Why Do People Distrust Big Government So Much?
The NSA revelations don't come in a vacuum: There's a long history of abuses carried out in the name of national security.
What Republicans can learn from the Democrats' revival
What to make of the 28-year-old columnist's contempt for the GOP—and its would-be reformers
They can—but mainly by doing things other than what we want and expect from them.
The NSA revelations don't come in a vacuum: There's a long history of abuses carried out in the name of national security.
Today's least self-aware punditry, courtesy of the former Weather Underground ringleader
The Texas lawmaker's comments are really just another way to talk about the doggedly debated topic of whether fetuses feel pain.
The speaker aims to capitalize on a rift in his caucus by arguing that doing nothing will be even worse than the reforms on the table now.
Executive-power-wary Tea Partiers and labor-aligned Democrats could block "fast-track" authority for two huge agreements.
In a Fox News appearance, he advised his son to avoid committing treason and come home.
You won't see him on magazine covers or late-night TV, but the Wisconsin governor has the resume and resilience for a White House run.
The whole Congress should debate and vote on significant policies.
Though vastly different, both think more highly of their own judgment than any law.
Despite worries that their focus on abortion and gay marriage is a liability for Republicans, they're as well-organized, vigilant, and powerful as ever.
How we answer may say more about us than it does about either of them.
The culture of secrecy in Washington has become absurd.
No Republican on the Homeland Security Subcommittee was willing to speak against Steve King's "poison-pill" amendment.
The president's decision to arm the rebels in Syria is yet another betrayal of the anti-war liberals who helped elect him.
Wisconsin voters replaced the civil-liberties champion with an ostensibly Tea Party senator -- who doesn't seem to care about government snooping.
The president and his underlings, "given a chance to paralyze opposition by practicing secrecy and deception, will use that power."
There really are checks and balances in our national-security system, but apathy prevents them from exercising rigorous oversight.
Just exposing classified information doesn't always lead to prosecution. Just ask high-ranking Obama and Bush Administration officials.
The distinctive malice of al-Qaeda and its allies doesn't change the fact that we need to make rational choices in a world of limited resources.
America's Voice/Latino Decisions
A new poll shows that the way senators talk about immigration reform doesn't just alter their standing -- it changes how Latinos look at their entire party.
Senators like Rand Paul are demanding a tougher immigration bill. Reform advocates must decide if they're being sincere -- or trying to kill the bill.
It's not enough to pay a political price or be shamed into silence. You have to come to believe sincerity is not the same as accuracy.
Was Arizona's Trent Franks not paying attention when Todd Akin made similar comments last year and paid the price?
The practice of handing over cash to turn out votes used to be an urban Democratic specialty. Are rural Republicans getting in on the fun?
If you think of them as people, rather than abstractions, you're more likely to conclude, "no one."
Some secrets cannot be kept from the people if our system of government is to remain legitimate.
One year later, the Supreme Court's Obamacare decision on Medicaid expansion looks more like a Pyrrhic victory for the president.
Progressives aren't going to give the president a pass on civil liberties anymore.
If you think Capitol Hill is polarized, overcompetitive, and obsessed with winning, wait until you see the Congressional Baseball Game.
The pervasive surveillance state isn't inevitable unless we give up on opposing it.
The 29-year-old's law-breaking undermines the American system far less than what Barack Obama and Congress have done.
James Fallows on Jerry Brown's second chance. Plus: the mystery of the second skeleton, how gay couples are getting marriage right, the end of the retail salesperson, and more.