Conor Friedersdorf

Conor Friedersdorf is a staff writer at The Atlantic, where he focuses on politics and national affairs. He lives in Venice, California, and is the founding editor of The Best of Journalism, a newsletter devoted to exceptional nonfiction.

What If Mitt Romney Inherits Obama's Killer Drone Fleet?

What If Mitt Romney Inherits Obama's Killer Drone Fleet?

Andrew Sullivan says he'll use it less scrupulously than the president. But based on what evidence? Current policy is plenty unscrupulous already. More »

How Barack Obama Vindicated 'The Cult of the Presidency'

How Barack Obama Vindicated 'The Cult of the Presidency'

Gene Healy argued in 2008 that President Bush's executive power excesses would require more than a personnel change to reverse. More »

A Majority of Voters Want America to Stop Intervening Abroad So Much

A Majority of Voters Want America to Stop Intervening Abroad So Much

Almost two-thirds of Democrats and a majority of Republicans agree that the United States should be less involved in Middle Eastern politics. More »

Marvel at the Old World's Lavish Banquets

Marvel at the Old World's Lavish Banquets

The Egyptians dined among skeletons, the Romans fabricated eggs, and the Persians sat amid tapestries hung with cords of scarlet linen ... More »

On War and Peace, George McGovern Will Die Vindicated

On War and Peace, George McGovern Will Die Vindicated

The former presidential candidate, who is nearing death, warned of the folly of the Vietnam and Iraq Wars. Americans came to agree with him -- but only when it was too late. More »

Ben Stein Apologizes Profusely for Being Truthful About Taxes on Fox News

Ben Stein Apologizes Profusely for Being Truthful About Taxes on Fox News

The actor and right-leaning pundit says taxes must be raised to balance the budget, and jokes about worrying for his safety while leaving the studio. More »

If There Was a 60% Chance He Wasn't Bin Laden, Would You Still Kill Him?

If There Was a 60% Chance He Wasn't Bin Laden, Would You Still Kill Him?

Because those were the odds estimated by one of Obama's top national-security advisors. More »

The Most Ignorant Debate Analysis in America

The Most Ignorant Debate Analysis in America

Asked who won the town hall between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama, Los Angelenos were emphatic. The problem: The event hadn't yet happened. More »

A Surrogate's Surprising Claim About Romney and the Kill List

A Surrogate's Surprising Claim About Romney and the Kill List

Tom Ridge made that surprising, unsupported claim on debate night -- and went on to offer an unusual critique of Obama's drone strikes. More »

You'll Never Guess What Barack Obama Said About John Roberts

You'll Never Guess What Barack Obama Said About John Roberts

In a forgotten interview, he ruled out supporting the chief justice based on Roberts' excessive deference to executive power. More »

Everything You Need to Know About the Debate Exchange on Libya

Everything You Need to Know About the Debate Exchange on Libya

Did President Obama call Benghazi an "act of terror" the next day? It's actually ambiguous -- and beside the point. More »

Jennifer Rubin Takes a Cheap Shot at Hillary Clinton

Jennifer Rubin Takes a Cheap Shot at Hillary Clinton

The Washington Post blogger attacks the secretary of state's feminist credentials, but in doing so calls her own into question. More »

The Bizarre Story of How Drones Helped Get Us Into the Iraq War

The Bizarre Story of How Drones Helped Get Us Into the Iraq War

Senators were told that Saddam Hussein could deliver biological and chemical weapons to America via unmanned drones. More »

The Present Congress Isn't the Worst Ever, or Even Lately

The Present Congress Isn't the Worst Ever, or Even Lately

Take the 107th Congress, which passed the PATRIOT Act, approved the Iraq War, and created the Department of Homeland Security. More »

A Debate-Night Mystery: Will Mitt Romney Hedge on Foreign Policy?

A Debate-Night Mystery: Will Mitt Romney Hedge on Foreign Policy?

In his last match-up with President Obama, he moved toward the center on domestic matters. Is national security or civil liberties next? More »

This Is Why Conservatives Can't Have Nice Conservative Policies

This Is Why Conservatives Can't Have Nice Conservative Policies

Mitt Romney's story is a case study: Movement publications and think-tanks put electoral victories before principles. More »

Pointless Shame: The English-Speaking World's Issue With Women's Breasts

Pointless Shame: The English-Speaking World's Issue With Women's Breasts

A reflection on the useless taboos that surround female nudity. More »

Small-Town Spanish Life in 1943: 'No Decent Woman Is Ever Seen on a Bicycle'

Small-Town Spanish Life in 1943: 'No Decent Woman Is Ever Seen on a Bicycle'

The 12 rules a local church leader prescribed for his community More »

The Little-Known Debate Format That Oozes Empathy

The Little-Known Debate Format That Oozes Empathy

Naive or genius? You be the judge. More »

The VP Debate Cinches It: Paul Ryan Is Unqualified to Step In as POTUS

The VP Debate Cinches It: Paul Ryan Is Unqualified to Step In as POTUS

On foreign policy, the transcript shows what many missed during the broadcast: he is prone to absurdity and totally out of his depth, with little to guide him but ideology. More »

The Biggest Story in Photos

Photos of Tornado Damage in Moore, Oklahoma

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