Normally, when a legislative leader cannot convince his party rank-and-file to support his proposals, that leader resigns with honor or is ousted in disgrace. Speaker of the House John Boehner may have crossed that threshold with the failure of his
Has John Kerry ever been right about any foreign policy issue, ever, when it counted? On Jan. 11, 1991, Sen. Kerry took to the floor of the Senate to oppose the Gulf War and oppose the resolution authorizing President George
National Public Radio, continuing the mainstream media practice of year-end lists that target Republicans, discussed contenders for the American Dialect Society’s “Words of the Year” today, including three neologisms that targeted Republicans and the Romney/Ryan campaign in particular–and none against
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Dec. 27 that he will sign legislation passed by both chambers of the Russian Parliament to ban adoptions of Russian orphans by American parents. The legislation was passed in retaliation for a new American law
Not since General Douglas MacArthur had Americans celebrated a general as we did “Stormin’ Norman” Schwarzkopf, who cut a figure of strength on the world stage as he decimated Saddam Hussein’s military–which was then thought to be the world’s fourth
In an abuse of prosecutorial power reminiscent of the deposed Mubarak regime, the Muslim Brotherhood government of Egypt’s President Mohammed Morsi has opened an investigation into opposition leaders on suspicion of treason. The Associated Press reports: Egypt’s chief prosecutor ordered
The office of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) responded to reports today that President Barack Obama called him and other congressional leaders to receive updates about negotiations to avoid the Jan. 1 “fiscal cliff” by noting that it was
The Wall Street Journal printed a bizarre editorial today in which it defended David Gregory on the grounds of press freedom against conservatives who have suggested he may have violated District of Columbia gun laws. In challenging National Rifle Association president
There’s something rotten in the $1.1 billion settlement Toyota reached in a federal court yesterday to settle claims about unintended acceleration in its cars. The massive payout does not address an actual problem: the lawsuit blames problems with Toyota’s throttle-control
.jpg "Obama: I Ran So I Could Have 'Men With Guns' Around My Daughters")
President Barack Obama told ABC News’ Barbara Walters that he ran for re-election because he wanted “men with guns” around as his daughters, Malia (14) and Sasha (11), begin dating boys. The interview was the first that the President and
If the Tea Party has been weakened by the November election, why are the mainstream media expending so much effort attacking it? The latest attempt is today’s front-page article by the New York Times, which alleges that the Tea Party
Late yesterday, the United Nations General Assembly approved a 5% budget increase for 2012-2013–with half of the additional spending going towards the UN’s “political missions,” which typically handle peacemaking and conflict resolution. In a time of global austerity, the UN’s
In his Christmas homily this evening, Pope Benedict XVI invited Christians to consider the passage in the Gospel of John in which Mary and Joseph arrive in Bethlehem only to find there was no room at the inn “because his
Later this week, roughly two dozen members of the House of Representatives will return to the sad task of clearing out their offices. Some of the departing incumbents deserved to lose. Some did not, and some will be sorely missed.
Every year, with depressing regularity, Palestinian leaders use Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem as an opportunity to bash Israel–and the international media eagerly plays along. This year, Agence France-Presse touts Christmas as an extra special occasion because “Palestine” has a new
Consumer confidence, which helped nudge President Barack Obama to re-election victory in November, has dipped again to its lowest level since July in the midst of the Christmas retail season, news agencies report: Marshal Cohen, chief research analyst at NPD
Last week, President Barack Obama left for his Christmas vacation, effectively ending negotiations towards a deal on the “fiscal cliff” before new tax hikes and spending cuts take effect on January 1. Now conservatives who derailed Speaker of the House
Last Friday, as news of the Sandy Hook killings spread, I learned that my good friend Vicky Ntozini had been murdered–stabbed to death in the township where she lived in Cape Town. My first thought was that she had been
“We’re going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this regardless of the politics.” – President Barack Obama, addressing reporters on the Sandy Hook mass shooting today. He wiped away a tear. I
President Barack Obama has suffered a major political defeat with Susan Rice’s withdrawal today of her name from consideration as the next Secretary of State. A month ago, Obama raised the stakes by defending Rice angrily in his first post-election press
The passage of right-to-work legislation this week in Michigan is a victory for the state’s working families. It is also a political victory for the conservative movement, and for the Tea Party in particular, which was written off as dead
President Barack Obama owes conservative Steven Crowder–and the nation–an apology after union thugs, angered by right-to-work laws passed by the Michigan legislature today, assaulted Crowder several times in the capital city of Lansing, causing mild injuries. One also threatened to
Today’s UN General Assembly resolution granting Palestine official status as a “non-member state” is absurd. It would be more accurate to call Palestine a “non-state member,” since (by its own doing) it does not possess the basic territorial or political
The fiscal cliff debate is a reprise of the TARP debate of late 2008, with the Republicans under pressure to do “something” to stave off economic collapse. This time, the threat is about a crisis that may be about to
Today, for the first time, the United Nations will name Palestine a (non-member) “observer state” by first engaging in exactly the charge that they press against Israel: apartheid. For kick-off day and the vote at the General Assembly, which is
