Outside the Beltway

NPR has fired Juan Williams over controversial comments about Muslims.

A new law allows Presidential candidates to set up transition offices while they’re still running for election, perhaps providing an opportunity for shortening the 2 1/2 month interregnum between Election Day and Inauguration Day.

The Washington Post looks around and discovers that the Tea Party isn’t racist after all. Their bad, I guess.

Banks are faced with a huge number of foreclosures and that resources they’ve allocated towards handling them was woefully inadequate.

Responding to the rant that got Rick Sanchez fired, Slate’s Brian Palmer investigates the question, “Do Jews Really Control the Media?” His short answer, “Maybe the movies, but not the news.”

Pakistan yesterday blocked NATO’s primary supply line into Afghanistan in retaliation for an air strike that killed three Pakistani paramilitaries. Are the two countries truly allies?

Bob Woodward reports that President Obama was looking for options other than staying the course in Afghanistan. The military didn’t provide any.

What’s so wrong with saying that America will survive even if al Qaeda manages to hit us again ?

According to a new book from Bob Woorward, American policy in Afghanistan is the result of a decision making process that can only be described as chaotic at best.

Dan Drezner asks, “Has Bob Woodward jumped the shark?” My snarky response is that he did that in Bob Casey’s hospital room.

In yet another sign of how rapidly the media landscape is changing, longtime Newsweek stalwart is leaving for the Huffington Post.

The Tea Party movement and the populist backlash against DC mayor Adrian Fenty are a sign that things are changing so fast that a lot of people simply can’t adjust.

Sarah Palin had a very good track record in her primary season endorsements, but it’s not at all clear that she will have much of an impact on the 2010 General Election.

U.S. forces are still engaged in full-scale counterrrorism operations in Iraq. In what sense are “combat operations” over?

The Delaware GOP now has, according to Nate Silver, a 17% chance of winning the Senate seat.

Elena Kagan has announced that she will not participated in the consideration of more than half the cases currently scheduled to be hear by the Supreme Court when it’s new term begins in October.

Ted Koppel thinks our actions since 9/11 have helped Osama bin Laden fulfill his goals. He couldn’t be more wrong.

A new poll indicates that there are some disturbing motivations that seem to be associated with opposition to the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque.”

The Washington Post’s Jonathan Capehart is suffering a little New Media embarrassment after writing a blog post based on comments by a Congressman who doesn’t exist.

It’s getting harder and harder to tell blogs from newspapers.

As the mid-term elections enter their final eight weeks, there’s more bad news for Democrats.

Democrats are sending some of their candidates to the Death Panels.

Facing a difficult economy and a very bad November, the Obama administration is considering a tax cut proposal to spur hiring.

Epic flooding in Pakistan is a humanitarian crisis which dwarfs the combined devastation of the 2004 Asian tsunami, the earthquake in Pakistan in 2005, and the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Why aren’t we paying attention?

The guy who ran George W. Bush’s campaign and the Republican National Committee has realized after only 43 years that he likes dudes.

Critics of WikiLeaks have no affirmative proof that the release of tens of thousands of classified documents has gotten anyone killed. The truth is that we’ll likely never know.

The only reasons Michael Kinsley can conjure for opposing the Park51 project are bigotry and political opportunism. Unless you’re a really smart columnist.

Glenn Greenwald argues that the “Ground Zero Mosque” debate is about more than just a “mosque” near Ground Zero. He’s right, but that also means the debate is likely to get uglier.

The signs point to 2010 being an even worse year for Democrats than 1994.

While American politics concerns itself with trivial issues, Pakistan finds itself dealing with a devastating natural disaster that could have real geo-political implications.

The United States has promised $150 million in aid to flood-ravaged Pakistan. Should we have?

Take a good look at that dollar coin, because you’re unlikely to see it circulation any time soon.

Either Obama’s Defense Secretary and commanding general are conspiring to undermine his July 11 deadline for withdrawal from Afghanistan or that they’re carrying out his intent.

Harry Reid has spent the summer trying to portray is opponent as a kook. So far, it’s working.

There isn’t as much GOP unity over the idea of changing America’s citizenship rules as you might think.

Pat Leahy suggests allowing retired SCOTUS Justices fill in when a sitting member recuses himself. A great idea on paper, it won’t work in practice.

For-profit universities are defrauding their students. Indeed, it’s their business model.

Colombia has sworn in a new president. And so begins the Santos era as the Uribe era heads for the history books.

Congress has been wrestling with the net neutrality issue for years. Two major players may force a decision soon.

A fatal car crash on a country road in Northern Virginia has become part of the national debate on over illegal immigration.

The Obama administration is refusing to enforce border security, right?

A new poll claims that the health care reform law is now supported by a majority of Americans. Don’t believe it.

Congress has (after many years of debate) narrowed the gap between sentencing for crack cocaine and powder cocaine.

The Washington Post Company, which famously accepted Dave Weigel’s resignation from its namesake newspaper last month, has hired him back in essentially the same job for its online magazine Slate.

WaPo’s Breaking News Blog highlights a story that is, well, hardly breaking news: inconsiderate people on the DC subway.

Reports of Barack Obama’s political death are greatly exaggerated and wildly premature.