Politics
Two Peas In a Pod
Battleland recently noted that Rep. Roscoe Bartlett – chairman of the House Armed Services Committee’s tactical air and land forces subcommittee – has a strange fascination with survivalship (a word we just made up). We …
“One of the things that marks us as a profession in a democracy is it's most important we remain apolitical. That's how we maintain our trust with the American people. The American people don't want us to become another special interest group. In fact, I think that confuses them.”
The 2012 Money Gap Grows
To win re-election, Barack Obama won’t be able to rely on the fundraising edge he rode four years ago. The incumbent president was outraised in July by Mitt Romney, the third consecutive month the challenger has held the advantage.
Fallout Shelter 2.0
You might think this story from Monday’s Washington Post is simply about some Maryland congressman who believes the end of the world may be drawing near and wants to be prepared:
The electrical grid could fail tomorrow, he
…
Should Voting Be Mandatory?
How the Romney or Obama Campaign Could Change the Supreme Court
Romney or Obama could significantly change the makeup of the highest court in the land—and the rules on everything from gun control to abortion rights
“Keep Your Mouth SEALed!”
So a group of former Special Forces guys is complaining that national-security leaks from the Obama Administration are harming national security. Some of the recent leaks – about the Stuxnet computer virus aimed at the heart of Iran’s nuclear program, for example – have seemed brazen to Battleland.
But it seems a tad incongruous …
Paul Ryan’s Grand Vision
Maybe the GOP’s vice-presidential pick has a plan for the well-off, but what about everyone else?
Today’s Slow-Motion U.S. Military Coup
A Congressional Insider on Why the U.S. Political System Is Broke
Mike Lofgren came to Washington to work on Capitol Hill 30 years ago, when Ronald Reagan was rebuilding America’s “hollow military” after its Vietnam hangover, and the Cold War was in its final throes – although we didn’t know it yet. He spent 28 years working for Congress, the last 16 as a senior analyst on the House and …
Female Vets Running for Congress: Into Double Digits
Four months back, I wrote about four female veterans running for Congress. It turns out they’re not the only ones, by a long shot.
And boy are they needed: in the 112th Congress, women only hold 16% of the 435 House seats and 17 of the 100 seats in the Senate. Amazingly, there are only 92 veterans in the House of Representatives, …
What the Wisconsin Recall Says About the Future of the U.S. Military
Governor Scott Walker survives his nasty recall vote earlier this month, a dynamic triggered by his brutal reshaping of Wisconsin’s public sector unions. Pundits are interpreting all this in terms of November and what it means …