Opinion and commentary on news, politics, culture, and policy impact.
Tehran seems determined to demonstrate that the nuclear agreement struck by the Obama administration will not alter the nature of the Iranian regime one whit. President Obama’s proffered, outstretched hand to Iran, as proposed before the 2008 presidential election, has been repaid with a poke in the eye. Iranians today are still encouraged, as they…
On this day in 1775, the United States Marine Corps was created by a resolution of the Continental Congress. Within weeks of its formation, the Marine Corps had already seen combat action, having conducted a raid on the British-held Fort Nassau in the Bahamas. Throughout its renowned and celebrated history, the Marine Corps has fought…
A year ago, no one would have thought this was possible. The newly elected House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., has verbally agreed to change the way leadership distributes power and authority in Congress. Before, many key deals would be pre-negotiated between House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and passed with…
The Export-Import Bank expired on June 30, over 100 days ago. This was a major policy victory for conservatives who are looking to roll back corporate welfare and stop Washington from picking winners and losers in the economy. However, as Ronald Reagan once said, “the nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on…
America’s universities are supposed to be places where students can get an education. The vast majority of students want that. Some, however, do not. They want a “safe space” where their strange ideas about society can be aired without criticism, and where they can unilaterally punish other students for failing to toe the mass line….
Off-the-shelf ability to protect your privacy just went up. Facebook knows all your friends, the friends of your friends, and the friends you should have. Google targets ads based on your recent searches. Amazon knows exactly what you want to buy. As convenient as these sites may be, however, it’s really starting to feel like…
Treating Congress as a nuisance rather than as a co-equal branch of government has been a hallmark of President Obama’s tenure. When confronted with congressional opposition to his priorities, Obama simply moves ahead with his agenda, stretching executive authority to its constitutional limits and beyond. A Pattern of Executive Overreach A few recent examples: When…
The effects of 21st-century socialism in Venezuela are horrifying. According to the International Monetary Fund, Venezuela’s economy will shrink by at least 10 percent in the upcoming year. Venezuela is suffering from the fastest inflation rate in the world, with the rate reaching triple digits. Their currency, the bolivar, is practically worthless despite the exchange…
In 2005, when the internet and blogs were new, members of the elite mainstream media were skeptical, even hostile. Who are these unknown , uncredentialed so-called journalists who think they can compete with the big boys? Don't they know they didn't go to Columbia Journalism School? Who allowed them in the game? I defended the…
Everyone reading this should do the attorney general of New York, Eric T. Schneiderman, a big favor: buy a copy of the U.S. Constitution, highlight the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights with a bright yellow or orange Sharpie, and mail him a copy. Schneiderman obviously needs a remedial lesson in the fact that…
Two events from last week exemplify federal officials’ refusal to let people live their own lives and earn money as they see fit. One deals with the Department of Labor (DOL)’s new fiduciary rule, the other with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)’s new rules for crowdfunding. The 2010 Dodd-Frank Act required the SEC to study the…
Polls bear it out: When it comes to climate change, the world isn’t much interested in taking action. Most folks, it seems, are reluctant to embrace expensive, lifestyle-changing, ineffective “solutions” to a non-evident problem. But some big companies are gung-ho about “fighting” climate change. Well, at least they’ve jumped on the Obama administration’s climate-treaty bandwagon,…
With the decision to conduct a Freedom of Navigation operation (FONOP) in the waters around China’s artificial islands in the South China Sea, U.S.-Chinese relations appear set to deteriorate in the coming year. Given the likely rise in tensions, especially if the United States conducts additional FONOPS, it is essential that U.S. leaders understand the…
This week Congress should pass the 2016 defense authorization bill—again. It will be virtually identical to the one that President Obama vetoed just weeks ago. The only change: a $5-billion reduction in costs so it complies with the budget deal reached last week. But passage of the updated authorization is no done deal. If Obama sticks to his…
Get ready for resurgence in planning the future of the American military. It’s long overdue. In fact, serious thinking about the “future force”—what America will need to assure national security in the face of foreseeable, emerging threats—has been largely lacking in the post-Reagan era. Thankfully, that seems to be changing. The Pentagon recently announced the…
In October 2008, Congress raised the debt limit to $11.3 trillion. Then-presidential candidate Barack Obama denounced the action as “irresponsible” and “unpatriotic.” But those were the good ol’ days, when Congress actually put a statutory limit on the debt. Seven years later, Congress has become only more fiscally irresponsible. Today the national debt has climbed…
There’s a lot of confusion about the announcement by the White House late last week about the upcoming deployment of U.S. special operations forces to Syria, especially after President Obama repeatedly promised—going back to 2013—no “boots on the ground.” If you’re perplexed by the news, don’t feel bad. There’s no shortage of people who are…
China’s drive to influence how Americans think—and, by extension, U.S. policy—takes many forms. Beijing has sought to buy its way into our top universities and biggest Hollywood studios, for example. Now it appears that China is also surreptitiously taking over U.S. radio stations to spread its own propaganda. In fact, with radio, China has acted so…
The world’s an even scarier place than it was last year. From the Middle East to the South China Sea, the bad guys have grown stronger and bolder. Meanwhile, our allies and friends—suffering from economies much weaker than ours—are spending less and less on defense. This means less help available to us, if things go…
What exactly is the Senate’s role of “Advice and Consent” when it comes to the nominations made by a president? It’s a topic of perpetual debate in Washington. One wrong-headed argument holds the role to be quite modest: Senators should defer to a president’s choices except in extreme circumstances. That position is advanced far too often by…