Outside the Beltway

The job approval numbers for Congress are at historic lows, but will that matter in 2012?

Looking at the state-by-state map way too early.

There is little to cheer in the jobs report released by the Labor Department today.

iPad games, on the other hand, are like someone you meet in a bar and find yourself screwing in the bathroom 10 minutes later. This is not a criticism.

Apparently, getting the debt deal done was not a panacea.

The “super committee” created by the debt ceiling deal is already the subject of criticism, most of it unwarranted.

Don’t worry be happy!

Perry has a combo of Tea Party populism and establishment going for him.

Congress is failing to complete even simple tasks thanks to a bitter partisan divide.

I got your broken right here: the presidential nomination process.

Tim Pawlenty is rethinking his campaign strategy.

Rumors of Timothy Geithner’s departure from the Treasury Department may have been exaggerated.

International options with respect to Syria are limited and likely to have little impact on the governments treatment of civilians.

Harvard economist Kenneth Rogoff says we’re undergoing much more than a mere recession.

After years of becoming more inclusive, the Conservative Political Action Conference is closing itself off to opposing points of view.

Marvel has created an alternate universe in which Spiderman is a half-black, half-Latino teenager. Some people are angry.

Following on Doug’s cheery post about the weak state of the economy here are some more things to consider.

Pat Buchanan referred to President Obama as “your boy” in conversation with Al Sharpton.

House Republicans are being criticized for utilizing a tactic they learned from Senate Democrats.

Will the trial of Hosni Mubarak actually change anything?

One year ago, Timothy Geithner said them things about the economy he probably wishes he could take back right now.

Has a precedent been set for future requests by the President to increase the debt ceiling?

Kurt Vonnegut on teaching a computer to write a story.

The reviews are in on the debt negotiations, and the public isn’t happy.

The general made famous by his leadership of the Katrina effort has some harsh words for our political leadership.

First it was same-sex marriage, now it’s a abortion. Rick Perry hasn’t met a Constitutional Amendment usurping state power he doesn’t like.

The world is starting to denounce the crackdown in Syria, but the reaction seems unlikely to go much beyond strongly worded statements.

The cuts to Pentagon spending in the new debt deal are further revealing a split in the GOP over foreign policy and military spending.

The problem with the ever popular complaint about kickin’ the can down the road.

Michael Cohen argues that our system is broken because Republicans will no longer compromise.

Fascinating exchange from the late 1970s.

A somewhat surprising First Amendment decision arising out of the 2010 Elections.

The Air Force has suspended a course that teaches nuclear officers that Christian ethics permit them to do their job.

You thought you’d seen the worst of Congress in July? Oh, you silly American you.

A take on the conflict that’s probably different from the one you’ve been reading.