Overview for News

The Fat Diaries: Escaping the Summer Heat

As I hide from a code-red heat wave, I find myself wondering: why are we sending our kids to camp and football practice when it’s hot enough to cause fainting spells and brain damage? As I may have already stated, I’m not a huge fan of summer. Even as a kid I was one of those inert lumps …

Written by Monica Marier on Friday July 9, 2010

Brit Ambassador Praises Hizbullah Leader

Why has the United Kingdom failed to reprimand their ambassador to Lebanon after she praised Grand Ayatollah Fadlallah, a spiritual leader of Hizbullah? Following CNN’s sacking of Octavia Nasr for expressing admiration for the Lebanese Grand Ayatollah Fadlallah, who passed away recently, it has …

Written by Arsen Ostrovsky on Friday July 9, 2010

GOP Takes On Jesse Jackson Jr.

A strong showing in IL-02, where Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. has been plagued by scandal could give the GOP new credibility in urban districts. IL-02 is represented in Congress by Jesse Jackson, Jr. This district has not sent a Republican to Congress for decades. Yet the Republican party has a new …

Written by Fred Bauer on Friday July 9, 2010

Playing to Palin's Base

David Frum suggests that Sarah Palin isn’t making much of an effort to reach urban voters. But why should she even bother trying? David Frum suggests that potential 2012 GOP contender Sarah Palin isn’t making much of an effort to reach out to urban voters. Let me play devil’s advocate on this …

Written by D.R. Tucker on Friday July 9, 2010

The Media's Imaginary Gay Marriage Ban

In their analysis of Thursday's federal district court ruling on DOMA, the media forgot one important detail: there is no federal ban on gay marriage. Quality reporting on judicial decisions is hard to come by. The coupling of deadline pressures and a liberal inclination to view the courts as …

Written by Henry Clay on Friday July 9, 2010

Can Jon Huntsman Save the GOP?

While unlikely that Jon Huntsman would challenge Obama in 2012, the GOP can still learn from his leadership. While on a promotional tour for his new book, Newsweek columnist Jonathan Alter recently made some interesting comments on the 2012 presidential race. “Whether Obama wants to admit it or …

Written by Clifton Yin on Thursday July 8, 2010

It’s Not Obama’s War – It’s America’s

Ann Coulter is simply wrong about Afghanistan. What happens there affects more than just the political fortunes of President Obama. Ann Coulter first led Michael Steele into temptation by arguing that Afghanistan is “Obama’s war,” which can’t be won and, therefore, should never have been waged. …

Written by John Guardiano on Thursday July 8, 2010

A New Scandal for Sarko

Sarkozy's government is embroiled in yet another scandal -- this time involving France's richest woman, a family feud and illegal campaign donations. Surprise, surprise, Sarkozy has found himself embroiled in yet another political scandal. Primary shareholder of multi-billion dollar cosmetics …

Written by Rachel Ryan on Thursday July 8, 2010

Four Big Ideas For Creating New Jobs

Before turning to more government spending, there are plenty of free-market solutions for dealing with the bad consequences of a serious deflationary recession. David Frum thinks that Paul Krugman is wrong about government spending as a solution to our problems. But what, then, is the free …

Written by Arpit Gupta on Thursday July 8, 2010

Barney Frank Gets It Right (This Time)

Barney Frank will never be a free market champion, but he's smart enough to agree with his opponents at least some of the time. Bright, funny, and gravel voiced as usual, House Financial Services Committee Chair Rep. Barney Frank -- generally a friend of bigger government and more regulation -- …

Written by Eli Lehrer on Thursday July 8, 2010

Sarah Palin's America

Republicans normally work hard to ensure that their ads feature non-white faces, to present an image of welcome and inclusion. But not in Sarah Palin's newest ad. Here's Sarah Palin's new ad. Lots of images of the former governor speaking to adoring crowds, meeting admirers, encountering women …

Written by David Frum on Thursday July 8, 2010

Ann Coulter's Pavlov Politics

Ann Coulter seems to have been struck by the partisan insanity infecting our politics: the instinct to support or oppose something based purely upon Obama's stance. Ann Coulter seems to have been struck yesterday by the partisan insanity that infects our politics: the instinct to support or oppose …

Written by Alex Knepper on Thursday July 8, 2010

The Good (and Bad) of Mike Huckabee

To reform-minded conservatives and victory-minded Republicans, Mike Huckabee raises exciting possibilities — and difficult questions. My latest column for The Week examines the positive qualities and drawbacks that Mike Huckabee would bring to a 2012 presidential campaign. That was a …

Written by David Frum on Thursday July 8, 2010

How Not to Fight Kagan

An outfit called the Judicial Crisis Network has led the opposition to Elena Kagan. But many of their statements have discredited their own message. In the past few weeks, an outfit called Judicial Crisis Network has been leading the opposition (such as it is) to Elena Kagan’s nomination to the …

Written by Austin Bramwell on Wednesday July 7, 2010

GOP Pushes Back 2012 Primary Calendar

An RNC committee proposal to stretch out the 2012 primary calendar may help GOP candidates with less name recognition and money stay competitive. A key RNC committee proposes changes in the primary calendar for 2012, the Hotline reports : The new rule, written after months of painstaking …

Written by Fred Bauer on Wednesday July 7, 2010

Whitman's Hispanic Outreach Paying Off

The results of a new Field poll show Meg Whitman gaining support among Latino voters and in a virtual dead heat with Democrat Jerry Brown. With so much national media attention focused on the new Arizona immigration law, one would think that Meg Whitman would be struggling to gain any traction …

Written by Jeb Golinkin on Wednesday July 7, 2010

Frum & Weigel on Bloggingheads

I recently recorded a Bloggingheads with MSNBC's Dave Weigel. We discussed his resignation from the Post and Michael Steele's tenure at the RNC. I recently recorded a Bloggingheads with MSNBC's Dave Weigel. We discussed his resignation from the Washington Post , talk radio's criticism of …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday July 7, 2010

Don't Blame Toronto's Cops for G20 Mayhem

If anything is more unnecessary than the G20 Summit in Toronto itself, it’s the decision to hold an inquiry into police actions that weekend. If anything is more misguided and unnecessary than the recent G20 Summit itself, it’s the decision to hold an independent inquiry into police actions that …

Written by Peter Worthington on Wednesday July 7, 2010

Arab World Losing Patience with Iran

On July 6th, the UAE's ambassador to America publicly stated what has previously been expressed only in private: that a nuclear Iran is a threat to the Arab world. On July 6th, Yousef Al-Otaiba, the United Arab Emirates ambassador to the United States said that the benefits of bombing Iran’s …

Written by Arsen Ostrovsky on Wednesday July 7, 2010

Misreading the Public on Torture

The results of a 2008 survey show that a public majority in favor of torture did not appear until, interestingly, six months into the Obama administration. Political scientist John Sides reports on this finding from a 2008 survey: The survey's authors found that (as excerpted by …

Written by Andrew Gelman on Wednesday July 7, 2010