Outside the Beltway

Does Ron Paul’s second place showing at Ames mean the media should take him seriously as a contender? No, it doesn’t.

Rick Perry declared, “One of the reasons that I’m running for president is I want to make sure that every young man and woman who puts on the uniform of the United States respects highly the president of the United States.”

The Obama re-election campaign is preparing an extraordinarily negative campaign against Mitt Romney.

The immediate reaction among the political class to the debt downgrade was the play the same old stupid games.

Tim Pawlenty is rethinking his campaign strategy.

Michael Cohen argues that our system is broken because Republicans will no longer compromise.

You thought you’d seen the worst of Congress in July? Oh, you silly American you.

Vice President Biden has called Congressional Republicans and their Tea Party backers “terrorists.”

Speculation about Michele Bachmann’s health continues.

The Gang of Six is back together. And they have a plan.

Where is the line on using the White House to further the president’s re-election effort?

The Obama campaign is stressing that 98 percent of its donations were from little guys contributing $250 or less. But 40 percent of the money came from a handful of major donors.

President Obama has walked out of negotiations on the debt ceiling with an agreement is nowhere in sight.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has proposed a simple deal to break the impasse on the debt ceiling: Cede power to raise the ceiling to the president, with a few minor caveats.

Real news reporting has never paid for itself. But the days of it being subsidized by the local car dealer are rapidly ending.

Whatever happened to the GOP’s promise to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act?

The Ronald Reagan that Republicans lionize is very different from the one who actually served as 40th President of the United States.

The Obama administration is arguing the 14th Amendment renders the debt ceiling moot.

When Tom Petty found out Michele Bachmann was using his “American Girl” to introduce campaign events, he issued a letter saying, in essence, “Don’t do me like that.”

The odds of history are against Michele Bachmann.

A few Republicans have picked up on John McCain’s criticism of critics of the Libya mission as being “isolationist.”

Recent polls seem to indicate a shift in public opinion in a more libertarian direction.

Is Congress set to vote to authorize military action in Libya?

Wearing a wire can come back to bite you.

Mitt won’t sign the Susan B. Anthony List’s Pro-Life Pledge.

When one runs for president, it is assumed that one has a shot at one’s home state. Some of the GOP hopefuls, however, look more like unfavorite sons (and daughters).

Mitt Romney told a group of unemployed Florida voters that he was unemployed, too! It’s being touted as a gaffe on Twitter but appears to be a joke.

Does Limbaugh love the Heritage Foundation because of their ideas or their check book?

Don’t confuse moderation in tone with moderation in beliefs.

Where’s the line when a public figure interacts with a teenage fan?

Austan Goolsbee is resigning as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors to return to the University of Chicago.

After a week of denial, New York Congressman Anthony Weiner admitted today that he had engaged in online relationships with several women.