Entries

New Al-Qaeda Leader Chosen

CNN reports An Egyptian who was once a Special Forces officer has been chosen "caretaker" leader of al Qaeda in the wake of Osama bin Laden's death, according to a source with detailed knowledge of the group's inner workings. Al Qaeda's interim leader is Saif al-Adel, who has long …

Written by FrumForum News on Wednesday May 18, 2011

Gingrich's Apology Made Things Worse

John Podhoretz writes : Newt Gingrich apologized to Rep. Paul Ryan today, and that apology itself revealed why Gingrich is not a positive but rather a destructive force in the GOP presidential primary. There is nothing wrong in itself with Gingrich saying he opposes aspects of Ryan’s …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday May 17, 2011

Mantega Hopes IMF Chief Keeps Job

The Wall Street Journal reports SAO PAULO (Dow Jones)--Brazilian Finance Minister Guido Mantega on Tuesday said he hopes Dominique Strauss-Kahn can remain managing director of the International Monetary Fund and that the sexual assault accusations made against the official are "resolved." …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday May 17, 2011

OMB: Budget Deal Raised Spending

The Wall Street Journal reports : The Congressional Budget Office cast a new shadow on Republicans’ claim to have made deep cuts in spending in the April law setting the final budget for fiscal 2011. A new analysis released Monday found that the bill would actually produce a net …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday May 17, 2011

Coburn Drops Out of Budget Talks

Politico reports : The Gang of Six is now the Gang of Five, as Sen. Tom Coburn made a quick departure from Tuesday afternoon’s meeting of the bipartisan Senate budget group struggling for months to reach agreement on a long range deficit reduction plan. “We’re still talking, still …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday May 17, 2011

Discovered: Strauss-Kahn's TripAdvisor Review of New York Sofitel

Former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn might have second thoughts about the New York City Sofitel after his most recent stay. SOFITEL NEW YORK 45 West 44 th Street, New York City, NY 10036 Hotel Website E-mail hotel TripAdvisor Popularity Index Ranked #17 for …

Written by Danielle Crittenden on Tuesday May 17, 2011

Ben Stein Defends Strauss-Kahn

Ben Stein writes : Now for a few humble thoughts about Dominique Strauss-Kahn and his recent brush with law and journalism, bearing in mind that it's possible indeed, maybe even likely, that he is guilty as the prosecutors charge: 1.) If he is such a womanizer and violent guy with women, …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday May 17, 2011

Is the GOP Field More Conservative?

James Poulos writes : David Frum has put forth an arresting theory about what's happening in the race for the Republican nomination. Pence, Huckabee, Trump, and Rubio, he observes, are all out. "Palin too damaged. Bachmann too far-fetched. Ron Paul too sinister. Gingrich experimenting with …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday May 17, 2011

Gingrich Owed Tiffany's $500K

Politico reports : Newt Gingrich, a fiscal conservative? Not when it comes to Tiffany’s. In 2005 and 2006, the former House speaker turned presidential candidate carried as much as $500,000 in debt to the premier jewelry company, according to financial disclosures filed with the Clerk …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday May 17, 2011

Applebaum: Why Do So Many Think DSK Was Set Up?

Anne Applebaum writes at Slate: When I first heard that Dominique Strauss-Kahn— managing director of the International Monetary Fund , leading French Socialist politician, and potential candidate for the French presidency in 2012—was alleged to have emerged naked from a New York hotel bathroom …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday May 17, 2011

Bachmann "Very Likely" to Run for Prez

Fox News reports : Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, a Tea Party favorite and something of a surrogate for Sarah Palin , is getting ready to jump into the presidential contest. Her advisers put out the word on Monday that a run was “very likely” and a D.C.-based consultant tells …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday May 17, 2011

The Other French Sexual Double-Standard

Many in the French elite have sympathy for Dominique Strauss-Kahn. They weren't nearly so forgiving toward Paul Wolfowitz. Many in the French and European elite have expressed surprising sympathy for IMF president Dominique Strauss-Kahn, now under arrest for attempted rape. They were not nearly …

Written by Tessa Berenson on Tuesday May 17, 2011

SEALs Chased Bin Laden Into Room

New details have emerged about the raid on Osama Bin Laden's compound. The AP reports : Five aircraft flew from Jalalabad, Afghanistan, with three school-bus-size Chinook helicopters landing in a deserted area roughly two-thirds of the way to bin Laden’s compound in the Pakistani city of …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday May 17, 2011

Mubarak's Wife Hands Over $4M

Los Angeles Times reports : Egyptian state television announced Tuesday that former First Lady Suzanne Mubarak had been officially released after turning over $4 million in assets to the finance ministry, according to Assem Gohari, the head of the country's illicit-gains authority. …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday May 17, 2011

FroshUpdate: DCCC Targets Freshmen

Todd Rokita faces a tough challenge as Indiana’s redistricting plan places his home just 500 yards outside his Congressional district. Meanwhile, the DCCC targets 16 freshmen Republicans with robocalls on the Ryan budget, and MoveOn takes on Rep. Allen West with a planned town hall …

Written by Tim Mak on Tuesday May 17, 2011

Newt Gets It: Ryan Plan is Toxic to Voters

The trigger for the Journal’s attack on Newt’s long history of overstatement was actually a wise statement: a caution against a huge rework of Medicare. So now we know how to prod the Wall Street Journal into protesting Obama-Hitler comparisons: join those comparisons to a word of criticism of …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday May 17, 2011

Can Seniors Really Handle a Medicare Cut?

Social Security provides more than 60% of the income for Americans over age 65. Can we really count on seniors to pay a rising share of their Medicare costs? Jared Bernstein makes the point that Social Security provides more than 60% of the income for Americans over age 65. (h/t "Debs") There …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday May 17, 2011

Bad News from Afghanistan

A new report suggests that despite battlefield victories, the U.S. is still failing to win over the Afghan people. This is not good news. Despite battlefield gains against insurgents in southern Afghanistan, the United States is failing to win over Afghans in the heartland of the Taliban, a …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday May 17, 2011

Schwarzenegger Fathers Love Child

Politico reports : It was more than just growing apart: former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed late Monday that his marriage was on the rocks because his wife Maria Shriver left him, and had done it after finding out that he fathered a child with a household employee. …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday May 17, 2011

Thompson Plans WI Senate Run

Politico reports: Tommy Thompson, the Republican former Wisconsin governor and George W. Bush’s first secretary of Health and Human Services, has told friends he plans to run for the open Senate seat in Wisconsin, according to top Wisconsin sources. Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) said …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday May 17, 2011