Capitol Attitude

Oceans June 29

Titan submarine disaster: How the sinking of the Titanic changed congressional hearings forever

The model for the first modern, sensational Congressional hearing was the inquest into the sinking of the Titanic in 1912.

Capitol Attitude February 28, 2022

Cold War may have ended, but the battle never did

Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has not completely erased the West’s Cold War “victory.” But one thing is certain: The West failed to curb the rise of Russia from the ashes.

Capitol Attitude February 23, 2022

Capitol Hill prepares for possible trucker protests with Jan. 6 security failure top of mind

The Jan. 6 riot recalibrated how everyone on Capitol Hill views security of the complex.

Capitol Attitude February 8, 2022

New fight in Congress over war powers with US troops in Eastern Europe

Lawmakers on the left and right have long argued that old AUMFs approved in 2001 after 9/11 and 2002 for Iraq are calcified and outmoded. But why would the U.S. need to approve a new AUMF if the U.S. wasn’t at war?

Capitol Attitude February 4, 2022

Why Build Back Better is both dead and alive

The position of Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., on Build Back Better? As clear as the Pope's Window after an application of Windex.

Capitol Attitude December 30, 2021

Is the US Capitol safer today than on Jan. 6?

Things may be better on Capitol Hill. But incidents like the one that took place in the Longworth House Office Building are reminders of how fragile Capitol security may be.

Capitol Attitude December 28, 2021

Harry Reid never lost boxer's edge when dealing with political opponents, reporters

The political landscape is littered with those who underestimated the late Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada.

Capitol Attitude December 24, 2021

Jan. 6 committee subpoenas for sitting lawmakers could enter 'dangerous Constitutional territory'

The past doesn't tell us much about how the House committee investigating the January riot at the Capitol can get the information it wants from Reps. Scott Perry, R-Penn., and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.

Capitol Attitude December 1, 2021

Congress flirts with debt ceiling collision, another close encounter: REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK

An asteroid a little smaller than the Willis Tower in Chicago will skirt past Earth on Dec. 11. If only Congress' flirtation with a debt ceiling collision weren’t such a close encounter.

Capitol Attitude November 25, 2021

Biden’s Social Spending Bill: A drama in 4 acts

Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible,” Anton Chekhov’s “The Seagull” and George Bernard Shaw’s “Man and Superman” all have something in common with the Democrats’ $1.75 trillion social spending bill: They are all dramas in four acts.