Overview for News

You Are Not Forgotten

By now most of you have seen the Taliban propaganda video of the captured American soldier. While Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl's family go through their personal sort of living hell, it is important to remember other Americans held captive overseas who have faded from the front pages. UPDATE 21 JUL 09: The …

Written by Sean Linnane on Wednesday July 22, 2009

Will Obamacare be a Casualty of the Obama Stimulus?

The big Obama health project is faltering. Congressional Democrats are balking at the price – and flinching from the tax increases necessary to pay that price. The Obama administration’s case for health reform rests on grand but implausible promises of cost savings. The big Obama health project is …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday July 22, 2009

America's Healthcare System Still Works

Proponents like to argue that while American health costs are second to none, the overall quality is poor, that the United States trails other countries in measures like life expectancy. Last week, Investor’s Business Daily had an excellent editorial on health care busting this myth. Should …

Written by David Gratzer on Wednesday July 22, 2009

Khadr Renounced Canada to Become Just Another Terrorist

At age 15, Omar Khadr was a member of an al-Qaeda family who fought against U.S. troops in Afghanistan, and is charged with killing one soldier with a grenade and wounding another medic who saved his (Khadr’s) life. As long as he is treated humanely, what happens to Omar Khadr is America’s …

Written by Peter Worthington on Wednesday July 22, 2009

How the GOP Can Win College Students: A New Survey Offers Hope

College-educated Americans are filing out of the Republican Party: Only one out of every three young Americans voted for John McCain. A survey of college students sheds some light on how the Party might court these voters. Alexis Hamilton contributed to the writing of this article. How do …

Written by Stephen Richer on Tuesday July 21, 2009

Stop Subsidizing the Palestinian Authority

If the president really is interested in helping improve Palestinians’ quality of life, he could start by holding the rulers of the Palestinian Authority to the same standards of governance that he applies elsewhere. Quite appropriately last Tuesday, Wall Street Journal columnist Bret Stephens …

Written by Martin Krossel on Tuesday July 21, 2009

The Greenest Power: Reprocessed Nuclear Fuel

If the United States is serious about reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, it will need to expand nuclear generation – and if nuclear is to fulfill its promise, fuel reprocessing is essential. France and Japan recycle the uranium used to generate nuclear power. The United States does not. …

Written by Tim Mak on Tuesday July 21, 2009

The Dems Buy Now, Pay Later Agenda

The Obama Administration wants to ram its agenda through and ignore the due diligence, deliberative traditions, and process that only the inside the beltway crowd knows. They are counting on being able to say “we passed (fill in the blank) legislation and addressed the pressing problems of …

Written by Douglas Holtz-Eakin on Tuesday July 21, 2009

From Murrow and Cronkite... to Olbermann and Beck

I was talking to a friend about Walter Cronkite’s death and I brought up the fact that I found it interesting to hear people call him the "most trusted man in America." The idea of everyone getting news from the same source is truly unfathomable to members of my generation. I was talking to one of …

Written by Jeb Golinkin on Tuesday July 21, 2009

Obamacare: Public Option Means Fewer, Not More, Options

The public plan option – allowing some type of government plan, modeled after Medicare, to compete with private health insurance – is the heart of the Democratic proposal to reform American health care. It is also the most controversial idea, estranging potential Republican support and even …

Written by David Gratzer on Tuesday July 21, 2009

Ethan Hastert Enters the Family Business

Ethan Hastert has declared for his father’s old congressional seat in Illinois. He sounds plausible enough. But there’s a problem, and that problem is the family’s financial history. Ethan Hastert has declared for his father’s old congressional seat in Illinois. You can hear an interview with the …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday July 21, 2009

Obamacare Turkeys Vote for Thanksgiving

Despite strong White House rhetoric suggesting otherwise, it now seems unlikely that President Obama will see health-reform bills passed in both the House and the Senate by the August recess. Despite strong White House rhetoric suggesting otherwise, it now seems unlikely that President Obama …

Written by David Gratzer on Tuesday July 21, 2009

Friends of FF to Investigate Financial Crisis

Last week, Congress announced its selections for the new commission to investigate the financial crisis. The four Republicans will be familiar names to readers of FrumForum.com: Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Keith Hennessey, Bill Thomas, and Peter Wallison. Last week, Congress announced its selections …

Written by Jeb Golinkin on Monday July 20, 2009

Instead of a Bridge to Nowhere, Let's Take a Rocket to Mars!

Forty years ago today, man walked on the moon. Now is the time for a new challenge: We should attempt to send a man to Mars. Forty years ago today, man walked on the moon. I am but 21 years old, so Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and the rest of the men that my father’s generation cheered into space …

Written by Jeb Golinkin on Monday July 20, 2009

Save Energy? Raise Prices

It is puzzling that instead of focusing on cutting our energy waste, the most talked about energy “solutions” are invariably about increasing the energy supply. "To address Russia’s out of control addiction to vodka, Premier Putin launched a massive program today to increase the production of …

Written by Sunil Somalwar on Monday July 20, 2009

Obama Labels Fantasy as "Realism"

The Obama administration at some point will have to decide if it is realist or merely anti-Bush in foreign affairs. Despite all the criticism of Bush’s unbounded ideological drive in foreign affairs, Obama’s policy today seems to be merely an ideological reaction to his predecessor's. The Obama …

Written by Napoleon Linardatos on Monday July 20, 2009

Obamacare: New Taxes, but No New Ideas

President Obama keeps telling Americans we “need to get it done,” and pass a healthcare bill. What needs to get done is the task of fixing the health mess we’re in, not just adding more government spending to the mix. Come hell or high-water, President Obama and Congressional Democrats are …

Written by Crystal Wright on Monday July 20, 2009

German Intel: CIA Wrong About Iran Nuclear Program

Remember the 2007 National Intelligence Estimate that absolved Iran of nuclear weapons-making? Today the European Wall Street Journal reports on a major presentation by German intelligence arguing that the 2007 report was wrong. Remember the 2007 National Intelligence Estimate that absolved …

Written by David Frum on Monday July 20, 2009

Nancy's Millionaires' Tax

By proposing to lower the new surtax on wealthy families to the $500,000 level, Speaker Pelosi also ensures that a tax that was never going to raise much revenue now raises even less. So what precisely is the point of it? From Politico this morning: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told Politico …

Written by David Frum on Monday July 20, 2009

White House Plans Medicare Power Grab

Jo Moore infamously decided to bury unpopular news by releasing it when the rest of the world was distracted: In her case, shortly after the attack on 9/11. Catch the latest news the government hopes you missed. This week: a new proposal that would radically alter the way Medicare reimbursement …

Written by Jeb Golinkin on Friday July 17, 2009