Outside the Beltway

The Obama administration’s slow and cautious response to Egypt’s protest was frustrating. And correct.

Some thoughts on why certain topics get blogged.

The same people who were complaining a week ago that the media was obsessed with Sarah Paln are now complaining that a media figure has suggested she doesn’t deserve the coverage she gets.

Didn’t we just talk about this?

The American media and Sarah Palin have developed an odd symbiotic relationship, and it’s unlikely to change anytime soon.

Sarah Palin released a statement today about the Arizona shootings and the debate that has followed. It’s unlikely to help her.

The tragic shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and 19 others in Arizona has started another debate about political rhetoric. It’s a stupid debate, and it’s utterly pointless.

Graphic by Sarah Palin’s PAC had Gabriel Giffords’ district in the crosshairs

I don’t like it when things my allies say are misquoted and attacked; it’s no better when my allies do it.

Cory Booker, Michael Bloomberg, and Chris Christie have been in the news this week due to the political fallout over their handling of the East Coast blizzard.

A Christmas tree tweets.

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

Younger users are moving away from email as a way to communicate with others, and toward more instant forms of communication like text messaging and Twitter.

The Congress has passed a repeal of DADT.

Fed examiners made a bank take down a “Merry Christmas, God With Us” sign. Then the “system” kicked in.

Is “ObamaCare” a slur or a breezy and descriptive nickname?

Politics makes for strange bedfellows and, when it comes to the debate over the extension of the Bush tax cuts, anti-tax Republicans are making common cause with soak-the-rich progressives.

Is the West’s string of luck about to end?

Bernie Sanders took to the floor of the Senate yesterday to rail against President Obama’s tax cut deal. It was history in the making, but it’s not clear that it actually accomplished anything.

Amid signs that Democrats in Congress might rebel against the tax cut deal he struck with Republicans, President Obama took to the airwaves today to defend it at the same time that his base is rebelling against it.

After days of hype, National Opt-Out Day fizzled. It’s a classic collective action problem.

Are the American people finally waking up to the absurdity of TSA security theater? One can only hope they are.

Yet another sign that the GOP’s biggest nightmare may actually end up coming true.

The two episode suspension of Keith Olbermann lends credence to the theory that the whole thing was a publicity stunt designed to support MSNBC’s assertion that its opinion shows are somehow more pure than the shows on FOX.

Those images on your Facebook page may come back to haunt you if you decide to run for office someday.

Nancy Pelosi is strongly considering staying in Congress as Minority Leader. It’s her job if she wants it.

Ezra Klein argues that Sarah Palin’s Twitter account isn’t very popular. But that misses the point.

Newt Gingrich for President ? You might want to think twice about that, Republicans.