Outside the Beltway

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl will face a Court Martial for the circumstances that led to his being capture and held captive by the Taliban for five years.

Yesterday, the British Parliament debated the expansion of that nation’s military strikes against ISIS. For more than a year, our cowardly Congress has failed to even hold one debate or vote on America’s role in that conflict.

Given his rhetoric, it’s fairly clear that Donald Trump is drawing from a poisonous political well. So there’s no point in failing to acknowledge reality.

Disturbing reports over the weekend that American leaders may not be getting the kind of unbiased intelligence analysis about ISIS that they need to make decisions.

Republicans insist that uttering the words “Radical Islamic Terrorism” is somehow important in the fight against ISIS and other terror networks, but it is entirely unclear what doing so would accomplish.

Ben Carson and his supporters would have you believe that he is being subjected to unprecedented and unfair scrutiny. That assertion is completely false.

Ben Carson’s campaign now admits that he fabricated a key portion of his biography.

For the first time since Chang Kai-Shek escaped across the Taiwan Strait, the leaders of the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of China will meet this weekend.

A front page cover on yesterday’s murders in Virginia crosses the line from reporting to exploitation.

Once again, Donald Trump is succeeding because he is saying things many Republicans agree with.

The Afghan Army isn’t doing so well against the Taliban right now.

Despite his remarks about John McCain, Donald Trump is likely to be around for some time to come.

Donald Trump stuck his foot in his mouth again.

A Republican political consultant says Hillary Clinton is in danger of losing the nomination.

In the past month, the Chinese stock market has lost more than 1/3 of its value.

The latest Census data show a changing America.

Fool us once, shame on you. Fool us twice, shame on us.

Does an individual’s changed gender identity alter history?

North Korea now claims it has miniaturized nuclear warheads sufficienctly so that they can be placed on missiles. They also say they can launch missiles from submarines.

Seymour Hersh is out with a conspiracy theory about the death of Osama bin Laden that just doesn’t make sense.

Like most Republicans, Jeb Bush either fails or refuses to recognize what an utter, unjustifiable disaster his brother’s decision to invade Iraq actually was.

The Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal of three students disciplined for wearing American flag shirts on Cinco de Mayo

The Atlantic’s Alan Taylor has 50 photos from 50 years ago.

John McCain is not a fan of Code Pink.

The first popularly elected African-American Senator, and the first African-American Senator to serve since the end of Reconstruction ended, has passed away.

Two potential candidates for the Republican nomination in 2016 traded barbs this week over the President’s new policy toward Cuba.

The resumption of diplomatic relations between U.S. and Cuba, and expansion of some commercial trade ties, is historic but it’s only the first step toward the goal of ending an outdated embargo.

Sony is warning the press not to publish material leaked by hackers, but it doesn’t have much of a legal leg to stand on.

The Supreme Court is set to decide if the state can deny a license plate with the Confederate flag design because it is “offensive.”

Today is a day for turkey and football, not a day for politics.

A surprising change at the top of the military’s civilian chain of command.

Former Senator Jim Webb is the first Democrat to kinda, sorta, throw his hat into the ring for 2016.

Another round of election losses is leading Democrats to contemplate the direction they should take going forward.

The latest ISIS video is horrible and barbaric but we should not take the bait they are offering before considering the consequences of our actions going forward.

Some people didn’t like the song selection at last night’s Washington, D.C. concert for Veterans Day.

Mission creep.

The Navy Special Warfare community is angry at SEALs exploiting their part in the bin Laden raid.

The passing of a true legend in American journalism.

The U.S. embargo of Cuba, and our lack of diplomatic recognition of the government in Havana, is an outdated relic of the Cold War. It’s time to end it.

A new report from the New York Times confirms the adage that, in war, the first casualty is the truth.

Combining politics, an incessantly sensationalist news cycle, and a virus that scares a lot of people can’t end well.

Newly released documents reveal that Henry Kissinger wanted to attack Cuba in the mid-1970s.

The former Virginia Senator is talking about running for President.

After success in Scotland, it may be time to consider allowing at least some teenagers to vote.