Outside the Beltway

As with so many things, the President is demonstrating that he really doesn’t know what he is doing.

Distinguishing between anti-elite populism and coded anti-Semitism is next to impossible.

The host of a weekend show on MSNBC is angry that the network wants her to talk about the presidential race.

Thinking back to about this time in 2011.

The “open and free” Internet is an ideal type, not a myth.

My latest for RealClearDefense: “Senator Walsh’s Unrepresentative Black Mark on Professional Military Education”

Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the 21st Century is making quite a splash.

Jofi Joseph was unmasked as the obnoxious @NatSecWonk and fired by the White House.

Robert Farley takes a shot across the bow at the academy from the pages of one of his field’s most prestigious journals.

MSNBC’s Chris Hayes uses a quota system to make sure his guests aren’t all white dudes.

Susan Patton, president of Princeton’s Class of 1977, offers some retro advice to her successors: Find a husband while you’re still in school.

The Hagel confirmation, like Obama’s election, was big news to some avid news consumers.

While no official announcements have been made, President Obama’s second term national security team appears to be taking shape.

Without question, Barack Obama won the foreign policy debate in the 2012 campaign.

The OTB gang give their best guess at the outcome of the 2012 presidential contest.

I’ve joined The Atlantic’s debate over a thought-provoking cover story by Anne-Marie Slaughter.

When Dan Drezner tweeted “I’m not going to read anything dumber than this today,” my inclination was to scoff. He actually undersold it.

Dan Drezner declares that “Policy wonks ignore political science journals at their peril.”

Michael Ellsberg argues that “Trying to Learn Clear Writing in College is Like Trying to Learn Sobriety in a Bar.”

The key to my understanding of Mitt Romney’s foreign policy rollout is the assumption “this is fundamentally a campaign document rather than a governing platform.”

Contrary to myth, the college classroom is a rapidly evolving place.

Does Bachmann think the USSR is on the rise? I expect not, but her defense and fiscal policy skills still need some work.

So, you want a career in foreign policy field and are weighing your options….

Dan Drezner believes those worrying that we’re seeing the global meltdown of 2008 repeat itself are kidding themselves.

While it’s hard to argue with S&P’s political analysis, its economic judgment is a head-scratcher.

It is always useful to go inside the numbers.

Andrew Bacevich refers to Hillary Clinton, Susan Rice, and Samantha Power as “the Three Harpies.”

The experiences of two well-known academics denied tenure at Chicago provide some clues.

Dan Drezner: President Obama should give a speech that “clearly prioritizes American interests and values. Because unless the president defines his grand strategy, pundits will be more than happy to define it — badly — for him.”

While our politics are seldom violent, our violence is often politicized.

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

Senior staffers are already leaving the Obama administration due to burn-out. But are 18-hour days really necessary for running the White House?