Overview for News

Is America Ready for a Fat Tax?

Should junk food and soft drinks be taxed like cigarettes and alcohol? A new study sheds light on whether the so-called "fat tax" would actually leading to a national shedding of pounds -- and a healthier health care system. Should junk food and soft drinks be taxed like cigarettes and …

Written by Tim Mak on Monday July 6, 2009

How to Make Elections Competitive Again

AEI’s Peter Wallison talks to Jeb about his new book, Better Parties, Better Government. Wallison explains how enacting a few simple reforms will breathe new life into Congressional campaigns. AEI’s Peter Wallison talks to Jeb about his new book, Better Parties, Better Government . Wallison …

Written by Jeb Golinkin on Monday July 6, 2009

Obama's Bogus Russian Achievement

The Obama administration has not yet proven anything in Russia. They have hitherto failed to achieve any substantive agreement with President Medvedev over the most pressing U.S. Russian issues. On July 3rd, the New York Times ran an article titled, “Russia to Open Airspace to U.S. for …

Written by Tyler Montgomery on Monday July 6, 2009

If Saddam Was Telling the Truth

In Saddam Hussein’s now-released interviews stating that he was more fearful of Iran than the U.S. and thus had to maintain the fiction of a robust non-conventional weapons capability, it seems a remarkably poor strategy. In Saddam Hussein’s now-released interviews stating that he was more fearful …

Written by John S. Gardner on Monday July 6, 2009

A Recession Mystery

This "great recession" has harshly reshaped the lives of tens of millions of Americans and hundreds of million of people around the world. And yet in one way, it has had surprisingly little impact: We have not seen the kind of upsurge of anti-system political radicalism that might have been …

Written by David Frum on Monday July 6, 2009

Doyle McManus is Shrewd on Palin...

... from LA Times July 5: "Palin's main asset, of course, is a base of fervent support among social conservatives who see her as fresh, exciting and embattled -- the people who responded to her resignation by sending contributions to her fundraising committee, SarahPAC. The problem for Palin and …

Written by David Frum on Monday July 6, 2009

Palin: The Solution

On reflection, I don't think it's really so very complicated. At bottom it's about $$$. On reflection, I don't think it's really so very complicated. At bottom it's about $$$. 2009-2011 will be her peak years for speaking fees. If she runs for president in 2012, she'll be obliged to cut back her …

Written by David Frum on Sunday July 5, 2009

Green Shoots?

The Jobs section of the Washington Post today, Sunday, July 5, only has a total of three pages of actual listings... And the Washington area has weathered the recession reasonably well. The Jobs section of the Washington Post today, Sunday, July 5, has a total of three pages of actual …

Written by John S. Gardner on Sunday July 5, 2009

Do the Car Dealers Own Congress? (Hint: Yes)

Congress is considering a bill which would restore car dealerships terminated in the GM and Chrysler bankruptcies. This ought to be a great opportunity for Republicans to drive a wedge between the needs of recovery and the selfish political interests of the Democrats in Congress. The horror of the …

Written by David Frum on Sunday July 5, 2009

Obama's North Korea Dither and Drift

For the Obama administration to argue that the sanctions against Pyongyang are working is a colossal farce. North Korea is still trying to evade them and Kim's regime seems as strong today as it did yesterday. Thursday, the White House announced that the sanctions are working, and John McCain is …

Written by Zac Morgan on Sunday July 5, 2009

The Carrier Goes But Not the Virus

Palin’s self-immolation today may yet do the Republican party more harm than good. Sarah Palin’s supporters are a large and important constituency within the Republican party, but they are not a constituency sufficient for conservative success. Palin may have resigned--but Palinism will continue. …

Written by David Frum on Sunday July 5, 2009

God Loves Marines

“It’s not about how long your life is.” said Lt. Col. Christian Cabaniss to the men of the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 3. “Your measure is what you do with the time you have..." Camp Leatherneck, Helmand Province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan “It’s not …

Written by Sean Linnane on Sunday July 5, 2009

Where Rumsfeld Went Wrong

A talent and affinity for bureaucratic infighting pervaded Rumsfeld’s career, and ultimately degraded his performance as defense secretary. Eager to assert control over the massive Pentagon bureaucracy, he shut out views that contradicted his own. Bradley Graham’s em> By His Own Rules

Written by Kenneth Silber on Sunday July 5, 2009

Loving the Declaration of Independence Too Much to Read It

Sean Hannity’s summation of America’s founding philosophy is an outrageous corruption of the beliefs of our founding fathers. In anticipation of July the 4th, earlier this week, Sean Hannity plugged the Heritage Foundation and encouraged his listeners to get their own Heritage pocket edition of …

Written by Henry Clay on Sunday July 5, 2009

France's Nuclear Solution

Nuclear energy carries one great big negative: the problem of nuclear waste. But what if there was a solution to this problem: one that reduced the amount and the toxicity of nuclear waste by 80 percent or more? From my new column in The Week : America gets one-fifth of its power from nuclear …

Written by David Frum on Sunday July 5, 2009

Michelle, You're Not My "Sister"

The East Wing press corps needs to cover the first lady objectively and not make their personal black experience part of the coverage or, worse, turn it into a sweeping generalization of every black woman’s experience. I was stunned and puzzled reading span> Howard Kurtz’s article

Written by Crystal Wright on Sunday July 5, 2009

Hey Yanks, Thanks for the Revolution

In my younger days, and as a Canadian, I bought the Loyalist spin about the American Revolution. That is the Revolutionaries–George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams–were the bad guys, ungrateful colonists who should have been more than happy to pay the bloody tea tax. In my younger days, …

Written by Gerry Nicholls on Sunday July 5, 2009

The Coup That Isn't

When is a coup d’etat… not really a coup d’etat? Beyond the superficial details of President Manuel Zelaya’s ouster, the situation in Honduras is far more complicated than it seems. On June 28th, under the cover of darkness, President Manuel Zelaya was whisked out of the country by members of the …

Written by Tim Mak on Sunday July 5, 2009

Death Becomes Him

Michael Jackson may be dead from a biological point of view, but commercially, he just got reborn. I always hated Michael Jackson's music. I find it tragic that this period of pop music will now be remembered as the Michael Jackson era when pop artists like Joe Jackson, Elvis Costello, the Clash, …

Written by Jean Granville on Sunday July 5, 2009

Pawlenty: The Real Winner in Minn. Senate Race

Although the Minnesota Supreme Court has awarded the Senate seat to Al Franken, there is a more important story: the brilliant way Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty handled this race, both politically and ethically. The Minnesota Supreme Court has awarded the Senate seat to Al Franken and Norm …

Written by Dustin Siggins on Sunday July 5, 2009