Barack Obama News
Read news, analysis, and commentary on Barack Obama, his administration’s legacy, and his continuing impact on national debates.
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news
McConnell: Obama ‘Not Going to Like’ Republican Congress’ Agenda
Incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell today laid out the priorities for the new Republican-controlled Congress, promising to challenge President Obama with bills “he’s not going to like.” In an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” McConnell, R-Ky., said he would advance Republican priorities such as approving the Keystone XL pipeline. He also said… -
opinion
The Private Sector, Not Obama, Created This Recovery
It only took six years, but we’re finally starting to see the U.S. economy kick into gear. This isn’t a story of government-directed growth, but the opposite—Washington’s role in the economy starting to shrink after years of Obama administration activism. The private sector is starting to take over. Let’s start with the positive news. Economic… -
opinion
How Obama’s Cuba Deal Hurts Cubans
President Obama’s decision to make nice with Cuba’s repressive, anti-American regime creates a great number of losers. Topping the list, of course, are the people of Cuba. They are starting from a bad place, lacking fundamental freedoms. And Obama negotiated no promises from the Castro brothers to ease up on the repression. That leaves Cubans… -
opinion
What Obama, Eric Holder and the Rest of Us Could Learn from the Magna Carta
With the president and Congress out of town, Washington, D.C. is very quiet during the holidays, without the long lines one normally sees at museums and capitol attractions. So it was a good time last week to take my family to see a wonderful exhibit at the Library of Congress, jointly sponsored by the Federalist… -
news
Krauthammer on Obama’s Veto Threat: ‘Bring It On, Mr. President’
How should Republicans handle Obama’s threat to use his “veto pen” in the coming two years? Charles Krauthammer says the GOP should say: “Bring it on, Mr. President.” Speaking to Kimberly Guilfoyle on “Greta” last night, the syndicated columnist and Fox News commentator advised the GOP: “Let the president show where the party stands, and… -
news
Biblical in Scale: Guess How Many Pages It Takes to Print Obama’s Environmental Rules
Americans will find few books that rival the number of pages of regulations issued by the Environmental Protection Agency since President Obama took office, not even the Gutenberg Bible. Obama made protecting the environment a cornerstone of his administration early on, and during his tenure the Environmental Protection Agency has sought to cut vehicle emissions,… -
news
7 Takeaways From Obama’s 40-Minute NPR Interview on Cuba, Iran, Race Relations and His Veto Pen
Wondering what’s in store for the next two years? In a revealing 40-minute, year-end interview, President Obama took questions from NPR’s Steve Inskeep on topics ranging from Cuba and the Middle East, to race relations and plans to use his “veto pen.” “I suspect there are going to be some times where I’ve got to… -
opinion
Ignorant Media Are Wrong to Gush Over Obama’s Foreign Policy
It’s “historic.” A “landmark” breakthrough. By one stroke of the presidential pen, the tide of history has risen, never to recede again. How many times has the press greeted a decision by President Obama with this breathless cry? It happened again last week when he reversed nearly 50 years of U.S. policy toward communist Cuba…. -
news
‘Obama-Paul’ Cuba Policy Not Working for Marco Rubio
The spat between Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky over President Obama’s attempt to normalize U.S.-Cuba relations spilled into the weekend, surfacing on the Sunday talk show circuit this morning. “Rand, if he wants to become the chief cheerleader of Obama's foreign policy, he certainly has a right to do… -
opinion
The Reasons Behind Obama’s Failures
In early October, President Obama warned his supporters to “make no mistake: these policies [of mine] are on the ballot. Every single one of them.” After the November elections, he probably wishes he hadn’t said that. The scale of the liberal defeat is remarkable, as are its causes. In 2008, Obama had long coattails: When… -
opinion
Obama’s Cuba Move Shows He’s Listening to International Left
Why did President Obama go for broke on Cuba, announcing the United States would normalize relations with that repressive regime? The answer appears in his statement to the nation. There, the president not only made clear that this change has been on his bucket list for some time, but also that his knowledge of Cuba… -
opinion
If Obama Wants More Solar Energy, Why Is He Making It So Expensive?
President Obama has made it quite clear he wants to see more renewable energy in the United States. Then why is his administration making it more expensive? The U.S. government recently announced plans to impose taxes of up to 78.42 percent on imported solar parts to protect U.S. manufacturers from foreign competition. In this case,… -
news
Obama’s Theme for the New Year: ‘We Can’t Be Stopped’
A relaxed President Obama held a year-end press conference this afternoon, where he reflected on his first six years in office and looked ahead to the last quarter of his presidency. In a brief prepared statement and then a lengthy question-and-answer session, Obama weighed in on issues such as the U.S. economy, relations with Congress,… -
news
The 2016 Potentials React to Obama’s Cuba Plan
President Obama’s decision to normalize relations with Cuba yesterday swept headlines, marking a new policy issue for the 2016 presidential race. Many of the rumored hopefuls swiftly reacted to the president’s plan, establishing their positions for 2016. Democrats The Democrat contenders showed unanimous support for Obama’s plan, praising the president’s efforts to open U.S.-Cuban relations for… -
opinion
Q&A on Obama’s Policy Changes Toward Cuba
Yesterday afternoon, President Obama announced a series of drastic policy changes toward Cuba. What many may now view as concessions to the Castro regime following a prisoner swap was in fact the White House ending the U.S.’s long tradition of supporting human rights and democratic reforms on the island. The new policy approach follows the… -
news
Marco Rubio Blasts Obama’s Cuba Plan, Deeming It a ‘Concession to Tyranny’
Sen. Marco Rubio has come out swinging at President Obama’s decision to normalize relations with Cuba. The Florida Republican called it a “concession to tyranny.” Rubio, a Cuban-American, deemed the move a “disgraceful” setback for both Americans and Cubans, writing in the Wall Street Journal that it marks a global “victory” for oppressive regimes. The entire… -
opinion
Cuba Is Latest Benefactor of Obama’s Fairy-Tale Foreign Policy
In the his most recent "negotiation" with a foreign nemesis, President Obama has once again given away more and gotten less. Unfortunately for the United States, in the long run, this fairy tale is not likely to have a happy ending. >>> Obama Can’t Unilaterally Lift Economic Freedom for Cubans -
news
Will Obama’s New Approach Bring Freedom to Cuba?
CNN’s Jake Tapper hosted a contentious panel discussion about the future of Cuba in the wake of President Obama’s decision to unilaterally chart a new course in U.S. relations. The Heritage Foundation’s Mike Gonzalez, senior fellow of international studies, debated The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg and Julia Sweig, director for Latin American studies at the Council… -
opinion
Obama Can’t Unilaterally Lift Economic Freedom for Cubans
President Barack Obama’s unilateral decision to normalize relations with Cuba and lift the U.S. embargo without the approval of Congress may play well on the international left and help the Castro regime to maintain control of the country, the economy, and all levers of power for years to come, but it will do nothing to… -
opinion
Obama Does Not Have the Authority to Lift Embargo on Cuba
Cuba’s release of American hostage Alan Gross is to be welcome. Gross has vegetated in a Cuban jail for five years for the crime of bringing computers to Jews on the island. But exchanging three hardened Cuban spies for him establishes a wrong moral and legal equivalency. Worse, extending recognition to Cuba’s dictatorial regime harms…