.

Are two-term Presidencies the new normal?

Without question, Barack Obama won the foreign policy debate in the 2012 campaign.

All eyes on Northern Virginia.

Mitt Romney is once again making completely false claims about the status of the United States Navy.

The Afghan Surge announced by President Obama in December 2009 is over. By any objective measurement, it was a failure.

President Obama didn’t blow the doors off the Time Warner Cable Arena last night, but he didn’t need to.

The Obama campaign clearly does not want Americans to consider whether they are better off now than they were four years ago.

After three days of buildup to a “mystery speaker,” the closing night of the Republican convention featured a rambling performance by Clint Eastwood and an empty chair.

As its convention begins, one has to wonder what has happened to the Republican Party.

Two groups of former special operations soldiers are opposing Obama. Their military bonafides are not their most interesting credentials.

At some point, however, using the bad actions of the past to justify worse actions in the present has to stop.

A group of former special operations and intelligence officers are criticizing President Obama for “Dishonorable Disclosures.”

For the first time in 80 years, there are no veterans on the major party Presidential tickets.

Examining a history that might have been.

After a decade of war, suicides are surging among American troops.