Overview for News

Grin & Bear It, Mr. President

It may not be much fun for you, but don't skip the Gridiron Dinner . Washington is a city of folkways. Some are good (cherry blossom visits, the city stopping during Redskins home games); some are bad (corruption, earmarking). Sometimes the bad folkways are actually good, such as President …

Written by FF Washington Insider on Thursday March 12, 2009

An Afghan Reconstruction Horror Story, Part 3

Atash told me that throughout his tenure at Ariana, he’d been tipped off by sympathetic parties as to how unpopular he was within the government. In 2006, a one-inch-thick report was brought to him by a man with ties to the Afghan secret police, containing biographical information and …

Written by Michael Weiss on Thursday March 12, 2009

Transparency On Earmarks

President Obama and OMB Director Peter Orszag have taken some well-deserved heat for their laissez-faire attitude towards the thousands of earmarks in the 2009 omnibus appropriations bill. Today, the President addressed the issue, calling the bill itself “imperfect” and making two …

Written by Douglas Holtz-Eakin on Thursday March 12, 2009

The Senator Nobody Loves

Despite various Democratic CST-NWS-quinn03.article"> efforts to get Sen. Roland Burris to resign, Burris has told everyone that he has no intention of leaving office and may even run in the primary next year - this despite the latest polls putting Burris’ support at the 0.6% level. (As …

Written by Jeffrey Singer on Tuesday March 10, 2009

Don't Blame Obama For The Bad Market

Just sitting here watching a tape of Cantor on CNN this a.m. w/ John King, I have to say, I think the GOP is being foolish in using the stock market woes to hammer Obama. Sure, his policies or lack thereof are part of it. But there are numerous other factors too (one being the tidal wave of …

Written by Kevin Jones on Tuesday March 10, 2009

A Hint For Gamblers

Intrade allows pundits to bet on the probability of a Depression-style 10% drop in US GDP. Current odds are in the low 20%s, down from a peak of 50% in late February. I can see no bet though on another and more immediately pressing question: Will there be a second fiscal stimulus bill? I'd sure …

Written by David Frum on Monday March 9, 2009

Flaws In The Stimulus?

Asked to describe possible flaws in the stimulus, CEA chair Christina Romer answered : "You want me to tell you what's wrong with the fiscal stimulus package? SO not going to do that!"

Written by David Frum on Monday March 9, 2009

Dear Fellow Cheese Eaters:

Below follows the verbatim text of a letter sent February 2 to President Obama by James Oberstar, chairman of the House committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. From: James L. Oberstar 8 th District, Minnesota 2365 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515-2308 (202) …

Written by FF Political Report on Monday March 9, 2009

Future Now

What's the alternative, people ask in response to criticism of Rush. Over in the Think Now column, we have a link to a fascinating profile on David Cameron's success in the UK - and how it was achieved with small changes in policy supported by dramatic changes in style and tone. The picture …

Written by David Frum on Monday March 9, 2009

The Rest Of The Story

Can we pause for a moment of solemn recognition? A report by Sarah Baxter in the London Times tells what the late Paul Harvey used to call "the rest of the story": At the end of his life Santos Cardona received the affirmation he had craved. He died a “hero”, according to his …

Written by David Frum on Monday March 9, 2009

At The Trough

We've introduced a new series here at FF, over on the right hand side: excerpts from the most outrageous items in the president's lavish budget , as described by Tim Mak. The first appears today: Alas, there will be all too many more examples in the days to come…

Written by David Frum on Monday March 9, 2009

Why We Need Steele

Having won a contested fight for RNC chairman, Michael Steele has almost immediately come under fire. He has not yet solved the party's financial difficulties or restored order to a malfunctioning RNC. And it's been two whole weeks! But here's one thing he has done: He has presented a warm and …

Written by David Frum on Sunday March 8, 2009

Man Bites Dog, Washington Post Endorses Republican

I wrote several weeks ago about the GOP's disappointingly close result in the election for the chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. Now, some good news in the race to replace Sharon Bulova, who won that election. The Washington Post today endorsed John Cook , the Republican …

Written by John S. Gardner on Saturday March 7, 2009

There's Hope for Virginia Republicans -- If They Can Remember What Their Real Issues Are

Both the Washington Post and the Washington Times are reporting today that over 75% of the members of the Virginia Republican State Central Committee have asked Republican Party of Virginia Chairman Jeffrey M. Frederick to resign. Otherwise, he may face removal at a committee meeting on …

Written by John S. Gardner on Friday March 6, 2009

Where Have All The Great Bankers Gone?

Some kids grow up watching the Yankees and the Mets. I grew up in a small Illinois town watching Wriston’s Citibank and David Rockefeller’s Chase Manhattan. I was a geeky kid, to be sure, but, in the 1970s, Citi and Chase and their respective leaders represented everything that was …

Written by William Walters on Friday March 6, 2009

States Broke The Insurance Regulatory System

About six months after the U.S. government first injected taxpayer money into AIG , the company continues to teeter on the brink of bankruptcy and soak up taxpayer cash. Given what remains the official storyÑthat AIG is a mostly-profitable corporate powerhouse that got caught up in …

Written by Eli Lehrer on Friday March 6, 2009

Have There Ever Been This Many Conservatives At Once On Npr?

For those who missed it - here is a link to my conversation with David Keene, Byron York and Richard Viguerie on The Diane Rehm Show today. No shouting this time.

Written by David Frum on Thursday March 5, 2009

Cutting The Mike On Critics

On Tuesday evening, the radio host Mark Levin opened his show with an angry shouted 10-minute monologue in which he called me (among other choice terms) a “putz,” an “a-hole,”a “frat boy,” “irrelevant,” and - ouch! - “this Canadian.” I …

Written by David Frum on Thursday March 5, 2009

Republicans Must Do More Than Say "no"

The Obama strategy appears to be a blitzkrieg of policy proposals to swamp a weakened and beleaguered Republican party. This places a premium on uniting around key principles and messages to survive the onslaught. So far, they have been handed three easy opportunities, and the good news is they …

Written by Douglas Holtz-Eakin on Thursday March 5, 2009

Assault Weapons Are Scary Politically -- But Not In Fact

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder was thinking about bringing back the "assault weapons" ban? The one that cost Al Gore his home state of Tennessee in 2000? When Democrats have figured out that gun control is so unpopular that Nancy Pelosi’s first reaction is the NRA-like “enforce the …

Written by J. Moses Browning on Thursday March 5, 2009