Entries
Obama Wants $400B In Defense Cuts
Politico reports: The mention of defense-related spending was brief and came late in President Barack Obama’s Wednesday speech on deficit reduction, but the low-key treatment may have obscured the potentially far-reaching implications of his call to reduce security-related expenditures by …
Boehner: Budget Deal Is First Step
Rep. John Boehner writes in the Wall Street Journal : Six months ago, shortly before the election, the Democrats who run Washington were preparing an “omnibus” spending bill loaded with earmarks and job-crushing tax hikes on small businesses. Today, the people’s House is due to vote on a …
Three Years On, Still No Major Arrests From Crisis
The New York Times reports: It is a question asked repeatedly across America: why, in the aftermath of a financial mess that generated hundreds of billions in losses, have no high-profile participants in the disaster been prosecuted? Answering such a question — the equivalent of …
North Korea Confirms Holding American
BBC News reports: North Korea has confirmed that it has arrested a US citizen and is preparing to charge him with "committing a crime" against the country. Jun Young-su was arrested in November last year, the official KCNA news agency said. The US state department announced the arrest on …
Arizona Passes Birther Bill
Politico reports: Arizona’s state Senate approved a bill Wednesday that will require presidential candidates to prove they are U.S. citizens before they can be included on a state ballot. Prompted by challenges to President Barack Obama’s citizenship and, therefore, eligibility for the …
Iraqi Youth Struggles Against Old Guard
The New York Times reports: BAGHDAD — Inspired by the democratic uprisings around the Arab world to push for change, young lawmakers in Parliament are running up against an ossified political elite still dominated by the exiles who followed American tanks into Iraq to establish a fragile, …
Sidney Harman Dies At 92
The Washington Post reports: Industrialist Sidney Harman, who co-invented the high-fidelity stereo in the 1950s and became a dominant arts patron in Washington, died April 12 at George Washington Hospital. He was 92 and had complications from acute myeloid leukemia. In a career that …
GOP Freshmen: No Tax Hikes to Cover Deficit
Freshmen Republicans reacted negatively to President Obama's speech on the deficit Wednesday, with many echoing Boehner's 'line in the sand': no new taxes. Freshmen Republicans reacted to President Obama's speech on the deficit Wednesday, with many echoing Speaker Boehner's 'line in the sand' - no …Defense Bears the Brunt of Obama's Cuts
Obama’s plans to slash the defense budget would handcuff a U.S. military that is already too limited and too constrained in what it can do. Perhaps the most objectionable aspect of Obama’s speech involves his pledge to gut the defense budget. “Gut” is not a word I use lightly; but that seems to …How Means Testing Social Security Could Backfire
Means-testing the elderly for entitlements is gaining popularity on the right. But when it comes to Social Security, it could reward bad economic choices. Yuval Levin's provocative essay on going "Beyond the Welfare State" offers the following prescription for a conservative re-thinking of …Frum: Will Americans Back Shared Sacrifice?
David Frum on NPR's Marketplace : Here's a helpful way to understand the budget crisis this past weekend -- in fact, to understand almost all our politics. At the bottom of so many of our current disputes is this fact: "$13 trillion in wealth was lost in the financial crisis. We are arguing …
Pawlenty: Reject Budget Deal
The Hill reports : Likely GOP presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty on Wednesday urged lawmakers to reject the budget deal designed to avert a government shutdown. Pawlenty, who presided over a state shutdown as governor of Minnesota, said that the bipartisan deal that would cut $39.9 …
Boehner: Obama Plan Not 'Serious'
The Hill reports : House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Wednesday President Obama has failed to present a detailed and "serious" plan for tackling the national debt and budget deficits. He also raised the specter that the House will not vote to raise the nation’s debt ceiling if the …
U.S. Fighters Still Bombing Libya
AFP reports : US fighter jets are still carrying out bombing raids on Libya's air defenses, the Pentagon said Wednesday, days after indicating American combat aircraft had withdrawn from NATO operations. US warplanes have attacked air defense targets in three strikes since April 4, when …
Galston: Budget Debate Will Dominate 2012
William Galston, Senior Fellow of the Brookings Institution, on Obama's deficit reduction speech: In a forceful speech on long-term fiscal policy, President Obama offered his vision of America’s future, described how our fiscal situation deteriorated to the point that we must change course, …
Ryan's Budget Gives Obama What He Wants
The Republican plan to cut taxes and slash government health care spending gives the president prime opportunities for political victory. “Whatever you do, don’t serve to his backhand.” “Don’t be nervous. I have the new Ryan serve. It’s bold!” “Trust me on this. Don’t serve to his backhand.” …Why This Dem Loved Obama's Speech
While he could have offered more specifics, Obama's Wednesday afternoon speech on deficit reduction gave the Democratic base what they wanted to hear. Once again, Barack Obama has given a hell of speech when he had to. While it can be argued that he could have offered more specifics, the …Michele Bachmann: Bad Constitutionalist
Michele Bachmann’s recent statements on the budget fight show she still has a lot to learn about the U.S. Constitution. Michele Bachmann’s recent statements on the budget fight show she still has a lot to learn about the U.S. Constitution. In her criticism of the compromises being made, she …Boehner: Fully Supports Ryan Plan
The Hill reports : House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said he "fully support[s]" the proposals in Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) 2012 budget, including its reforms to Medicare. The GOP Speaker sought to quickly squelch any doubt that there was daylight between him and Ryan, the chairman …