Overview for News

Can Sotomayor Pass The Biden Test?

When President Bush nominated Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court, Sen. Joe Biden had this to say: I think that the only reason Clarence Thomas is on the Court is because he is black. I don't believe he could have won had he been white. And the reason is, I think it was a cynical ploy by …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday May 26, 2009

Colin Powell: Republican

Yesterday, Colin Powell restated his continued membership in the Republican Party. But he didn’t really explain why. It seemed more like an act of defiance than a statement of fact—no one is going to tell him what part of the bus he can sit in and no one is going to tell him what …

Written by Bruce Bartlett on Monday May 25, 2009

Jackson Family Values

Bloomberg News has an amazing story about the financial self-dealing of Rep. Jesse Jackson and his wife, Sandra. Representative Jesse Jackson Jr.’s congressional campaign organization has paid his wife at least $247,500 since 2001, including at least $95,000 after Sandra Jackson joined …

Written by David Frum on Saturday May 23, 2009

The Photo France Does Not Want You To See

The photo of Ilan Halimi whose publication by the magazine Choc is supposed to represent such a scandal in France has in fact already been shown in the French media. (On the photo, see my earlier report here .) In an interview yesterday on France’s Europe1 radio , Choc editor-in-chi…

Written by John Rosenthal on Friday May 22, 2009

No Wonder People Hate Us

Conor Friedersdorf at the American Scene transcribes the following exchange from Mark Levin's radio program yesterday afternoon: CALLER: I just wanna say, Obama is a lot smarter than you folks give him credit for. You guys were on a roll, I have to admit, with all those tea parties. …

Written by David Frum on Friday May 22, 2009

Ex-CIA Officials : Cheney Is Right, Obama Is Wrong

The debate on how to conduct the “War” on Terror continued yesterday after President Obama and former Vice-President Cheney delivered speeches on this issue. Once again, both discussed the interrogation techniques, the release of the CIA memos, and the necessity of Guantanamo Bay. FrumForum.com …

Written by Elise Cooper on Friday May 22, 2009

How To Beat Obamacare

A familiar narrative has emerged on the Republicans’ prospects for slowing down the coming Democratic health care proposal. In short, we’re not in 1993 anymore , and the GOP is in trouble. In 1993, Republicans triumphed over Clintoncare with the support of insurers and …

Written by Henry Clay on Friday May 22, 2009

After The Speeches ...

... I am left with this question: What exactly is new in the Obama administration's counter-terrorism policy? Enhanced interrogation techniques so-called were discontinued five years ago. Military commissions with greater safeguards for the accused had already been ordered up by the US courts.…

Written by David Frum on Thursday May 21, 2009

Is America Becoming More Prolife? Probably No

Or so argues my new column in The Week . The new Gallup poll finding a surge in prolife identification is wrong. Worse, it's misleading - and threatens to send Republicans careening in precisely the worst possible direction in pursuit of votes they will not find.

Written by David Frum on Thursday May 21, 2009

A Bleeding Party

Tom Edsall reports on the new Pew survey of partisan identification. The Pew survey is a testament to the miscalculations of the Bush administration and of the Republican leadership in Congress. The two were handed an extraordinary opportunity to build on an outpouring of public support in …

Written by David Frum on Thursday May 21, 2009

Robert Draper Responds

I wrote to Robert Draper to pose the question with which I was left after reading his piece : What did he think motivated Secretary Rumsfeld? He kindly sent the following reply: To be charitable to Rumsfeld, I think he had the following honest views: 1) the military required transformation; …

Written by David Frum on Thursday May 21, 2009

Less Obama, Less Debt

Back in February, I noted that Washington could learn a thing or two from Ottawa in its handling of the recession. (See: “ Looking North for Ideas ”) Whereas Congress seems eager to spend first and ask questions later, the Canadian government has been more restrained: …

Written by David Gratzer on Thursday May 21, 2009

Can We Start Holding Democrats Accountable Now?

The Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington released a report on May 20 showing the members of Congress currently under investigation for various illegal and unethical activities. Given the claim, back in 2007, that Democrats were ushering in a new era of honesty, one would …

Written by Dustin Siggins on Thursday May 21, 2009

The Challenge That Went Unanswered

To my ears, this challenge from Vice President Cheney ranks among the most important and powerful passages in his speech: By presidential decision, last month we saw the selective release of documents relating to enhanced interrogations. This is held up as a bold exercise in open government, …

Written by David Frum on Thursday May 21, 2009

The Obama Speech: Some Early Reactions

Jay Nordlinger has a font color="#000000"> good post

Written by David Frum on Thursday May 21, 2009

"it Can't Happen Here"

A US version of the Halimi plot is intercepted . This time.

Written by David Frum on Thursday May 21, 2009

The Other Daniel Pearl

The photo is worthy of the name of the magazine whose cover it adorns: “Shock” or “ Choc ” in French. It shows a man whose head has been wrapped in duct tape. His face is completely covered except for a small space that has been left for his nose. The nose is bloodied. The …

Written by John Rosenthal on Wednesday May 20, 2009

NY Governor's Race - Winnable, but Not by Lazio

The 2010 race for Governor of New York has begun. Its participants are still being sorted out. Now that former New York Rep. Rick Lazio is seeking to run for Governor of New York, the question is not whom he’ll face in the general—unless something seismic occurs this year, that’s going to be …

Written by Tom Qualtere on Wednesday May 20, 2009

Too Complex To Fail?

ProPublica on the Obama administration's secret weapon for claiming economic success : nobody will ever be able to prove they failed! [T]he Obama administration does have a rough estimate of how many jobs will be created by direct government spending. (For the record, $100 billion creates …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday May 20, 2009

Common Sense On Kyoto

“Instead of focusing on initiatives with the greatest benefits, [politicians] tend to be swayed by those with the most vocal advocates. Take the Kyoto Protocol.” The author then laments the $180 billion annual cost of Kyoto . Such words are often written by global warming …

Written by David Gratzer on Wednesday May 20, 2009