
It’s finally that time of year again. I’ve been ready for some football since February. Even with the thrill of the Chicago Blackhawks’ victory in the Stanley Cup, there’s nothing quite as engaging as a weekend-plus of football. I’m no
by Joel B. Pollak8 Sep 2013, 12:03 PM PST0

The Syria crisis has provoked–or revealed–a new division on the left, between those activists and organizations willing to defend their principles despite the Obama administration’s reversals, and those on the “Obama left” determined to back the leader at all costs.
by Joel B. Pollak8 Sep 2013, 10:29 AM PST0

One of the luxuries of being a new administration appointee is being able to duck blame, politely or otherwise, for the mistakes of your predecessor. On Syria, new UN Ambassador Samantha Power does not have that luxury. Yet she continues
by Joel B. Pollak8 Sep 2013, 9:02 AM PST0

Chicago Tribune columnist Clarence Page is one of President Barack Obama’s more reliable defenders–or, more accurately, a reliable critic of Obama’s critics. Yet Page asks a key question in his column Sunday: “Would a younger Obama vote for his new
by Joel B. Pollak8 Sep 2013, 7:49 AM PST0

A visit back to Illinois this week offered a chance to survey the state’s politics (both through friends and the Chicago press), as well as the still-dismal condition of the state’s finances. One of the GOP hopefuls, Bruce Rauner, made
by Joel B. Pollak8 Sep 2013, 7:30 AM PST0

As pro-Israel organizations begin to weigh in strongly in favor of President Barack Obama’s proposed attack on Syria, it is worth remembering that the most influential, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), once believed (wrongly, in my view) that
by Joel B. Pollak8 Sep 2013, 4:32 AM PST0

As the vote to authorize a U.S. attack on Syria nears this week, President Barack Obama is preparing to grant six interviews on Monday, and to address the nation on Tuesday. But the opposition is growing in strength and has
by Joel B. Pollak8 Sep 2013, 4:08 AM PST0
Ed Lasky makes a great point at the American Thinker today: the Obama administration is drafting pro-Israel groups to help sell his Syria policy to Congress (including, alarmingly, the Republican Jewish Coalition). But where are the Arab-American and Muslim groups,
by Joel B. Pollak4 Sep 2013, 5:03 AM PST0

The Republican Jewish Coalition has thrown its weight behind efforts to pass congressional authorization for President Barack Obama’s plans for a military strike against Syria over its use of chemical weapons. The RJC believes in good faith that a U.S.
by Joel B. Pollak3 Sep 2013, 3:14 PM PST0

Testifying on Tuesday afternoon at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about evidence regarding Syria’s use of chemical weapons, Secretary of State John Kerry urged his former colleagues to “Just think about it. In logical terms. Common sense.” Those are terms
by Joel B. Pollak3 Sep 2013, 12:25 PM PST0

Barack Hussein Obama rose to power by attacking–in a somewhat apocryphal 2002 speech–what he called George Walker Bush’s “dumb war” in Iraq. Let us compare Obama’s approach to Syria with Bush’s in Iraq. 1.Bush in Iraq: Attacked an evil regime
by Joel B. Pollak2 Sep 2013, 12:07 PM PST0

California governor Jerry Brown is receiving a fair bit of good press lately, including a fanciful profile in the latest issue of Rolling Stone in which author Tim Dickinson credits Brown with a “miracle” turnaround. It’s typical leftist agitprop: no assessment
by Joel B. Pollak2 Sep 2013, 8:00 AM PST0
Nothing Congress will do next week will make the Syria crisis any worse than it already is for Israel. President Obama’s “red line” on chemical weapons was likely crossed long ago, with no response. Likewise, Obama’s demand that Assad leave
by Joel B. Pollak2 Sep 2013, 6:35 AM PST0
Thanks to the lingering sluggish economy, and the looming implementation of Obamacare–in other words, thanks to President Barack Obama–the U.S. workforce (such as it is) is rapidly shifting towards part-time rather than full-time work. Reuters, no less, noted recently that
by Joel B. Pollak2 Sep 2013, 6:11 AM PST0

The White House is attempting to win congressional support for President Barack Obama’s proposed military strike against Syria by telling members of the House and Senate that such action would be for the benefit and safety of Israel. It’s a
by Joel B. Pollak2 Sep 2013, 5:00 AM PST0

August was largely a disappointment for both the pro- and anti-immigration reform rallies that were meant to rally public opinion on both sides of the issue. But the Arizona Republic, like many mainstream media outlets, falsely scores the outcome in
by Joel B. Pollak2 Sep 2013, 3:59 AM PST0

In a post today at his Washington Post blog, Ezra Klein attempts to defend Enroll America’s targeting of ten states–nine of which have GOP governors–as something other than a political ploy to use Obamacare exchanges to build Democratic political organizations
by Joel B. Pollak1 Sep 2013, 9:48 AM PST0

President Barack Obama has no foreign policy or military strategy on Syria. So he has reverted to a successful domestic policy strategy: blame Congress. His last-minute decision to seek Congressional approval is a win-win politically: if the vote fails, he
by Joel B. Pollak1 Sep 2013, 6:20 AM PST0
I’m officially on vacation, but keeping an eye on U.S. reaction to events in Syria, which call to mind Marx’s observation that history repeats itself “the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce.” It is impossible to take
by Joel B. Pollak27 Aug 2013, 9:37 PM PST0

At the age of 80, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is hanging on, despite liberal worries that she is missing the opportunity to be replaced by President Barack Obama. She is quite happy to be part of what she
by Joel B. Pollak25 Aug 2013, 9:13 AM PST0

The Obama administration has reacted to Syria’s announcement that it would accept a UN investigation of alleged chemical weapons attacks by rejecting the inspections, saying that they are too little, too late. It is a striking gesture of defiance from
by Joel B. Pollak25 Aug 2013, 8:10 AM PST0

Former UN Ambassador (now National Security Advisor) Susan Rice was notorious for missing key debates and votes. Now her successor, Samantha Power, is following the same path, missing an urgent UN Security Council meeting on Syria because of a “personal
by Joel B. Pollak25 Aug 2013, 7:10 AM PST0
Back when the George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin story first exploded onto the national scene, with false accounts of a “white” shooter and edited 911 calls, we at Breitbart News made an editorial decision not to become involved in the racial tit-for-tat
by Joel B. Pollak25 Aug 2013, 5:37 AM PST0
The week’s results are in–and Mark Levin’s The Liberty Amendments is #1 on the New York Times bestseller list in both the hardcover and combined hardcover and e-book categories. Not bad for a “radical” idea! If you are still thinking about buying this
by Joel B. Pollak24 Aug 2013, 9:21 PM PST0

Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew called on Congress Thursday to “raise the debt ceiling as soon as members get back to Washington after summer recess.” Lew delivered a strident, partisan speech, repeating familiar arguments from the 2012 presidential campaign.
by Joel B. Pollak22 Aug 2013, 1:45 PM PST0