Do you want to join a Washington journalism team that’s advancing a smart, independent voice on the Right?

The American Conservative is looking for an online editor. The magazine is already expanding its website, which will re-launch this winter as the nation’s premier online hub of traditional conservatism. If you are the right editor for this job, here’s what you’ll be doing: Managing and growing The American Conservative’s web presence, overseeing online content (assigning, editing, and writing articles and blog posts), planning/producing the homepage on a daily basis (aggregation, multimedia creation, comments curation, and overseeing staff bloggers), developing and executing the web strategy (including social media, search, referral traffic, and e-newsletters), and monitoring analytics.

The ideal candidate will have some experience in online journalism and a passion for engaging with a dynamic community of serious readers, plus:

• Eagerness to work tirelessly in a small but ambitious team (the position will report to magazine’s editor)
• Superb writing and editing ability
• Strong communication and organizational skills
• Love of considered, lengthy journalism as well as an appreciation of horse-race politics
• Excellent news/opinion judgment
• A background in intellectual conservatism and keen understanding of The American Conservative’s unique sensibility.

This position is based in our Arlington, Virginia office. To apply, please email your resume, cover letter, and writing sample to: apply@amconmag.com.

Market confidence continues to erode across Europe. Today, Fitch sliced the credit rating of both Italy and Spain. On the bright side, it might be difficult for those on the left to keep blaming the Tea Party for these downgrades.

What’s the state of crunch conservatism? Rod Dreher is asking readers to share their thoughts.

The tech world — no, the entire world — was shaken yesterday by the sad news of Steve Jobs’s passing, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Rod Dreher says that though the event is indeed unfortunate, dedications in his memory should not gloss over any shortcomings. Mark Nugent suggests that Jobs was a transformational figure for anyone who uses modern operating systems, Apple or otherwise.

Somewhat obscured by the larger news of Jobs’s passing, and following Chris Christie’s announcement that he will not be seeking the Presidency in 2012, Sarah Palin has also denied any plans to run for President. Rod Dreher says that’s mostly cause for a sigh of relief, as this will mark the end of her reputation as a national politician, but it’s still somewhat disappointing that her political career took the turns that it did.

Andy Kroll from Tom Dispatch says that numbers tell the story of the dying Middle Class better than any rhetoric ever could:

Food pantries picked over. Incomes drying up. Shelters bursting with the homeless. Job seekers spilling out the doors of employment centers. College grads moving back in with their parents. The angry and disillusioned filling the streets.

Pan your camera from one coast to the other, from city to suburb to farm and back again, and you’ll witness scenes like these. They are the legacy of the Great Recession, the Lesser Depression, or whatever you choose to call it.

When it comes to the private production and consumption of food, how much government intervention should be allowed? How far is too far? Following a Wisconsin Raw Milk case, it was asserted by the courts that  “Plaintiffs do not have a fundamental right to produce and consume the foods of their choice”… Rod Dreher says while he doesn’t drink raw milk, and supports safety protocols when it comes to sales and distribution, this is an outrageous step for the state to take.

Is opposition to the Wilsonian doctrine of liberal nation-building an “isolationist” position? Well, Kelly Vlahos says there’s some interesting editorializing going on over at the Pew Research Center. First, an interesting piece of data was released showing that 1-out-of-3 post-9/11 veterans feel that the Iraq and Afghanistan wars were “not worth fighting.” Beyond that, 6-out-of-10 military members say that they believe “the United States should pay less attention to problems overseas and concentrate on problems here at home.” According to Pew, this constitutes “isolationist inclinations.”

Patrick J. Buchanan examines the legality of killing Anwar al-Awlaki , a radical cleric connected to al-Qaeda. Awlaki was an American citizen, eliminated without arrest or trial. Predator drones were used against Awlaki in Yemen last Friday. President Obama authorized the killing of al-Awlaki in 2009. Was Obama justified, from a legal standpoint — and even so, did he execute the action with appropriate means? Buchanan says yes — but these kinds of actions need more clarity.

While GOP Presidential candidates Rick Perry and Mitt Romney have praised the action, Herman Cain seems to have flip-flopped. Originally, he condemned the hypothetical scenario in an interview with The Atlantic. After the killing on Friday, however, he also praised it. Ron Paul has continued to condemn the action, calling it an illegal assassination.

Over at Fox, Judge Andrew Napolitano also weighed in on the issue, asserting that the action was unconstitutional. “The future of freedom is not good … if the President thinks he can kill anybody he wants.”

 “Remember, that democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” – John Adams

Pat Buchanan says that America’s economic decline has been a long time coming — and that democracy itself could be the cause.

Rod Dreher contends that the controversy surrounding GOP candidate Rick Perry’s hunting camp, reportedly once called a racially charged name, “Niggerhead,” pales in comparison to some of his outrageous policy positions.

The folly of Wilsonian liberal nation-building didn’t stop at roads and schools in the sands of Iraq, says Peter Van Buren. Who could have imagined that American tax dollars would paying for chicken plants as part of the ‘Global War on Terror’? 

Obama finally made good on one of his promises it seems. Fixing healthcare? Nope. Ending the wars? Nope. Closing the revolving door between corporations and government? Nope. He made good on his promise to start assassinating American citizens without due process, as it has been reported that cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, an American citizen believed to be influencial within al-Qaeda, has been killed in a U.S. drone strike. Kelly Vlahos says that today is a dark day for the constitution, and the precedent set in this event is a chilling one.

Tom Engelhardt says that these kinds of drone operations are going to become the dominant tool in U.S. military operations. As we enter into the 21st-century, we have seen the rise of open-ended global warfare, Wilsonian nation-building efforts, and “enhanced interrogation techniques.” Engelhardt takes a deeper look into the legalisms and political maneuvering that has defined contemporary American warfare.

News that Putin will return to the Russian presidency is being met with not-so-interesting reports on the situation. But Daniel Larison says political musical chairs will not improve the dynamics of the U.S.-Russian relationship very much – only an understanding of Russian interests will do so.

Is it illegal to post publicly available information on an internet blog? Well, it seems as though that is indeed the case in a brave new America. Peter Van Buren details an account in which he was investigated by the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security for linking to a publicly available Wikileaks document, shortly after releasing We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People. Coincidence? He says not.

Rod Dreher says the time of Old Europe and state sovereignty may soon be coming to a close. Will the entirety of the eurozone cede its autonomy to Brussels?

Controversy around the push for Palestinian statehood continues, as President Mahmoud Abbas makes a bid to the U.N. for official recognition. Though an issue far more complex than basic campaign rhetoric will allow, Mitt Romney released a statement condemning President Obama’s handling of Israeli-Palestinian relations, calling the current situation an “unmitigated diplomatic disaster.” He went on to propose that the U.S. withhold foreign assistance if the Palestinian Authority “succeeds in gaining any type of UN recognition.” Romney’s Texan lookalike, Rick Perry, made similar remarks in New York on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, President Obama is urging Abbas to cease his efforts of appeal to the UN Security council, instead saying that statehood recognition should be achieved through peace talks. Five permanent members of the council wield veto power, including the United States, who will block the appeal. The ramifications of such a move, or sudden the-cutting off aid to the Palestinian Authority will surely not cultivate a better relationship with the Arab world, and perhaps that is where the potential for an “unmitigated diplomatic disaster” really lies.

The demographics of America are changing at a rapid pace. Before the middle of this century, whites will be a minority. Ron Unz examines the future political and cultural landscape, as well as a path for the GOP in an increasingly racially diverse America.

Mitt Romney is making clear his commitment to perpetuating American intervention in the Israel-Palestine conflict. As the U.N. faces a Palestinian bid for statehood, Romney has made clear where he stands: “What we are watching unfold at the United Nations is an unmitigated diplomatic disaster … It is the culmination of President Obama’s repeated efforts over three years to throw Israel under the bus and undermine its negotiating position. That policy must stop now.”

Scott McConnell recalls an eclectic mix of conservatives and liberals rallying with hard-left activists, Code Pink, in pursuit of a peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He says that the issue is increasingly becoming a tenant of the progressive movement while, “on the other hand, the number of conservatives ready to question aloud whether an alliance with a repressive right-wing ethnostate should be the linchpin of U.S. foreign policy remains abysmally small.”

Empire is a word not taken with enthusiasm among the American right. In a symposium at The University Bookman, TAC editor Daniel McCarthy claims America is an empire of sorts, no matter how uncomfortable of a truth this may be. Moreover, he says, Europe’s great conservatives, from Burke to Metternich to Salisbury, were indeed advocates of imperial policy… but of what kind? How has America’s empire been different? “The last decade has shown us what happens to our kind of empire. Full of rational and cheerful contempt for the ways of the people we subjugate, we are astonished when our armies are met not with garlands but with suicide bombers and improved explosive devices.”