Outside the Beltway

My latest for The Atlantic, “Stop Feeling Sorry for American Veterans, has posted.

A new book by one of the Navy SEALs involved in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden differs significantly from the official version put forward by the government.

Security at the Republican Convention in Tampa looks more like a war zone than a political convention in a democratic republic.

New York’s police commissioner admits that his officers recklessly wounded 9 innocent bystanders at the Empire State Building yesterday.

A former Obama official says government should learn from business, but is private industry really more efficient?

The candidates aren’t talking about the war in Afghanistan very much, but that’s mostly because the American people don’t want them to.

Once again, Chris Christie makes one wish there were more Republicans like him.

Sometimes, we just ought to accept the fact that people have disagreements when it comes to hot-button social issues.

Once again, the usual suspects are exploiting tragedy for political purposes.

Restaurant chain Chick-fil-A is facing criticism after its President’s comments on same-sex marriage.

There are some glaring omissions from a recent list of television’s “most powerful” moments.

The conspiracy theories regarding Fast And Furious are simply not believable, but that doesn’t mean the matter shouldn’t be investigated.

Saudi Arabia’s monarchy has suffered the loss of Crown Prince Nayef, the successor 88-year-old King Abdullah.

Public opinion of the Supreme Court has declined in recent years. But It’s not because of anything the Court did.

The first shots have been fired in cyberspace. How will it end?

The New York Times finds some infighting among old Republican foreign policy hands.

While the United States has some serious problems with policing, we’re not a police state.

The outpouring from my Twitter stream yesterday on the news of the death of Adam Yauch, MCA of the Beastie Boys, surprised me.

The GOP’s response to the Obama campaign’s Osama bin Laden ad has not been helpful.

We seldom blame presidents for bold actions that go wrong. We despise them for appearing weak and indecisive.

The Obama campaign’s cheap politicizing of the SEAL raid that took out bin Laden is unseemly. And unnecessary.

Charlie Savage documents a major shift in Barack Obama’s philosophy of presidential authority.

The Atlantic’s Max Fisher reflects on “What America Can Learn From Norway’s Anders Breivik Trial.”

In reality, it probably doesn’t,

The latest round of protests in Afghanistan prove yet again that it’s time for us to leave.

An object lesson in celebrity worship from the State of New Jersey.

The military promotion system does not reward top performers rapidly enough.

While I’ve expressed my dissatisfaction with the degree that CPAC has embraced the worst elements of the conservative movement in recent years, it does appear that there is a line.

Why are all the candidates for president so awful?

Once again, Ron Paul showed last night why he could never win the Republican nomination.

A far-reaching decision from the Supreme Court protecting religious liberty.

The US intelligence community has more information at its disposal than ever. Unfortunately, it can’t efficiently process it and make the necessary connections.

Many people seem to have a rather inappropriate view of their relationship to the President of the United States.

Ron Paul has a new explanation for those newsletters of his.

Ron Paul doesn’t want to talk about his newsletters now, but he was pretty talkative 15 years ago.

Ron Paul is rising in Iowa, which means he will soon face the scrutiny he’s avoided so far.

A new Gallup poll indicates that it is Big Government, not Big Business, that most concerns the American public.

While unfortunate, the loss of an RQ-170 drone over Iran may not be the intelligence disaster some make it out to be.

The memory of the attack on Pearl Harbor is, inevitably, fading into history.

A new ruling from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals raises a host of questions.