Outside the Beltway

History tells us that if there is a shutdown tonight, it will most likely be a short one.

The uneasy coalition that coalesced around action in Libya will be strained by decisions to come.

U.S. officials are making clear that the current mission in Libya may not lead to the end of Muammar Gaddafi’s rule. If that’s the case, then why are we there in the first place?

As gas and oil prices rise, the pressure is increasing to tap into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. It’s a dumb idea.

Republicans are about to take a walk along the third-rail of American politics.

As the standoff in Wisconsin drags on, there is no sign that the public accepts the argument being made about public sector unions by Governor Scott Walker and other Republicans.

Four U.S. citizens on a yacht hijacked by Somali pirates last week are dead. American military have killed the pirates.

A county in the far southwest corner of Virginia is the latest battle ground in the ongoing battle over the separation of church and state.

Beck is now concerned about Google.

Four years after Barack Obama became a Presidential candidate, the birther myth not only persists, it seems to be becoming more prevalent. Why?

Shirley Sherrod’s lawsuit against Andrew Brietbart promises to be an interesting test of the boundaries of defamation law in the political blogosphere.

Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak is expected to step down after 17 days of pro-democracy protests.

Al Jazeera English is kicking the butts of the American news networks on the Egypt story. Why?

The coverage of Egypt shows an over-reliance on pundits and an under-reliance on actual experts.

Twenty-five years ago today, the American space program came crashing to Earth in a horrible accident.

Actor Alec Baldwin is among hundreds being targeted by New York City for tax evasion. Is it reasonable to have to prove where you live?

The speculation on Keith Olbermann’s abrupt departure from MSNBC’s top-rated show continues. Was he fired? Did he quit? Did the Comcast overlords push?

Once again, the frontrunners for the 2012 GOP nomination aren’t looking very good at all.

After a fairly bad 2010, Barack Obama is starting off 2011 in a very good position.

One columnist argues that Sarah Palin’s response to the Arizona shootings mark the end of whatever political future she might have had. He’s probably correct.

Note: while this post is brief, the news is of such significance that I felt it should be a headline story rather than relegated to a “quick pick”.

President Obama was correct to commend the Eagles for giving Michael Vick a chance to redeem himself.

Contrary to current conservative talking points, Net Neutrality is not a nefarious government scheme to takeover the Internet, but is aimed to address a real problem. Like most ideas that involve the government, though, it doesn’t really address the real source of the problem; not enough freedom

Sarah Palin’s reality show as as popular as the critically acclaimed drama everyone’s talking about. And that’s just half the story.

There’s plenty of good news for Barack Obama in the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.