Pro-Marijuana Gary Johnson Running for President

Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson announced he's running for president today—with none of that exploratory committee business, thank you. He's in, and he thinks his libertarian views (along the lines of Ron Paul) will earn him Tea Party support and a shot at the GOP nomination, reports Time. Among those views: He opposes the Iraq and Afghan wars, and he wants to legalize pot, abolish the Education Department, slash 43% of all federal spending, and turn both Medicare and Medicaid into block grants run by states.

At Death and Taxes, Andrew Belonsky focuses on that legalizing pot idea and wonders if it might force a larger debate. After all, President Obama has said he's "evolving" on the issue, but has so far managed to dodge it in any substantive way. But it's an "increasingly popular cause," writes Belonsky, "and Johnson’s adamant politics may very well force the Obama’s hand." We'll see. (More Gary Johnson stories.)