The Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) took a hit when the German government decided to withdraw its support for the system. MEADS is a ground-based terminal ballistic missile defense (BMD) system developed jointly by the United States, Italy, and Germany. Germany’s step is not surprising. In February, the U.S. Department of Defense decided to […]
House Cloakroom: October 24 – October 28 Analysis: This week the House will take up two important changes to the tax code. The first would change the way income is calculated when with respect to eligibility requirements for certain healthcare tax benefits. The second would end the 3% withholding on payments to businesses by the […]
Bahrain and Syria are countries ruled by sectarian minorities. Bahrain’s Sunni royal family rules over a Shia majority whereas the Assad regime, which rules over a Sunni majority, belongs to the tiny Alawite sect. While this division has exacerbated both of the uprisings, the similarities end here. Bahrain’s royal family has reacted to the protests […]
After denying last week that the negotiations to extend the U.S. troop presence in Iraq were failing, the Obama Administration pivoted on Friday as President Obama announced that the U.S. troop presence would not be extended. The President sought to turn a dangerous outcome for Iraq’s security and the war against terrorists into a political […]
The word is out that all U.S. troops will be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of the year. While every American shares the conviction that we don’t want any U.S. troops stationed in a Middle East country a day longer than they need to be, it is tragic to see a premature exit of […]
As part of its bankruptcy proceedings, defunct solar company Solyndra will auction off thousands of items from its California production facility on Nov. 2 and 3. But taxpayers won’t see a dime of the proceeds, due to the Energy Department’s decision to subordinate taxpayers to Solyndra’s private financiers in repayment of their investments. As I […]
Apparently seeking to capitalize on a political movement that shares its general political vision, Big Labor has stepped up its material support for the “Occupy” protesters. Scribe noted this week that the AFL-CIO union had taken out advertisements supporting the protests. According to a report from the Washington Post, though, their support extends far beyond paid […]
It sounds like a former Obama Administration official is changing his tune on two of the President’s early stimulus efforts. Austan Goolsbee, former chairman of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers, says that in retrospect he would not have supported the Cash for Clunkers program or the home buyer tax credit. Politico reports: “Because we didn’t know if […]
That indigenous forces backed by Western military power could overthrow an odious unpopular regime backed by a second-rate military ought to come as no surprise. That was, after all, exactly what the Bush Administration did in Afghanistan. In fact, operationally, the fall of Kabul looks a lot like the fall of Tripoli. As we now […]
Making him the latest in a long list of Venezuelan politicians denied the ability to challenge Hugo Chavez, Leopoldo López, the former mayor of Chacao, had his presidential hopes dashed this week when the Venezuelan Supreme Court ruled that he cannot hold a public office until after 2014 due to pending corruption charges against him […]
