For Jonathan Bernstein's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
One thing that Trump made clear was that nothing in the constitutional system makes presidents respect the U.S. political system and respond to that system’s incentives.
Trump had given himself no room for error. He built no relationships with any Democrats, and relatively few with Republicans.
Not only did Donald Trump rant and rave at his first presidential news conference, he denied he was ranting and raving — which is even more bizarre than actually ranting and raving.
If Republicans don't demand that Donald Trump bring in a tough chief of staff who knows Washington, they'll only have themselves to blame for the next scandal, and the next one, and the one after that.
Hillary Clinton has the Democratic nomination all but locked up, and Donald Trump is back on track.
Support for airstrikes against the Islamic State does not prove that Americans are war-happy. It may simply reflect that drone wars or airstrikes only touch a small segment of the U.S. population, and become just another issue people think about only when pollsters call.
The idea that structural change in the U.S. presidency has somehow confined Barack Obama and future presidents to mediocre approval ratings just doesn't wash.
The new signup numbers — 6 million and counting — on the U.S. Affordable Care Act exchanges make it clear that the roll-out of the bungled federal website didn't destroy the law and probably didn't cost President Barack Obama much in lasting public opinion.
It's not just that the Republican tactic of shutting down the government is a bomb that may eventually go off. It's also a perfect excuse for everyone not to govern.
