Outside the Beltway

Michael Hastings has yet another credulous story attempting to smear the United States military.

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

Is George Bush to blame for a weak Republican field almost four years after he left office? Not entirely.

Watching last night’s debate, you would have been surprised to learn that Mitt Romney has any real opponents in the Republican race.

President Obama’s Pentagon is planning for an unlikely war with China rather than the small wars America will inevitably fight.

Rick Santorum’s foreign policy positions are troubling in many respects.

Despite the opposition of the SECDEF and Joint Chiefs, the latter expanded yesterday.

Bernard Finel argues that those of us arguing against war in Iran are doing it wrong. He’s right.

The Republican candidates for President have apparently forgotten that this guy was their party’s nominee twice.

Let’s ban robocalls.

Not surprisingly, the last man to lead the Soviet Union believes we’d be better off if it still existed.

Ron Paul has a provocative new ad out asking Americans to imagine Chinese or Russian troops occupying Texas in the way American troops occupied Iraq and are occupying Afghanistan.

For years, analysts have worried that Iraq’s tenuous hold on stability would collapse upon the withdrawal of US forces. We’re now watching it happen.

Some Republicans are starting to realize just how badly the House GOP has messed up this time.

A smoking gun?

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

82nd Airborne solider David Hickman was the 4474th American serviceman killed in Iraq. He should be the last.

R.I.P.

After 3,193 days and more than 4,000 lives, the American war in Iraq is officially at an end.

Conservative groups are upset because a new reality show depicts Muslim-Americans as, well, normal Americans.

Once again, Newt Gingrich speaks without thinking.

There aren’t many glad tidings at the White House these days.

Newt Gingrich’s foreign policy vision leaves much to be desired.

With the Super Committee dead, 2012 is likely to see a fight over the defense cuts set to take place starting in 2013.

How did Republicans get in this mess?

“Democratic” pollsters Pat Caddell and Doug Schoen argue that President Obama should decline to run for re-election.

Thomas Ricks posts several recommendations for fixing the Army. Most of them are really, really stupid.

We’re running out of excuses.

Doug Feith’s replacement is prettier and softer spoken.

Huntsman will gain little if any traction and none of the frontrunners really helped or hurt themselves.

The Republican candidates for President have been mostly silent about foreign policy issues. That changes starting tonight.

The remains of US servicemen killed in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were thrown out with the trash.

Let’s compare Iraq and Iran.

If Occupy protestors getting hit by cars in two cities is the beginning of a trend, so is a second Iraq War veteran being seriously injured by police during the Occupy Oakland protestors.

An attack against Iran’s nuclear weapons research facility won’t be an easy thing.