Outside the Beltway

It appears to be only a matter of time before the SECDEF orders active-duty troops to get the shots.

The President hit all the right notes.

Our last-ditch airstrikes only postpone the inevitable.

Fear of Chinese spies led to a bizarre and illegal operation within the Commerce Department.

A shameful exit from an ill-conceived war.

For years, American troops fought a ‘forever war’ to delay the inevitable. It’s now coming.

He was both the youngest and oldest man to run the Pentagon.

Vaccination is voluntary but refusal is not without consequence.

A meaningless gesture that’s long overdue.

Retired generals are no longer in the military.

A very strange approach to talent management.

The answer seems simple but it isn’t.

My contribution to a continuing debate.

Our junior enlisted members make far less than that.

A serving officer was arrested for his part in events of 6 January

The Southeast has been hit especially hard.

The Supreme Court justice least concerned with precedent wants to overturn a longstanding one.

On fiscal policy and historical comparisons.

The 94-year-old legend is finally getting his due.

It’s undemocratic and we should get rid of it. But doing so isn’t a panacea.

It’s harder than a looks, especially given the limited size of the problem.

Yes, it’s complicated, but it is also time to stop relying on cliches.

An exceptional choice that breaks the recent tradition of politicos in the post.

President Biden has a second chance to do the right thing.

Thousands of centrifuges have been destroyed.

Four administrations and two decades later, it’s about to be over.

Iran’s top nuclear facility is offline again.

Stoking a bizarre fantasy that will not die.

A bizarre case of bureaucratic ineptitude.

New screening procedures follow a Department-wide stand-down.

A loon wolf terrorist who followed Louis Farrakhan was responsible.

The Watergate conspirator, author, and talk show host was 90.

Those expecting Bernie Sanders’ agenda are sorely disappointed.

Reflections on the events of 6 January two months later.

The man most famous for getting screwed out of a Supreme Court seat has a more interesting backstory.

There’s more than enough opinion journalism.

Some reflections

Most agree that it was good theater. But it’s not clear what they’ve proven.

The longtime public servant has died, aged 100.

Historical precedents fall apart when we’re in a truly unprecedented time.

The Republican Party is not really a thing.

History has been made in more than one way.

What we have here is failure to communicate.

Biden’s America is a place and idea in which the trappings of empire or glory are ephemera in comparison with perennial human relationships—families; friendships; communities; schools; neighbors; partners.

The aftermath of the January 6 Capitol riots runs into the First Amendment,

Some of the Capitol rioters were much more dangerous than others.

The live coverage of Wednesday’s assault on American democracy underplayed its seriousness.

There’s a word for people who use outrageous violence to terrorize.

As expected, the Congress has overridden his veto of the NDAA.

The Academy is prioritizing football glory over honor.