Time to Derail the Dems' Bullet Train Dreams
Buried within the latest stimulus was an $8 billion earmark for high speed rail. But despite the Dems' enthusiasm the plans don't make economic sense. Among the many obsessions Democrats are currently preoccupied with, high-speed rail is the most perplexing—not because it isn’t the type of project …Dubya Does Not Heart Colin Powell
Bush's new memoir makes it clear: the former president isn't a big fan of Colin Powell. From p. 153 of Bush’s new memoir. The president and his party are traveling in China. Word is received that the bio-detectors at the White House have detected botulinum toxin on the premises. Chances are that …How We Almost Lost the Iraq War
In his new memoir, Decision Points , Bush reveals his decision to replace Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld. On p. 93-94 of his new memoir Decision Points Bush discusses the deterioration in Iraq in 2005-2006. He begins to think he may need a new secretary of defense. He raises the issue with …Heckuva Job
President Bush's new memoir Decision Points could use an extra round of fact-checking. From the Acknowledgements to George W. Bush's Decision Points (p. 479): Much of the research for this book was conducted by the brilliant and tireless Peter Rough. Peter spent the past eighteen months …America Tells G20: We're Closed for Business
America’s failure to ink a trade agreement with South Korea will send an embarrassing message to the rest of the world. America’s failure to ink a trade agreement with South Korea will surely lead to plenty of finger pointing. The Obama administration blames the Chinese and, believe it or not, …The GOP's Earmark Distraction
This week, the GOP ran from a bipartisan proposal which could actually tackle our budget woes to instead focus on a futile fight over earmarks. Two deep and abiding themes collided this week in Washington, D.C.--the public relations desire to deflect from tough fiscal choices and the policy need …Anuzis: I Can Beat Steele
In an interview with Frum Forum RNC chair contender Saul Anuzis argued that he has the support to win and reform the Republican National Committee. Michigan National Committeeman Saul Anuzis jumped into the RNC Chairman race this morning, becoming the first individual to challenge incumbent …
The Not So Glamorous Life of a Modern Spy
Naomi Watts' new film Fair Game about the story of Valerie Plame shows a world where news headlines and sound bytes are a matter of life and death. "How can you look someone in the face and lie to them?" asks an understandably troubled and scared female Iraqi doctor, who is about to be recruited …Help! I'm Tired of Being My Family's Tech Guru
David Eddie hears from a reader tired of always having to deal with his parents' computer problems. But does he have a fair gripe? Writing in the Globe and Mail , David Eddie hears from a reader tired of having to deal with his parents computer problems. The reader writes: I recently moved …GOP Choice: Balanced Budgets or Senior Votes
The new deficit panel report targets the pocketbooks of upper income seniors. The trouble for the GOP is that those seniors have become the party's base. One of the best things about the Bowles-Simpson deficit report: It has exposed where we'll find the opponents of budget balancing. On the …Nickel and Diming Docs Won't Pay For Medicare
The doctors' lobby rushed to support Obamacare, but with the Medicare "doc fix" delayed again, they may be having a case of buyer's remorse. It looks like physicians are having second thoughts about the wisdom of supporting Obamacare. This week, the media reported on efforts by the American …The Deficit Panel's Balancing Act
Jonathan Chait complains that the preliminary deficit panel report is "tilted, overwhelmingly, toward Republican priorities." But is he right? Ross Douthat has a perceptive post here on the deficit reduction commission's opening bid. Replying to Jonathan Chait's complaint that the preliminary …Can Romney's Front-Runner Status Last?
Polls show Mitt Romney is the favored GOP presidential candidate for 2012. But will his big poll lead translate into a smooth ride to the nomination? Thanks to the backing of moderate Republicans, Mitt Romney is still the front-runner for the GOP's 2012 presidential nomination. But, as my latest …Remembrance Day Reading
Even as someone who has lived most of his life in the U.S., November 11 remains to me "Remembrance Day," not "Veterans Day." Even as someone who has lived most of his life in the United States, November 11 remains to me "Remembrance Day," not "Veterans Day." Yet remembrance proves surprisingly …Honoring Those Who Served
On this day in 1918, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the guns fell silent on the War to End All Wars. On this day in 1918, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month . . . the guns fell silent on the War to End All Wars . . . …