This week in The New York Times—on September 11, no less—Russian President Vladimir Putin took issue with the idea of American exceptionalism. He wrote: It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation. There are big countries and small countries, rich and poor, those with long democratic traditions and those […]
One of the disillusioning facts about Washington is that Congress can vote on something and that vote won’t mean a thing. It would seem that a congressional vote should be a meaningful occasion, with Members weighing the costs and benefits of voting for the particular measure at hand. Unfortunately, political gamesmanship often leads them to […]
President Obama’s speech tonight makes one thing clear: Despite all his bellicose rhetoric, he never wanted to strike Syria in the first place. Yes, he has focused on making a case for military action, but the real action now will be diplomatic—responding to the Russian proposal to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons. There’s only one problem: […]
Australian Prime Minister-elect Tony Abbott (SAEED KHAN/AFP/Getty Images/Newscom) The Australian Liberal Party—“liberal” in the good way, like Adam Smith—and its coalition partner, the National Party, won in a landslide election over the weekend. Australian voters have made Liberal Party leader Tony Abbott the next prime minister of Australia with a projected majority of 89 out […]
Patsy Lynch/Polaris/Newscom Secretary of State John Kerry finally broke the silence of the U.S. government on the fate of Christian pastor Saeed Abedini and two other Americans imprisoned in Iran. Until now, the silence of the U.S. government on the fate of U.S. citizens has been deafening. But Kerry’s statement could charitably be described as […]
In the United States, dreams have a funny way of becoming reality. That’s what makes the American dream so powerful. It’s renewed, and usually achieved, in each new generation. It’s been more than 50 years now since Martin Luther King Jr. described his goal of equality of opportunity for all Americans. It was “a dream […]
Lawmakers are on track to bargain away the one spending cut they got. The Washington Post reports that President Obama and a group of Republican Senators stalled on a budget deal on Thursday that revolved in part around the question of how to best renege on sequestration. Republicans want to offset the spending cuts in […]
Just as families are getting ready to head out the door for a long holiday weekend, the Obama Administration has rolled out new policies that disregard states’ authority over marriage and redefine marriage for a variety of federal purposes. The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the IRS and the Department of Health and Human […]
Does calling a reporter a “fact checker” make him or her more even-handed? Hardly. PolitiFact is a case in point. It is a website of the Tampa Bay Times, manned by journalists and editors. It purports to rule from on high on the veracity of political statements, assigning “Truth-O-Meter” ratings that range from True to […]
There is nothing controversial about stopping Obamacare. A majority of Americans dislike the law and want it repealed. Obamacare is disastrous for individuals, businesses, and doctors alike. It is unaffordable and unworkable, and the Obama Administration has also made it unfair by giving its pet interest groups waivers and opt-outs. Conservatives are also united behind […]
