The Legislature – The Scholar's Stage

We Must Learn From Our Defeat

21 August, 2021Bactria, Dogs of War, Narrative, The Legislature, The Presidency

Twenty years ago a nation comfortable but aimless was thrust by violence into a new reality. “Does anybody but me feel upbeat, and guilty about it?,” asked one conservative columnist a few weeks later. “I feel upbeat because the country seems to be a better place than it was a month ago. I feel guilty about it because I should be feeling pain and horror and anger about the recent events.” But he was not the only one to feel this way.

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Questions on the Future of the U.S. Marine Corps

07 July, 2020Dogs of War, Entangling Alliances, The Legislature

Buy this decal on Etsy Over at Foreign Policy, I have a new piece out that asks a few tough questions for the Marine Corps. The USMC is smack-dab in the middle of a transformational institutional revolution. It has decided to redefine itself as anti-China force, and is making some radical changes to its force […]

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Observations from Washington

30 October, 2018The Legislature, The Presidency

Bri Buckley, Washington Dc Skyline (2015) “People, ideas, things—In that order!” —Attributed to Col. John Boyd (1927-1997) As announced earlier, I spent the last two weeks or so traveling about. Most of that was in Washington and its environs. While in DC I had the opportunity to brunch, coffee break, and do all those […]

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The Time Has Come to Give The Lie

11 November, 2016By The People, Community, Electoral Intrigues, Media, Narrative, The Legislature, The Presidency

Go, Soul, the body’s guest, Upon a thankless errand; Fear not to touch the best; The truth shall be thy warrant: Go, since I needs must die, And give the world the lie. —Sir Walter Raleigh, “The Lie,” (c. 1592) A question many of us should be asking: do I […]

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Shakespeare in American Politics

30 September, 2015Books and Literature, Culture, History, The Legislature, To My Countrymen

I was delighted to receive Marjorie Garber‘s Shakespeare After All in the mail this morning. Garber’s book is a thousand page review of everything Shakespeare ever wrote, with each play claiming its own chapter length analysis. The introduction of Shakespeare After All is a fascinating tour of Shakespeare’s reputation though the centuries, describing how Shakespeare’s […]

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Notes From all Over (14/09/14): China’s Economy, Samurai, and Adam Tooze’s Take on Europe

14 September, 2014Bactria, Climate, Cognition, Demographics, Entangling Alliances, Europa Regina, Geopolitics, History, Japan, Monied Interests, Notes From All Over, The Legislature, The Middle Kingdom, Wealth

A collection of articles, essays, and blog post of merit. TOP BILLING “What Does a “Good” Adjustment Look Like?“ Michael Pettis, China’s Financial Markets (1 September 2014). This essay is long but excellent. It is also the best thing I have read about the Chinese economy in months. Two quotes to give readers the flavor of […]

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C. Wright Mills Explains the Decline of the American Congress

26 March, 2013Books and Literature, History, The Legislature

The Capitol Building, c. 1910. Image Credit: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, “Detroit Publishing Co. Collection” no. 039985. [Link] The corruption of the United States Congress by monied interests and its eclipse by the other branches of the federal government is a topic we regularly return to. [1] It is not difficult to show that this […]

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Separation of Powers is Dead

14 March, 2013Dogs of War, Military Affairs, The Legislature, The Presidency, Tyranny

“The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, selfappointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.” I ask my readers to pause for a moment and ponder this statement. It was penned by James Madison in […]

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What Senator Paul Accomplished

07 March, 2013Domestic Politics, Military Affairs, On Liberty, The Legislature

If you are reading this post you have probably heard of Senator Rand Paul’s 13 hour filibuster over John Brennan’s confirmation as Director of the CIA. The filibuster ended today, giving both Washington politicians and their internet observers a chance to declare their thoughts on the Senator’s actions. Many tweets, posts, op-eds, and press statements […]

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A Few Thoughts on the Senate

29 May, 2010By The People, The Legislature

A firm belief of mine is that one of the greatest tasks facing this generation is the meaningful reform of America’s federal legislative system. We live in a time dominated by independent government agencies, imperial presidencies, and unabashedly insular party machines. In such an environment it is all too easy for the legislature to become […]

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Category Archives: The Legislature

We Must Learn From Our Defeat

Questions on the Future of the U.S. Marine Corps

Observations from Washington

The Time Has Come to Give The Lie

Shakespeare in American Politics

Notes From all Over (14/09/14): China’s Economy, Samurai, and Adam Tooze’s Take on Europe

C. Wright Mills Explains the Decline of the American Congress

Separation of Powers is Dead

What Senator Paul Accomplished

A Few Thoughts on the Senate

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