On The DMZ: How the 2016 GOP primary is like the NCAA’s Final Four. What happens if Rand Paul and Ted Cruz both run? An interview with John McCain supports Bill’s prediction that a Paul nomination would rend the GOP asunder, and Matt recalls some other eerily accurate McCain forecasting. Matt and Bill consider whether Republicans will really try to shut down the government in an attempt to defund Obamacare. Bill is baffled by this strategy, which Matt calls “delusional.”

On The DMZ: Could a Tea Party challenger knock out Mitch McConnell? Is the GOP going to throw away easy 2014 Senate wins? Matt views the recent failed House vote to defund the NSA as a watershed moment for conservatives. Turning to Anthony Weiner’s latest scandal, Matt objects to the idea that Weiner was abusing power to attract women. Bill sighs with relief that Obama is a good family man. Plus: Will the public react differently to Weiner’s sexting antics than to a run-of-the-mill sex scandal?

On The DMZ: Matt sees nothing but nepotism in Liz Cheney’s Wyoming Senate run. What ever happened to respecting your political elders? Bill heralds the filibuster deal as proof that John McCain has become Obama’s new BFF. Can conservatives adapt to the political bias towards action? Bill explains why he won’t read This Town, Mark Leibovich’s exposé of DC culture. Has Obama broken his promise to change the way Washington works? Plus: Why Matt identifies more with Trayvon Martin than with George Zimmerman.

On The DMZ, guest host Justin talks to Bill about the kind of conservatism he believes in. They discuss the GOP’s ongoing response to the implementation of Obamacare. Bill suggests that Republicans need to lose another election before the reform wing gets a fair hearing. They then review the wide-open 2016 presidential field and predict the fate of the immigration reform bill. Plus: Bill and Justin debate immigration.

On The DMZ: Why Republicans should shut up about Hillary’s age, and how they might run against her. Matt argues the next GOP presidential candidate has to be a rock star, and Bill argues the Democrats will survive if Hillary doesn’t run. Did Rubio blow it on immigration, or did he successfully tamp down criticism from the right? And should we be celebrating July 2nd instead of the 4th?

On The DMZ, Bill and Matt discuss the return of CNN’s Crossfire. Matt talks about the disturbing undercurrent he perceives among opponents of immigration reform. Bill interrupts to announce that the Supreme Court has struck down DOMA. Are Republican critics of immigration reform secretly racist? Has the issue already tanked Marco Rubio‘s presidential ambitions? Plus: The politics of Obama’s climate change speech.

On The DMZ, Bill and Matt discuss Bobby Jindal‘s recent op-ed encouraging Republicans to quit the introspection. Has conservatism given up on solving problems? What’s the deal with Jindal’s red meat about liberals? Turning to immigration reform, they consider why top Senate Republicans are threatening to kill their own bill. Plus: Matt asks Bill how his feelings about Ronald Reagan have evolved.

There’s a disturbance in the force of The DMZ, as the NSA leak story scrambles traditional notions of left and right. Do the last ten years of surveillance make the case that we’ve lost our freedoms or that we’ve struck the right balance? Even if Snowden is right, did he have to risk his own incarceration? Matt and Bill discuss Arnold Kling’s new e-book about why liberals, conservatives and libertarians don’t speak the same language. Have Obama’s actions as president betrayed his prior rhetoric about civil liberties?

On The DMZ, Bill and Matt tackle the big issues—like the difficulties of dressing for cable news appearances. They turn to Obama’s appointments of Susan Rice as National Security Adviser and Samantha Power as UN Ambassador, and how those picks will affect the situation in Syria. Bill calls on Chris Christie to consider his legacy when appointing a new senator from New Jersey. What is the Erick Erickson–Josh Barro feud really about? And how has Barro attracted so much attention so early in his career?

On The DMZ, Bill asks Matt about his feud with Howard Dean, which leads to a reflection on the legacy of Dean’s primary campaign 10 years ago. They compare Dean to Michele Bachmann, who is retiring from Congress. Matt wonders why it’s so hard to find a smart, charismatic conservative leader like Ronald Reagan. Turning to the Obama Administration’s scandals, Bill finds it ironic that conservatives are siding with The New York Times against the Justice Department. Plus: Should Eric Holder resign?