Outside the Beltway

Tensions between Russia and Turkey remain high in the wake of yesterday’s incident, but there are some signs that things are starting to cool down.

A former staffer for the House Select Committee investigation the attack in Benghazi is suing the Committee for improper employment practices, and Chairman Trey Gowdy for defamation.

A potentially big complication in an already complicated situation.

In the news from the campaign trail and in the polls, there are clear signs that Ben Carson’s days as a top contender in the GOP Presidential race are coming to an end.

Even as the focus of the Presidential race shifts to national security, Donald Trump continues to lead the race.

Different criteria than in the past, but there may not be much of a change in the participants.

An apparent ongoing terrorist attack in Central Africa.

John Kasich wants the United States Government to create an agency to spread ‘so-called ‘Judeo-Christian values.’

Donald Trump’s latest tirade has led to another round of speculation as to whether or not he’s ‘gone too far’ and reached the beginning of the end of his campaign. Don’t count on it.

Ratings slipped for last night’s debate, but the numbers were still very respectable.

Republicans haven’t really moved beyond the legacy of George W. Bush’s failed Administration as much as they’d like to think, but it doesn’t seem to be hurting them very much.

Candidates who have been excluded from tomorrow’s Fox Business Network are complaining, but their complaints ignore the fact that polling is the best objective criteria we have to determine debate eligibility.

Donald Trump was on Saturday Night Live last night. It wasn’t even remotely funny.

Fluctuations continue, but the Republican Presidential field appears to be sorting itself out as we near the beginning of a new phase of the campaign.

American intelligence officials are saying that a Russian passenger jet that went down over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula was most likely brought down by a bomb.

The juxtaposition of two headlines at memeorandum is amusing.

Republicans have apparently gone insane.

More good news for Hillary Clinton, and a sign that the race for the Democratic nomination, to the extent there really is a race at this point, is close to being over.

The effort to forge some kind of consensus independent of the RNC among the Republican candidates for President regarding debates appears to have failed. To the surprise of nobody who has been paying attention.

Another day, another poll.

Boldly going……..again?

Representatives from most of the Republican Presidential campaigns met to discuss reforms to the debate process, but none of their ideas will actually improve the quality of debates.

A man with one of the more unique political and personal resumes in recent memory has passed away.

In the wake of Wednesday’s debate, the Republican National Committee has suspended its partnership in a planned February debate with NBC News and Spanish language network Telemundo.

Marco Rubio’s performance in this week’s debate is once again leading to speculation about whether is about to have a breakout moment.

Marco Rubio is taking heat for missing a lot of Senate votes since he started running for President, but he’s not really any worse than other legislators who have run for President.

Two new Iowa polls show Ben Carson passing Donald Trump in the Hawkeye State, but that’s not necessarily good news for Republicans.

For much of the summer, the story of the Democratic race for President was the story of Hillary Clinton’s seemingly endless problems. Those days seem long gone if the latest polls are any indication.

A pair of new polls confirms that Republican hopes that Donald Trump would fade are failing to come true.

Jim Webb’s campaign for the Democratic nomination has been largely forgettable, so now he’s apparently threatening to run as an Independent.

According to reports, Vice-President Biden may or may not be close to a decision about running for President, and he may or may not be running.

Yes, Ben Carson’s comments about the debt ceiling are silly, but it’s the fact that a lot of Republicans agree with him that’s dangerous.

An FCC rule from a bygone era may get Bernie Sanders and company some time on NBC.

Rand Paul’s fundraising in the just completed quarter is disappointing enough that it’s clearly time for him to consider calling it a day.

The criteria for next month’s third Republican Presidential debate have been announced, and they’re likely to end up being bad news for several Republican candidates.

The next Republican debate is likely to be a lot smaller than the previous two, and that could prove fatal for several candidates.

Big news out of Washington, D.C.

The first significant national polls taken in the wake of last week’s debate show that Donald Trump has slipped somewhat, but still remains the clear leader of the Republican race for President.

Scott Walker used to have a commanding lead in Iowa, now he’s in 7th place. That’s just another sign of the troubles facing his campaign.

Bernie Sanders has jumped ahead of Hillary Clinton in the Hawkeye State.

Bernie Sanders continues to cause Hillary Clinton problems, and Joe Biden could cause more if he enters the race.

Scott Walker and Chris Christie apparently think that the key to turning around their dying campaigns is to pander to the people supporting Donald Trump’s anti-immigration platform.

Some of Hillary Clinton’s Democratic opponents are complaining about the DNC’s parsimonious debate schedule.

Hillary Clinton has a bit of a public image problem, but it’s not clear if that will hurt her politically.

Donald Trump’s immigration plan is would create a police state, violate people’s rights, and hurt America’s economy. And his supporters will most likely love it.