Outside the Beltway

Freshman Members of Congress are threatening to block a vote to raise the debt ceiling that Congress will have to take by this Spring. They’d be irresponsible if they did so.

The seemingly sensible end-of-life counseling that was originally part of the Health Care Reform Bill is making a comeback.

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

The internal debate in the Republican Party over the tax cut extension deal with President Obama is serving as a preview of some of the battles that may erupt during the race for the party’s nomination in 2012.

John Boehner’s whining about being called a “hostage taker” by President Obama is reminiscent of Newt Gingrich’s whining about being “snubbed” on Air Force One.

Krauthammer thinks Obama tricked the GOP into agreeing to Stimulus II.

As things stand right now, the dynamics don’t look good for President Obama in 2012

Don Surber imagines this edition of “Hardball.”

Republican maneuvering to extend the Bush tax cuts for all Americans appears about to pay off.

Former Republican Congressman Joe Scarborough wants the GOP to stop kowtowing to Sarah Palin and her acolytes. He’s right.

NATO-Russia cooperation on missile defense is a welcome step forward.

The first civilian trial of a Guantanamo detainee ends with the Defendant being acquitted on all but one charge, and shows us why the entire process is little more than a show trial.

Rush Limbaugh is apparently not impressed with Barack Obama’s presidency. That doesn’t make him a racist.

The response from social conservatives to the call for a truce on social issues is about what you’d expect.

Mitch McConnell made clear today that he’s targeting Barack Obama for defeat in two years.

Will the incoming “Tea Party” caucus in the House and Senate force the GOP to reconsider its views on foreign policy? Don’t count on it.

Ok, what strategy should Speaker Boehner pursue?

Is the public anger at Obama really just papered over racism?

The British press takes a look at America’s Midterm Elections.

Theodore Sorensen, a speechwriter and close adviser to President John F. Kennedy, died today at the age of 82

215,000 people attended the “Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear” compared to 87,000 for “Restoring Honor.” Even if you believe the numbers, they don’t tell us much.

The Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear ended up having a point after all, but it’s not one that anyone is likely to take to heart.

Political pundits love centrism and moderate candidates. But political movements are built on desire for broad change.

Sarah Palin and the Tea Party aren’t as clueless as their detractors think.

High earners are going to have to pay more than our fair share of the costs of government to make things work. But how we frame the debate matters.

Who’s to blame for the rise in anti-Muslim sentiment in the United States, President Obama or those who have actually been encouraging bias against Muslims?

Venezuela have reached a series of agreement on energy. Should the US be concerned?

More bad news for Democrats as a new poll shows that voters are more likely to consider them extreme than Republicans.

Support for the Tea Party is at record levels but that movement does not have a coherent policy platform. Can the energy be harnessed to good use?

Vice-President Biden has a message for the Democratic base — stop complaining and just support us already.

More than ever before in the past, Fox News Channel will be the exclusive medium through which many of the candidates for the 2012 Republican nomination communicate with the public. And that’s a problem.

Shepard Fairey, the artist behind the iconic HOPE poster, is disappointed with President Obama.

Yet more signs that Sarah Palin is quietly positioning herself for the opening moves of a White House run after the mid-term elections are over.

The Delaware GOP now has, according to Nate Silver, a 17% chance of winning the Senate seat.

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels appears to be quietly putting together the beginnings of a campaign for President of the United States. Don’t count him out by any means.

Taking a short trip back in time via Instapundit’s archives reveals a September 11th post that turned out to be prophetic.

Steve Walt, Steve Clemons, Matthew Hoh and others have released a provocative new report arguing for a change in our Afghanistan strategy.

The Obama administration has persuaded the nation’s most liberal appellate court that the executive branch’s right to secrecy trumps the rights of people claiming they were tortured by the United States Government.

Everyone from David Petraeus to Sarah Palin is speaking out against a nutbag pastor’s Koran burning event. While they’re right, they’re emphasizing the wrong message.

According to Paul Krugman’s latest column, the massive destruction of World War Two was actually good for the U.S. economy. Sadly, there are people who consider him an expert.