Overview for FF Spotlight

Military Must Educate Public on Budget Cuts

The military must not become partisan in the budget debate, but it should not be afraid to explain why it needs to receive funding. With President Obama and his new and highly political defense secretary, Leon Panetta, preparing to gut the defense budget , how should military officials, both in …

Written by John Guardiano on Thursday July 7, 2011

Dept. of Education Gets it Wrong on Rape Cases

Under new Department of Education regulations, people accused of rape on college campuses will have no rights to confront their accuser. It’s hard to sustain the common right-of-center critique that the Obama administration is bent on a weird Marxist/postcolonial/radical socialist agenda. I …

Written by Eli Lehrer on Thursday July 7, 2011

What to Watch in the Debt Negotiations

Here are the things to watch as the news about the debt negotiations comes out today. While we await the news from today’s debt ceiling negotiations between Republicans and Democratic leaders, news outlets are already leaking and reporting on the possible contours of a deal. But which …

Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Thursday July 7, 2011

Was Canada's Afghan Mission a Success?

So on balance, was the Afghanistan mission a success? I’d argue it made Canada's army better. As Canada prepares to quit – or at least reduce – its involvement in Afghanistan, politicians, journalists, the public and the army itself are beginning to assess whether the nine-year mission was …

Written by Peter Worthington on Thursday July 7, 2011

Here's the Way to a Deal!

Eric Cantor’s recent declaration that Republicans will look at “loopholes”is a step in the right direction but Cantor is wrong to insist that any loophole closing be met with an equal cut in taxes. Eric Cantor’s recent declaration that Republicans will look at “ loopholes ”is a step in the right …

Written by Eli Lehrer on Thursday July 7, 2011

Log Cabin Republicans Finish Off Don't Ask Don't Tell

The Log Cabin Republicans have been successful in their lawsuit to fully end the practice of Don't Ask Don't Tell. When the US Congress voted to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell there was still the lingering possibility that the policy could be reinstated or the repeal would get reversed. That …

Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Thursday July 7, 2011

The Debt Limit has to be Constitutional

The Balkin-Bartlett view of the Fourteenth Amendment and the public debt is tempting. But that view seems to me very clearly wrong. The Balkin-Bartlett view of the Fourteenth Amendment and the public debt is tempting. But having read and considered Ajay's excellent blogpost , that view seems …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday July 6, 2011

Romney Goes for Expatriate Gold

Mitt Romney is holding a fundraising in London that is expected to bring in more cash than similar events by Giuliani, McCain and Obama. Mitt Romney is following in the footsteps of previous GOP presidential candidates, holding a $2, 500-per plate fundraising dinner tonight in London. The event …

Written by Nicole Glass on Wednesday July 6, 2011

How the GOP Benefits From a "Constitutional Option"

The Republicans also benefit from a decision to decide that the debt limit is unconstitutional, though the country would suffer. As Matt Yglesias suggests , one of the big reasons for the left bringing up the "Constitutional option," in which the president would override the debt ceiling by …

Written by Fred Bauer on Wednesday July 6, 2011

Democrats Should Offer to Extend the Bush Tax Cuts

In my column for The Week, I argue that Democrats can get a deal on the debt ceiling if they offer to bring back to the Bush tax cuts. In my column for The Week , I argue that Democrats can get a deal on the debt ceiling if they offer to bring back to the Bush tax cuts: Here's one Democrati…

Written by David Frum on Wednesday July 6, 2011

Will Politicians Ignore David Brooks?

David Brooks is warning the GOP to avoid a default, but will they listen to him? One of the things that has attracted me to David Brooks over the years is his willingness to not get so heated in his writing. In a time when it seems that what sells is trying to show everyone how outraged you …

Written by Dennis Sanders on Wednesday July 6, 2011

The Sinister Agenda of the Gaza Flotilla

The strategy to end the embargo imposed by Israel on Gaza is simple: create a clash with the IDF, portray Hamas as the victim and Israel as a bully. Is it a coincidence that the last flotilla desperately trying to reach Gaza is setting sail from Greece? While the Greek economy is imploding, …

Written by Emmanuel Navon on Wednesday July 6, 2011

Where Was the Ambassador at the Reagan Statue Unveiling?

Was America's Ambassador not present at ceremony to unveil a new statue of President Reagan for partisan political reasons? The London Evening Standard reports that the American Ambassador was not present a ceremony in London to unveil a new statue of President Ronald Reagan: It was one …

Written by John Vecchione on Tuesday July 5, 2011

Fiscal Stimulus Didn't Work, Now What?

A White House report touting the success of the fiscal stimulus program is not the good news it is reported to be. A report from the White House Council of Economic Advisers has indicated that the stimulus added 2.3 to 3.2 percent to gross domestic product in the first quarter relative to …

Written by Hank Adler on Tuesday July 5, 2011

Can the Debt Crisis Lead to Impeachment?

The debt-ceiling crisis is growing into an impending constitutional crisis. The debt-ceiling crisis is growing into an impending constitutional crisis. Imagine this scenario: * House Republicans and the president fail to reach a budget agreement. * House Republicans refuse to raise the …

Written by David Frum on Monday July 4, 2011

How America's First Central Bank Was Killed

Amid current political pressures to abolish the Fed, Independence Day weekend is a good time to look back at the end of the Fed’s early precursor. This year is the 200th anniversary of a political fight that terminated the Bank of the United States, the nation’s long-ago central bank. Amid …

Written by Kenneth Silber on Sunday July 3, 2011

Remembering How the Youth Movement Got the Vote

Many people have forgotten that it took a bi-partisan campaign to successfully lower the voting age to 18. The decade of the 1960s was one of the most tumultuous and unsettling in American history. Assassinations, urban riots and college campuses erupting in violent protest roiled the nation. …

Written by Les Francis on Saturday July 2, 2011

Pawlenty Spins His Fundraising Numbers

The way they are trying to spin Pawlenty's fundraising numbers shows the dire situation his campaign is in. Today, Governor Tim Pawlenty’s spokesman, Alex Conant, released this statement: "Gov. Pawlenty will report that his campaign has raised about $4.2 million, and begins the third …

Written by Robert Lee on Saturday July 2, 2011

Pawlenty Can't Afford His Foreign Policy

There are a lot of problems with Pawlenty's plan to fund more overseas military missions while also cutting government spending. GOP presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty recently called for $2 trillion in tax cuts for individuals and businesses in the next decade, as well as two to three …

Written by Nicole Glass on Saturday July 2, 2011

Why the World Needs Captain America

World War Two seems tried-and-tired, but it is exactly what the American film industry and people need right now. In the trailer for Captain America: The First Avenger , the viewer is exposed to explosions, one-liners, and loud music. However, he is also exposed to the namesake protagonist of the …

Written by Daniel Alexandre Portoraro on Friday July 1, 2011