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Defense policy analysis, commentary and discussion.Tired of the bickering between Democrats and Republicans, between Congress and the administration? Relax. It’s been worse.
Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. But that doesn’t mean he was an easy guy to live with.
Any writer who presumes to make a political case that the Founders — or any other icons of American history — are on his side has a considerable burden of proof to meet. Few are up to the task.
“The American Senate” should be required reading for anyone new to the chamber: interns, staffers, even senators. There’s unlikely to be another single volume quite as comprehensive anytime soon, a fact that can probably be attributed to the authors.
Shelf Life is back to hear from another Washington insider about her favorite books and inspirational reads.
Washington Post veteran Robert Kaiser’s latest book, “Act of Congress: How America’s Essential Institution Works, and How It Doesn’t,” provides an insider’s view of the making of Congress’ response to the 2008 market crash, the Dodd-Frank Act.
The last time Republicans won a presidential election without a Nixon or a Bush on the ticket was 85 years ago, in 1928. With nearly a full century of electoral data available, the answer to the Republicans’ presidential ambitions is obvious, and it isn’t Christie or Ryan or Paul or Cruz.
Hoping to use Boston’s Great Fenway Park Writers Series as a template, two old Washington hands have launched the Greater Washington Writers Series.
It looks increasingly likely that we won’t have Ben S. Bernanke to kick around much longer.
Shelf Life is back to hear from another Washington insider about his favorite books and inspirational reads.
Eric Draper has had one of the best seats in history.
The top five hardcover fiction books this week at Politics and Prose bookstore:
Shelf Life returns to hear from another Washington insider about his favorite reads and go-to inspirational books.
Alan S. Blinder is said to be a potential successor to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke, whose term expires in January. Blinder’s “After the Music Stopped: The Financial Crisis, The Response, and the Work Ahead” reads like a blueprint to avoid commitments at any confirmation hearing.
The House Financial Services Committee momentarily wondered whether to put Jamie Dimon, the financial demigod whose responsibility includes running J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., under oath when he appeared in June 2012 to explain how a trader known as the London Whale lost a few billion dollars. The committee’s chairman at the time, Rep. Spencer Bachus, an Alabama Republican, made the idea of sworn testimony disappear faster than a triple-A rating on a mortgage-backed security.
What’s in a quote? Plenty — if you are the president of the United States. Chicago-based author Pierce Word has collected a vast assemblage of presidential utterings in his new book, “Wisdom From the Oval Office.” Its 40 chapters deal with some of the major themes of life, and he bills it as “the first comprehensive book that reveals how America’s presidents weighed in on major issues, such as honesty, love, commitment, evil, tyranny, freedom, etc.” The book, published by the History Publishing Co., is slated for a hardcover release this spring. Here is an excerpt of selected quotes from the book:
Shelf Life returns to hear from another Washington insider about his favorite reads and inspirational books.
1. Out of Order: Stories From the History of the Supreme Court by Sandra Day O’Connor
“I love chess,” Lanny J. Davis said over lunch. “I love a challenge.”
The top five paperback fiction books this week at Politics and Prose bookstore:
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Roll Call has launched a new feature, Hill Navigator, to advise congressional staffers and would-be staffers on how to manage workplace issues on Capitol Hill. Please send us your questions — anything from office etiquette, to handling awkward moments, to what happens when the work life gets too personal. Submissions will be treated anonymously.
