Outside the Beltway

The NFL’s “especially mercenary” push to extract new stadia from cities–even where the stadium’s practically brand-new.

Thanks to an interactive web tool from The New York Times we can all try to make the hard political choices needed to fix the budget mess.

Former Washington Redskins Quarterback, and current Congressman, Heath Shuler has launched a quixotic campaign against Nancy Pelosi for House Minority Leader.

Is the current media environment a problem for proper political discourse?

Hamid Karazi says that the United States needs to reduce it’s military presence in his country. Perhaps we should listen to him.

While not inherently unconstitutional, lame duck Congresses have the potential for violating the spirit of the Constitution and create the potential for mischief on the part of Representatives who have been thrown out of office.

It appears that full body scanners, operated by leering yahoos under the cover of government authority, may finally be rousing the sheep who have meekly submitted to the absurd delays and indignities that have been piled on since 9/11 and sundry botched attempts.

The U.S. Postal Service is warning Congress that it could run out of cash next year without a government bailout. Meaning that this is the perfect opportunity to reform an organization that has been out-of-date for a decade now.

Maine’s Olympia Snowe appears to be the next target of the Tea Party movement, but she is also uniquely situated to retain her seat if she chooses to.

Democratic consultants Doug Schoen and Pat Caddell offer some free advice for President Obama. It’s worth every penny.

Lisa Murkowski is still miffed that Jim DeMint backed Republican Joe Miller against her in the general election.

Former Congressman Bob Barr argues that the right should not be so eager to rehabilitate George W. Bush. He’s right.

A new survey shows that political ideology leads to different television viewing habits. This shouldn’t be surprising.

A ten year old case out of Texas raises yet more doubts about the justice of the death penalty.

Okahoma’s James Inhofe has a message for the Tea Party movement — don’t be fooled by the “War On Earmarks.”

The white, Southern Democrat is a dying breed.

The immediate reactions from left and right to the proposals from the Chairmen of the Debt Commission are about what you’d expect.

As the counting of write-in ballots in Alaska continues to go in Lisa Murkowski’s favor, the Miller campaign is getting more desperate in its ballot challenges.

While Tim Pawlenty and John Thune get high marks from insiders, they have next to no shot at winning the 2012 Republican nomination for president.

Tina Brown has confirmed the merger of the venerable Newsweek and the upstart Daily Beast.

Bristol Palin’s success on Dancing With The Stars is apparently due largely to the fact that she is Sarah Palin’s daughter. That tells us much more about Sarah Palin’s supporters than it does either Sarah or Bristol.

Yesterday’s outrage of the day involved an odd book written by a creep, and it has lessons galore for everyone.

Unless eliminating earmarks coincides with a radical reconception of how our government operates, it may be a step in the wrong direction.

There are grumblings from within the Democratic caucus in the House that Nancy Pelosi may not be the best choice for Minority Leader. Unfortunately for Democrats, though, they don’t seem to have a viable alternative at the moment.

New details are out about the upcoming Defense Department report on repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

Eliminating earmarks is good policy and good politics.

This is a strange disconnect between Sarah Palin’s popularity within the Republican Party and her popularity with the nation as a whole. One wonders if the GOP notices, or cares.

The Chairmen of the National Debt Commission have released a draft report for consideration. It’s got some very good ideas, but it’s most likely Dead On Arrival.