Overview for News

Open Season on Reporters

In dicey situations, journalists are often the easiest targets. If more proof is needed that the days of the Mubarak regime are numbered in Egypt, one need look no further than what’s happening to journalists in Cairo. In dicey situations, journalists are often the easiest targets. Sort …

Written by Peter Worthington on Friday February 4, 2011

The GOP's War on the EPA

The right to pollute is getting a big push from pals of the fossil fuel industries who are fighting to limit the EPA's authority to limit greenhouse gas emissions. The right to pollute is getting a big push from pals of the fossil fuel industries, most of them aiming at curtailing the Environmen…

Written by Jim DiPeso on Friday February 4, 2011

McCain Takes Charge on Egypt

Radio host Mark Levin's criticism of John McCain for his recent comments on the situation in Egypt are unwarranted and unfair. Unlike some of my fellow Frum Forum contributors, I have not been critical of Mark Levin. In fact, truth be told, I like Levin. I find him to be informative. His …

Written by John Guardiano on Friday February 4, 2011

Sign of the E-Times

If you eat right and wear a seatbelt, chances are you will outlive Johannes Gutenberg's printed page. I spent last night at one of those old-fashioned clubs that line the blocks of midtown New York City. One of the annoyances of such clubs is that they typically have rules forbidding laptops in …

Written by David Frum on Friday February 4, 2011

Why is Job Growth So Slow?

Contrary to what you hear - government employment continues to shrink. And with stimulus funds running out, you can expect more government layoffs. Partly because - contrary to what you hear - government employment continues to shrink: down 14, 000 jobs in January, atop the more than 200,000 …

Written by David Frum on Friday February 4, 2011

A Test for the New Egypt

There's a lot of heady talk in the US about Egypt, but let's not forget: popular protests in the Mideast don't usually generate stable democratic regimes. The treaty with Israel contains more than just a promise not to go to war. It contains a series of very specific commitments about Israeli …

Written by David Frum on Thursday February 3, 2011

Is Mubarak Toast?

Mubarak's speech promising to step down in September has only intensified the protests in Egypt. No matter how one wants to interpret it, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt is toast. It’s no longer a question of replacing him, it’s one of getting rid of him and his regime. What confirms that he …

Written by Peter Worthington on Thursday February 3, 2011

Ryan's Budget Cut Hopes Fall Short

The $30 billion in budget cuts that House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan is supporting seem awfully timid. The $30 billion in budget cuts that House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) has come out in support of are probably achievable but, in many ways, seem awfully timid. Although …

Written by Eli Lehrer on Thursday February 3, 2011

Why is U of Toronto Funding Angry Leftwing Speech?

Radical speakers Ward Churchill and Angela Davis were free to say what they wanted at a U of Toronto event this week. But why were they paid with student fees? I am a second-year undergraduate student at the University of Toronto. My school this week invited to speak on campus two American …

Written by Robert Boissonneault on Thursday February 3, 2011

Larson Named New RNC Chief of Staff

This morning, the RNC named strategist Jeff Larson as new Chief of Staff. He now faces the tough task of filling positions while the RNC manages a cash crunch. The Republican National Committee officially announced this morning that Chairman Reince Priebus will be bringing in Republican strategist …

Written by Tim Mak on Thursday February 3, 2011

Obama's New Voice

Jay Carney's selection as press secretary signals a White House that's less insular and less willing to engage in the political mud fights which plague D.C. As one Democrat and Obama enthusiast who argued, in the wake of last November’s electoral “shellacking”, that the White House needed a …

Written by Les Francis on Thursday February 3, 2011

Who Really Killed the JFK Mini-Series?

The last of the Kennedy patriarchs - Sen. Ted Kennedy - may be dead, but the family's legendary power to get their way appears to extend beyond the grave. The last of the Kennedy patriarchs -- Senator Ted Kennedy -- may be dead, but the Kennedys' legendary power to get the family's way appears to …

Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Thursday February 3, 2011

Does Anyone Really Trust the Muslim Brotherhood?

Having representation of Islamic parties in the Egyptian parliament is one thing. But seeing them hold executive power will be something very different. As readers have probably noted, I'm one of those less excited by - and more wary of - the protests in Egypt. I hold no brief for Hosni Mubarak, …

Written by David Frum on Thursday February 3, 2011

Put High Speed Rail on the Fast Track

In a world of rising fuel costs and increasing global economic pressures, the GOP needs to rethink its' historic opposition to federal funding for passenger rail. A record 28.7 million people traveled on Amtrak passenger trains in Fiscal Year 2010. Despite this, Congressional Republicans have …

Written by Michael P. Stafford on Thursday February 3, 2011

Beck: It Pays to Be Crazy

Some have suggested that since the crisis in Egypt began, Glenn Beck sounds crazier than usual. If true, a decline in his audience may explain the uptick in craziness. Many people have suggested that since the crisis in Egypt began Fox News’ Glenn Beck sounds crazier than usual . This is a …

Written by David Frum on Thursday February 3, 2011

Repeal Has Failed

Now that the repeal vote has failed in the Senate, it's time for the GOP to start repairing the health reform bill. I originally wrote this column after the repeal vote failed in the House. It seems even more appropriate now that repeal has failed in the Senate. * * * Next …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday February 2, 2011

Romney's Sticking by Romneycare

It's conventional wisdom that the Dems' health bill has hurt Romney's 2012 bid. But lately, he's been providing a stout defense of his Mass. health reforms. It has become conventional wisdom that the passage of President Obama's health care reform measure killed Mitt Romney's White House ambitions…

Written by Zac Morgan on Wednesday February 2, 2011

Why Aren't The Unemployed Protesting Here?

America isn't Egypt, but it's remarkable that we haven't had angry protests in the United States. Jon Stewart has some fun with Fox News personalities like Glenn Beck who worry that "we might become Egypt." Yes silly obviously. But behind the silliness is a serious question: Isn't the most …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday February 2, 2011

Romney: My Wife Thinks I Should Run

Romney's interview with Piers Morgan was a chance for him to reach a broader though less politically plugged in audience and a preview of how he may present himself in 2012. Closing Thoughts: This was an incredibly short interview but it was helpful to see how Romney might decide to run. The …

Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Tuesday February 1, 2011

Do We Really Have a Civility Shortage?

The latest D.C. buzzword is "civility" -- but maybe its time Washington stopped worrying about civility and started working on policy. "Civility" now tops the charts as the word of the year in Washington, D.C. Its ascendance owes much to the media coverage of Congress and its "relationship" to …

Written by Steve Bell on Tuesday February 1, 2011