Political Commentary & Opinion
Analysis, commentary, and opinion essays on politics and policy from The Daily Signal’s contributors and experts.
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news
CNN Interviewed Alleged Benghazi Ringleader Nearly a Year Before Capture
Why did it take nearly two years to track down the alleged leader of the 2012 Benghazi attacks when multiple journalists had contact with him prior to his capture? CNN’s Senior International Reporter Arwa Damon met Ahmed Abu Khattala nearly a year ago in a public hotel coffee shop to talk about the Benghazi attacks…. -
news
Mother of Benghazi Victim: ‘Why Can’t They Just Tell Me the Truth?’
Many Americans celebrated the capture of Ahmed Abu Khatallah, the alleged leader of the Benghazi attacks. But Patricia Smith, the mother of Sean Smith, one of the four men killed there that night, was not among them. Smith told CNN in a heated interview that she still lacks information about the night of Sept. 11,… -
news
Targeted Tea Party Activists Are Outraged Over ‘Lost’ IRS Emails
HONOLULU—Hawaii tea party leaders are outraged the Internal Revenue Service lost emails of Lois Lerner, former director of IRS’ Exempt Organizations Unit, during a critical time when the agency admitted to targeting conservative groups for additional scrutiny. The agency informed Congress of the missing emails in a letter last week. The IRS said Lerner’s emails… -
news
Lawsuit Seeks EPA Administrator’s Deleted Messages
What have top officials within the Environmental Protection Agency been telling various environmental groups in their phone, email and text messages? That’s a question Chris Horner, an attorney and senior fellow with the Competitive Enterprise Institute, can’t answer yet because the EPA claims it does not store this kind of data—in violation of the law…. -
news
Marriage, Family, Faith Move Front and Center in Washington
Two major events centered on traditional values converge tomorrow in Washington: the Road to Majority conference and the March for Marriage. Let’s start with the March for Marriage: The rally brings together thousands of grassroots activists on Capitol Hill. They come to stand for marriage as it has traditionally and historically been defined — between a… -
opinion
U.S. Patent Office: Redskins Trademark Is Disparaging to Native Americans
Today, the U.S. Patent and Trade Office’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, by a vote of 2 to 1, canceled the registration of six trademarks held by the Washington Redskins football team on the grounds that the word “Redskins” is disparaging to Native Americans. There’s been increasing public scrutiny of the Washington Redskins’ name—with President… -
news
Q&A: What You Need to Know About Benghazi Suspect’s Terror Group
As the vicious Islamist group ISIS upended the status quo in Iraq, another terrorist network — Ansar al-Sharia — broke into the headlines. Although relatively few Americans recognize it by name, the organization played a key role in an event that shook the nation: the Sept. 11, 2012 attacks on U.S. facilities in Benghazi, Libya…. -
opinion
Uranium Enrichment Facilities: Third Time Is Not a Charm
The Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee yesterday unveiled its energy and water spending bill, which includes an egregious tax on utilities for uranium enrichment services they purchased from now-retired government facilities. Congress has already levied this tax twice and is trying for a third. What Congress politely calls a fee is in fact… -
opinion
The Unanswered Questions on Benghazi
As the House's select committee on Benghazi prepares to start its work, the challenges it faces—and the questions it must answer—are numerous. Critics of the committee argue all questions on Benghazi have already been answered and the matter should be put to rest. Speaking to Fox News yesterday, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton persisted that… -
opinion
What the Benghazi Committee Could Learn From Watergate
As South Carolina’s Republican congressman Trey Gowdy, the new chairman of the House Select Committee on Benghazi, begins his task, it is worth recalling a lesson from Watergate. Specifically, let’s remember the creation of what became known as the Senate Watergate Committee — and how the Senate Republicans of 1973 lost a fight that literally… -
opinion
What the U.S. Must Do to Ensure the Internet Remains Free
Will the Internet continue to be the bastion of freedom and engine of economic growth it has been so far? That may be decided by events to take place over the next year. Since 1998, the U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration has contracted with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN,… -
opinion
24 Things the Media Claim Were Caused by ‘Global Warming’
It seems like with global warming embedded in our politics (for now), anything we don’t fully understand can now be ‘legitimately’ blamed on the weather. Forget the trusty old excuse about the dog eating your homework: A sampling of news stories tells us instead that global warming might really be the cause of all our… -
opinion
U.S. Inaction Creates Opportunities for Our Enemies
There is a strategic dimension to the rapidly unfolding crisis in Iraq that hasn’t garnered much attention but could have a significant impact on the broader and longer-term security, economic and diplomatic interests of the United States. The Obama White House clearly has little interest in remaining intimately engaged in the messy disputes of the… -
news
In Race for Whip, House Conservatives Seek to Slow Scalise
A conservative challenges two “establishment” Republicans in the race for the House’s No. 3 leadership post. While the contest for House majority leader has come down to upstart challenger Raúl Labrador of Idaho against apparent favorite Kevin McCarthy of California, three lawmakers are contending for the slot just below it — and two of them will go on to a final match…. -
opinion
Starbucks to Help Employees With College Tuition
Starbucks made news this week by announcing the College Achievement Plan, a partnership the coffee giant has entered into with Arizona State University in order for the company to help employees complete their bachelor’s degrees by providing full tuition reimbursement. Freshmen and sophomores who work at least 20 hours per week can receive partial scholarships from… -
news
House Chair: Hollywood Plots ‘More Believable’ Than IRS, White House on Missing Emails
House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., today accused the Internal Revenue Service of “lying” to the American people and attempting to hide the disappearance of two years of emails from Lois Lerner, former head of the agency’s tax exempt division. “It looks like the American people were lied to and the IRS tried… -
news
Here’s a Look Inside a Warship Like the One Deployed to Iraq
In response to the ongoing turmoil in Iraq as the Islamist insurgents known as ISIS advance on Baghdad, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush to the Persian Gulf. The USS George H.W. Bush, whose home is Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Va., left port in February. The carrier has… -
news
Benghazi Panel Says Select Committee’s Work Will Be an ‘Uphill Battle’
It’s been nearly two years since the terrorist attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, and we still have not come close to the truth. And if we ever are to find out how Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed that night, it’s going to take more work from the House select… -
opinion
U.S. Captures Ringleader of Benghazi Attacks, Renewing Debate Over Terror Suspects
U.S. special forces have captured a key suspect in the 2012 Benghazi attacks, and he is now being held (or is about to be held) on a U.S. Navy warship in the Gulf region for interrogation and then, no doubt, to a U.S. federal court for prosecution. This is obviously good news, as Ahmed Abu… -
opinion
Administration’s Statements Not Adding Up on the Border
You know things aren’t going well when the only people using your talking points are you. That is increasingly where the Obama administration finds itself in explaining the massive influx of illegal minors crossing the U.S. southern border. The White House line follows two paths. The first is that there is unrest in Central America,…