Political Commentary & Opinion
Analysis, commentary, and opinion essays on politics and policy from The Daily Signal’s contributors and experts.
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opinion
What’s Next for Bergdahl
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the Army solider who was held by the Taliban for five years and released in May in exchange for five senior Taliban Guantanamo detainees, is now manning a desk while the Army decides what to do with him. According to news reports, he has completed the formal phase of his recovery and… -
news
In Undercover Videos, Planned Parenthood Suggests Sadistic Sex to Teen Girls
“Choking,” “whipping,” and “tying up” are a few of the sadistic sexual behaviors Planned Parenthood staffers in Denver were caught on camera promoting to underage girls as part of Obamacare-supported “sex education” inside their facilities. >>> This report and video contain graphic language about disturbing practices. Today, in two undercover videos released by the pro-life… -
opinion
Government, Private Auditors Agree: Boeing Doesn’t Need Taxpayer Subsidies
Two reports in recent days have focused on the fate of the Boeing Co. in the event Congress opts against reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank. Both Standard & Poor’s and the Government Accountability Office effectively have concluded the aviation giant—Ex-Im’s biggest beneficiary by far—would manage just fine without taxpayer subsidies. The same can be said… -
opinion
The U.S. Must Do Everything Possible to Undermine Hamas
Hamas starts wars it knows it can’t finish. It also knows full well that wars in a very small place put innocents at risk. And Hamas is fine with that. No matter how this latest round of Palestinian-Israeli retribution ends, it won’t be the last. Long rooted in the Gaza Strip, Hamas will ever rise… -
opinion
Congress Thinks the Trillion Dollar Tourism Industry Needs Government Money
Some in Congress seem to think the federal government can do a better job marketing and promoting tourism to America than the $1.5 trillion industry that exists to attract and accommodate visitors. How? By doing what government does best: taxation. Since 2011, the government has been taxing tourists and some in Congress want to keep… -
news
Welcome to Iowa: Group Hits Christie’s ‘Liberal’ Picks for Judges
As New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie prepares to travel to Iowa on Thursday to test the waters for a Republican presidential race, a conservative watchdog group is ready to call attention to his record of judicial appointments. Judicial Crisis Network, which promotes the rule of law and “a fair and impartial judiciary,” is beginning a… -
news
New Press Secretary Defends White House’s Transparency
On Sunday, the press pushed back. In an interview with the new White House press secretary Josh Earnest, CNN’s Brian Stelter questioned how an administration that prosecutes whistleblowers and curtails press access could still claim the self-awarded title of “most transparent in history.” -
opinion
Q & A: What Is This Iron Dome That Is Protecting Israel From Hamas Rockets?
As Hamas launches rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel, casualties are kept at a minimum thanks to Israel’s superior air defense system. In the current conflict, up to 90 percent of the rockets engaged by the “Iron Dome” are intercepted as they approach high-value Israeli targets. The Rafael-Raytheon air defense system has held a high… -
news
Israeli Leader a Pillar of Calm in Face of Rocket Attacks
“We face a very, very brutal terrorist enemy.” As rockets fired by Hamas rained down yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu coolly and calmly described the situation — at one point comparing it to missile attacks on U.S. cities — in a satellite interview with Brit Hume on “Fox News Sunday.” With diplomatic understatement, Netanyahu… -
news
Rick vs. Rand: Potential Presidential Contenders Square Off on Foreign Policy
Senator Rand Paul, R–Ky., today blasted Governor Rick Perry for his “fictionalized” and “mischaracterized” account of Paul’s foreign policy. Unleashing a withering barrage in a Politico op-ed, Paul signaled that he’s ready to go head to head with the Texas Republican. In Friday’s Washington Post, Perry offered a sharp critique of Paul’s foreign policy, labeling… -
news
Gary Johnson: ‘Abolish the IRS’
SANTA FE, N.M. — For 2012 Libertarian Party presidential candidate and former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, the ongoing controversy at the Internal Revenue Service is further proof the agency should be eliminated. “Imagine life without having to deal with the IRS,” Johnson told New Mexico Watchdog in an interview just two days after Americans… -
opinion
Young Boy Takes On City Council…and Wins.
Call it a victory for common sense. City officials in Leawood, Kan., have reversed course after ordering a 9-year-old boy to tear down the little free library he built in his front yard for Mother’s Day. Late last Monday night, after Spencer Collins had appeared before the Leawood City Council to advocate for permission to… -
news
Ann Coulter’s Border Crisis Wish List: ‘I Want Same Fence Israel Has’
“Send them home.” That’s author and pundit Ann Coulter’s bottom-line response to the surge of illegal immigrants from Central America across the southwest border. Coulter told The Daily Signal that she supports “nothing” in the president’s $3.7 billion emergency funding request, and that she wants “the same fence Israel has.” Watch the video for her entire colorful… -
opinion
Pakistan: U.S. Engagement Necessary as Drone Strikes Resume
On Thursday, U.S. drones killed at least four militants in Pakistan. It is the fourth such strike since a Pakistani military operation commenced in June. The June drone strikes killed nearly 19 militants, including a high-level Haqqani network commander, Haji Gul, and two senior Afghan Taliban leaders. Pakistan’s foreign ministry condemned the strikes, calling them… -
opinion
The GOP’s Healthy Debate: It Makes Us All Better
If you want to see people who are afraid of an honest policy debate in America today, visit a college campus. This year alone, the left’s fear of discussion was on display at Smith College, where IMF head Christine Lagarde withdrew from giving a commencement speech, Rutgers University, where Condoleezza Rice was set to speak,… -
news
Holder Writes Off Benghazi Criticism as ‘Purely Political’
Attorney General Eric Holder today said criticism of the Obama administration’s decision to try a Benghazi terror suspect in a civilian court is “purely political.” Holder, interviewed on ABC’s “This Week,” added: “I think it’s time for us to get beyond this point.” Earlier this month, the administration came under fire for plans to bypassing… -
opinion
This Government Program Leads to Rising College Costs
Federal lawmakers have been trying for decades to reduce the burden of paying for college. Congress has significantly expanded lending, lifted caps on borrowing, and cut interest rates on federal student loans. Parents even became eligible to take out loans to pay for children’s college in the 1980s through the Parent PLUS program. The Obama… -
news
This State Overpaid on Food Stamps, Costing Taxpayers Millions.
OSAWATOMIE, Kan.—For Kansas, the bad news is the state flubbed more than $18.9 million in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Payments during fiscal 2013. The good news is this represents an improvement. The state snapped a streak of rising payment errors that stretched back to 2010. Overall,Kansas incorrectly paid out 3.99 percent of the roughly $474 million… -
opinion
The U.S. Needs to Be Prepared for Next ‘Wave’ of Terrorism
Things seem to go from bad to worse in the blood-soaked Middle East, Civil war still rages in Syria, even as ISIS gobbles up swaths of Iraq and Syria. After years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, many Americans are tempted to wash their hands of the region. But that would be a huge mistake…. -
opinion
Why Are So Many More Central Americans Trying to Cross the Border Illegally Now?
A massive influx of unlawful immigrants from Central America has policymakers searching for quick fix. While inadequate border security and false perceptions of U.S. immigration law have undoubtedly helped fuel the problem, they are just part of the equation. A thorough understanding requires a look further south. No longer do Mexicans constitute the majority of…