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Joel B. Pollak

Joel B. Pollak

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Obama Celebrates 5-Year Anniversary of Lehman Collapse

Obama Celebrates 5-Year Anniversary of Lehman Collapse

President Barack Obama will use the the five-year anniversary of the collapse of Lehman Brothers–and the ensuing financial crisis–today to attempt yet another “pivot” to economic issues for what is, conservatively, the dozenth time. Amid the boilerplate remembrances of jobs

Can Obama Be Taken Seriously on Iran Threat?

Can Obama Be Taken Seriously on Iran Threat?

In foreign policy as in much else, President Barack Obama has relied on words rather than actions. So it is difficult to take seriously his threat, expressed in an interview Friday with ABC News that aired Sunday on This Week,

Summers Over; Withdraws Name from Fed Stakes

Summers Over; Withdraws Name from Fed Stakes

Former Secretary of the Treasure Lawrence Summers has officially withdrawn his name from contention for the chairmanship of the Federal Reserve, the Wall Street Journal reports. Summers called President Barack Obama on Sunday to inform him of his withdrawal, and

Andrew McCarthy Nails Conservative Foreign Policy

I’ve wrestled with Andrew C. McCarthy’s writings on foreign policy since the start of the Arab Spring. I am one of those conservatives who agreed with George W. Bush’s articulation of human rights and democracy as the core values of

Obama Blames Technology for Job Failure–Again

Obama Blames Technology for Job Failure–Again

On Sunday’s edition of This Week, ABC News aired an interview conducted with President Barack Obama on Friday. Among other familiar Obama tropes–such as the threat not to negotiate with congressional leaders over the debt ceiling, which is odd considering

The Price Israel Pays for Being a Client State

The bond between the United States and Israel is both deep and broad. Yet the geopolitical alliance took shape in earnest after the Six-Day War in 1967, when Israel’s military might convinced the U.S. of its value as an ally

Rand Paul Steps Away from Ron Paul's 9/11 Remarks

Rand Paul Steps Away from Ron Paul's 9/11 Remarks

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) distanced himself from his father Ron Paul’s controversial views on 9/11 yesterday, saying that some terrorists “are…motivated whether we’re there [in the Middle East] or not.”  The elder Paul triggered outrage on Wednesday, the anniversary of

NPR: AIPAC, Pro-Israel Groups Failed on Syria

NPR: AIPAC, Pro-Israel Groups Failed on Syria

National Public Radio’s David Welna reported Thursday morning that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and other pro-Israel groups had suffered defeat in efforts to lobby Congress to back a military attack against Syria.  Though Welna cites some dubious sources,

The Comic Books of 9/11

Carl M. Cannon of RealClearPolitics devoted a column on the anniversary of 9/11 to the music that emerged to describe and deal with the terror attacks and their aftermath. At the time, I was living in South Africa and working

Ron's 9/11 Views Pose Problem for Rand

Ron's 9/11 Views Pose Problem for Rand

It is no surprise that former congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul believes that the U.S. bears some responsibility, albeit indirect, for the terror attack of September 11, 2001. That belief, a staple of the far-left, animated his spoiler campaign

Syria's Win Is the Model for Iran

Syria's Win Is the Model for Iran

When the dust settles, the concrete result of the Syria debacle is that dictator Bashar al-Assad was able to use chemical weapons, both literally and diplomatically, to retain power. Assad succeeded because President Barack Obama was never really serious about

Benghazi 9/11–What Difference It Made

Benghazi 9/11–What Difference It Made

As Americans pause today to remember the trauma–and heroism–of September 11, 2001, we have a new reason to commemorate the day: the embassy attacks of September 11, 2012. A year later, there have been no arrests and no responses. Those

Israel Laughs at Obama's 'Face-Saving' Syria Deal

Israel Laughs at Obama's 'Face-Saving' Syria Deal

President Barack Obama switched gears Monday, embracing a Russian-backed proposal to have Syria transfer its chemical weapons stockpile to international control–an idea that emerged from a gaffe earlier in the day by Secretary of State John Kerry. The proposal may

Pro-Israel Groups Serving Obama, not Israel, on Syria

Pro-Israel Groups Serving Obama, not Israel, on Syria

There is only one possible good-faith reason that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC), the National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC), and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) are lobbying Congress to approve President Barack Obama’s proposed

Obama's 'Red Line' on Syria Was a Joke in April

Obama's 'Red Line' on Syria Was a Joke in April

One of the few effective arguments that the Obama administration has used in support of military action in Syria is that it is important to deter other rogue states determined to acquire, and threatening to use, weapons of mass destruction.

Obama’s ‘Organizing for Action’ Silent on Syria

It’s odd how President Barack Obama appears to be enlisting (or at least enjoying) the help of pro-Israel organizations to push for congressional approval for an attack on Syria, but his own group, Organizing for Action, doesn’t seem to be