No Love for Rubio Amongst Florida RNC Members
FF Exclusive: At the RNC summit in Hawaii, FrumForum spoke with all three of Florida's RNC members and found a dearth of support for Marco Rubio's senatorial campaign. On the other hand, two of the Florida members came out strongly in favor Governor Charlie Crist. Click here for all of Tim …Obama's Worst Lines
The president came across as battle-weary, on the whole, but he still managed to slip in a few particularly egregious remarks. The president came across as battle-weary, on the whole, but he still managed to slip in a few particularly egregious remarks: 1. Referring to Iran as "The Islamic …GOP Should Pick its Fights
This election cycle is proving such a target-rich environment for Republicans that they are now at risk of missing the long-term requirements for creating a lasting Senate majority. A win is a win – but some wins are better than others. This election cycle is proving such a target-rich environment …Playing State of the Union Bingo
Here are a list of words and phrases that are likely to appear in tonight’s speech. Arrange them 5x5 in a standard bingo format and play along at home to make the speech go faster. Usually, everyone’s a winner. In the spirit of the late William Safire, who popularized the White House acronym …The James O'Keefe Arrest
I'm going to go out on a limb here and predict: the James O'Keefe/Landrieu phone interference case will be resolved with a very stern talking to by a judge, no criminal record, and 100 hours of community service each for the four arrested young people. I'm going to go out on a limb here and …Losing Faith in Karzai
Two classified cables authored by U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl W. Eikenberry and leaked to The New York Times provide startling details of just how little trust America's top diplomatic official in Afghanistan has in the Karzai government. Two classified cables authored by U.S. Ambassador …Not Listening
In today's online edition of Newsweek I argue that Obama has cut himself off from the centrist Republicans who gave him his margin of victory in 2008. In today's online edition of Newsweek I argue that Obama has cut himself off from the centrist Republicans who gave him his margin of …Enter Hayworth
Thirteen years ago, I followed Phil Gramm for The Atlantic . Along the way, he had an encounter with a local football star now running for Congress: JD Hayworth. Thirteen years ago, I followed Phil Gramm for 10 days for The Atlantic . Along the way, he had an encounter with a local football …Is Obama the New Hoover?
With his planned spending freeze, many are now viewing President Obama as the second coming of Herbert Hoover. Liberals see a well-meaning technocrat who can't put together a political coalition while conservatives see a president who made a stock market crash worse through a series of ill-timed …This Freeze Sounds Like a Slushy
Matt Yglesias reports that a senior Obama official informed a conference call of bloggers yesterday that the proposed budget freeze would not be an "across-the-board" freeze. If so, Obama will have to face the harsh paradox of government budgeting: You don’t cut good programs because they are …Chavez Strike Out
A popular Venezuelan television station declined to broadcast a recent Hugo Chavez speech in full. For this offense, Venezuelan broadcast authorities ordered them banned from cable systems and authorized satellite networks. But in a sign of the democracy movement's gathering strength, that action …Scott Brown's New Media Revolution
FF Exclusive: The guru behind Scott Brown's impressive victory was media strategist Rob Willington. Willington spoke with FrumForum and shared the secrets behind his aggressive and innovative social media campaign. Scott Brown’s win was impressive, but of course, he didn’t do it alone. Behind …Obama as Orator? Overrated
Obama once described his public speaking abilities to Harry Reid as a "gift." Now, as he prepares for his State of the Union address, the Beltway chattering class is allowing itself to ask a previously unutterable question: "Is Obama really that good of a speaker?" I have long been in a minority …"Obama the Populist" Doesn't Ring True
My latest column at CNN.com discusses President Obama's upcoming State of the Union address. Lately, the Obama team has been experimenting with a new theme -- a sharp populist turn, attacking bankers and lobbyists. ... But will this theme continue into Wednesday's State of the Union? My latest …Secrecy for the AIG Bailout?
Let's get this straight. The underwear bomber's information is so unimportant to the security of the United States that he can be read a Miranda warning and urged to stop talking. But the details of the AIG deal - they are national security secrets so important that the SEC wanted to classify …If Healthcare Reform Fails Dems Have Themselves to Blame
We're going to hear a lot about how the threat of the filibuster stopped healthcare reform. If true, that's true only in a very roundabout way. The threat of filibuster compelled the Senate to write a more moderate and potentially more acceptable bill, against which the Democratic left rebelled. …25 Years in Prison for Army Ranger Who Shot Al Qaeda Agent
The case of 1st Lieutenant Michael Behenna of Oklahoma, sentenced to prison for 25 years for shooting an al-Qaeda operative just highlights the dangers of treating wars like law enforcement operations. The extraordinary case of American Army Ranger 1st Lieutenant Michael Behenna of Oklahoma: …