We have been studying Washington politics and Congress for more than 40 years, and never have we seen them this dysfunctional. In our past writings, we have criticized both parties when we believed it was warranted. Today, however, we have no choice but to acknowledge that the core of the problem lies with the Republican Party.

As the obsession with "peace processing" has consumed the Obama administration, Iran has marched inexorably forward with its nuclear-weapons program. Indeed, Iran will likely be this week's real winner in New York, exemplified by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaking from the same General Assembly podium just twenty-four hours after the faltering president of the United States.

Rep. Paul Ryan claims that huge savings under Medicare's Part D prescription drug program proves that competition will work for the full program. His critics argue that the savings have nothing to do with competition. As happens so often in Washington, both sides are focusing on the wrong issue.

Barack Obama and Paul Ryan agree that Medicare spending is rising too quickly to be sustainable, but their proposals to rein in Medicare are at opposite ends of the policy spectrum.

Congressional leaders are considering a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution. There are three reasons to suspect that judicial enforcement of a federal balanced-budget amendment would be more problematic than at the state level.

There are no good arguments for using government coercion to force electric cars into the U.S. fleet. But there are many arguments against this crusade.

Austerity measures in Europe have been the topic of a heated and mostly confused debate in the economic world. During the May summit of the leading industrial nations at Camp David, German chancellor Angela Merkel and other European leaders pushed for continued European austerity. Keynesian critics argue that these policies destroy economic growth.

The president's actions after taking office have not matched his campaign rhetoric, as many Americans now face tax increases that will make them less likely to invest.