Entries

Rushdie: Free Ai Weiwei

Writing in The New York Times , Salman Rushdie calls on China to free dissident artist Ai Weiwei: Art can be dangerous. Very often artistic fame has proved dangerous to artists themselves. Mr. Ai’s work is not polemical — it tends towards the mysterious. But his immense prominence as an …

Written by FrumForum News on Wednesday April 20, 2011

FroshUpdate: Louisiana Freshman Proposes BP Legislation

FrumForum : Rep. Jeff Landry (LA-03) proposes two pieces of legislation: one to make BP pay for damages on a more forthcoming basis; another to mandate that there is a standby vessel within 12 miles of deepwater drilling facilities to provide for emergency evacuation: http://bit.ly/f5FxOz …

Written by Tim Mak on Wednesday April 20, 2011

How to Beat Trump

If the GOP really wants to finish off Trump, Republican candidates had better learn to speak to the anxieties of voters and offer real solutions to the economic crisis. This post by Ed Kilgore about Donald Trump seems to me very astute. The Republican establishment has perceived [Trump] as a …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday April 20, 2011

Obama Stays Silent on Syria

The uprising in Syria gives the U.S. a chance to advance its interests and ideals, but Obama's insistence on engaging authoritarian regimes may squander the opportunity. The U.S. response to the recent events in Syria reveals that the Arab revolts have not completely shaken President Obama’s faith …

Written by Lauren Noble on Wednesday April 20, 2011

Poll: Most Oppose Entitlement Cuts

The Washington Post reports: Despite growing concerns about the country’s long-term fiscal problems and an intensifying debate in Washington about how to deal with them, Americans strongly oppose some of the major remedies under consideration, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News …

Written by FrumForum News on Wednesday April 20, 2011

Palin: Don't Pick On The Donald

Politico reports: Even though Donald Trump has wholeheartedly embraced the wall-to-wall media coverage that’s come with his promotion of the widely discredited “birther” issue, Sarah Palin argued Tuesday that the press is treating him “unfairly” by focusing mostly on his doubts about …

Written by FrumForum News on Wednesday April 20, 2011

Japan Considers No-Entry Zone

The Wall Street Journal reports: TOKYO—Japan's government is considering prohibiting people from entering an evacuation area within a 20-kilometer radius of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. "With people entering [the area], we are having to consider establishing a no-entry zone," …

Written by FrumForum News on Wednesday April 20, 2011

New Airline Rules Ease Flyer Pain

The Washington Post reports: DALLAS — Federal officials are expanding a tarmac-delay rule to prohibit airlines from holding passengers on stranded international flights for longer than four hours. The change stems from a late-December debacle in which several planes loaded with internation…

Written by FrumForum News on Wednesday April 20, 2011

Slim Majority Still Think Nuclear Power Safe

The Washington Post reports: A slim majority of Americans see nuclear power plants as a safe energy source, but nearly two-thirds reject the idea of building new reactors in the United States at this time, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. The 53 percent who approve of …

Written by FrumForum News on Wednesday April 20, 2011

Poll: Half of Iowa GOP Are Birthers

Politico reports: Donald Trump’s birther crusade could be a boon in Iowa, and “Romneycare” could dog the former Massachusetts governor in the first-in-the-nation caucus, a new poll shows. A whopping 48 percent of Iowa Republicans said they don’t believe that Obama was born in the United …

Written by FrumForum News on Wednesday April 20, 2011

It's About Time Congress Takes on BP

A year after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded, killing eleven and dumping oil into the Gulf of Mexico, one legislator is fighting to hold BP accountable. One year ago, the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, killing eleven workers and injuring sixteen more. The …

Written by Tim Mak on Wednesday April 20, 2011

The GOP's DOMA Dead End

Republicans have committed to spending valuable political capital to attack gay marriage. But if they looked at the polls, they'd know its a lost battle. A political movement that doesn’t have its eyes on the road ahead won’t like what it finds when it gets there. On Monday, Republicans …

Written by Jeb Golinkin on Tuesday April 19, 2011

Is the GOP Serious About Means-Testing?

I'm all for ferocious cost-cutting within Medicare. But until costs actually drop, means-testing in Medicare will be code for denying Medicare to many older Americans. Can we get beyond the welfare state? Yuval Levin argued yes in an article in National Affairs . I argued no, here . …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday April 19, 2011

FLOTUS' Flight Had to Abort Landing

The Washington Post reports : A White House plane carrying Michelle Obama came dangerously close to a 200-ton military cargo jet and had to abort its landing at Joint Base Andrews on Monday as the result of an air traffic controller’s mistake, according to federal officials familiar with …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday April 19, 2011

Kyl, Cantor To Attend Debt Talks

Politico reports : Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell plans to name his deputy, Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), to the budget talks led by Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker John Boehner has named House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.). Obama had urged each caucus to …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday April 19, 2011

Watch Club for Growth Prez: Lugar Should Retire

ABC News reports : The Club for Growth is well-known for taking on establishment Republicans who they feel don’t live up to the Club’s “pro-growth” ideals such as “limited government, low taxes and economic freedom.” In 2010, for example, the Club for Growth ran ads attacking Sen. …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday April 19, 2011

Did U.S. Overreact to Debt Outlook Shift?

There's a lot of buzz about Standard and Poor's shift in outlook on U.S. debt. But a change in outlook isn't the same as a downgrade and, by itself, does little or nothing. There's a lot of buzz in Washington about Standard and Poor's shift in outlook on the United States' debt. I'm not sure if …

Written by Eli Lehrer on Tuesday April 19, 2011

Fidel Out of Cuba's Government

The Washington Post reports: HAVANA — Cuba’s Communist Party stuck Tuesday with a slate of silver-haired icons of the revolution to spearhead a last-ditch effort to save the island’s sputtering economy — surprising those who took to heart declarations by Raul and Fidel Castro that it was time …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday April 19, 2011

Manning Headed to Leavenworth

The Washington Post reports: WASHINGTON — U.S. officials say the Army private suspected of giving classified data to WikiLeaks is being moved to Fort Leavenworth in Kansas in the wake of international criticism about his treatment during his detention at the Marine Corps base at Quantico, …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday April 19, 2011

McCain Praises Birther Bill Veto

The Hill reports : Arizona Sen. John McCain (R) applauded his state's governor, Jan Brewer (R), Monday for vetoing a controversial "birther" bill. The legislation, the first of its kind in the nation, would have required presidential candidates to prove their citizenship to be included …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday April 19, 2011