Entries

A False Lesson on Climate Change

The conduct of climate scientists at the U.K.'s Climate Research Institute was scandalous. But what does that tell us about the validity of climate change? On their way to discovering the double helix structure of DNA, James Watson and Francis Crick drew important inspiration from an unauthorize…

Written by David Frum on Wednesday November 25, 2009

Canada's Liberal Party Infighting

The wife of deposed Canadian Liberal party leader Stephane Dion recently declared that the party was headed for “the ashcan of history.” But her critical comments seem aimed more at new leader Michael Ignatieff than the party. What is one to make of deposed Canadian Liberal party leader Stephane …

Written by Peter Worthington on Wednesday November 25, 2009

GOP Must Reclaim the Immigration Issue from Lou Dobbs

A Lou Dobbs presidential campaign could take a bite out of the Republican vote. A new poll shows that 6% of likely voters might vote for Dobbs in a Romney-Obama race in 2012. To prevent this, the GOP has to begin planning to take Dobbs' signature issue - immigration - away from him. Mickey Kaus …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday November 25, 2009

Banned from the U.N.

Until a few weeks ago, Anne Bayefsky was an accredited observer at the U.N. She was expelled and her accreditation stripped after she criticized the controversial Goldstone Report which examined last January’s war between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas. Until a couple of weeks ago, my …

Written by Martin Krossel on Wednesday November 25, 2009

The War on Terror is Over

UPDATED: I was walking this afternoon to the Washington studio of American Public Radio's Marketplace to record a commentary. As I approach Farragut Square, foot traffic is suddenly halted by yellow tape. I jostle my way forward to see the problem... I was walking this afternoon to the …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday November 24, 2009

President Dobbs: The First Tell-All Memoir

Lou Dobbs is saying he might run for president in 2012. As one who worked for Dobbs a decade ago, I wish to point out that his management skills and style were unequal to running a company with some 100 employees. As president of the United States, he would be a disaster. Lou Dobbs is saying he …

Written by Kenneth Silber on Tuesday November 24, 2009

Generation Obama Gets Shafted

President Obama swept into office with the backing of 18 to 29 year-old voters. But since his election, Obama has paid little attention to the concerns of this demographic and instead has saddled them with the cost of his new programs. President Barack Obama swept into office with a Steve Nash …

Written by Zac Morgan on Tuesday November 24, 2009

The Dems' Medicare Accounting Gimmicks

It's well-known by now that Sen. Reid's plan would increase the Medicare payroll tax to help offset the costs of the Senate health reform bill. These new taxes though would also be laundered through the Medicare trust fund, creating an entirely fictitious improvement in Medicare's financial health. …

Written by Andrew Biggs on Tuesday November 24, 2009

Are YOU Pure Enough for the GOP?

Members of the RNC are considering a resolution that would outline ten principles for Republican candidates to adhere to and cut funding for candidates who do not agree with at least eight of the points. How many Republicans would actually pass the test? Yesterday, it emerged that James Bopp, …

Written by Tim Mak on Tuesday November 24, 2009

Save Palin from Her Friends

In today's Washington Post , Matthew Dowd, the Republican pollster, offers five suggestions to help Sarah Palin become an electable presidential candidate. But his recommendations also reveal the underlying weaknesses he thinks she needs to correct. Matthew Dowd, the Republican pollster, in …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday November 24, 2009

Recork that Champagne

While Wall Street celebrates the 10% surge in existing home sales, let's not forget that just last week we were groaning over a 10% drop in new home starts. While Wall Street celebrates the 10% surge in existing home sales, let's not forget that just last week we were groaning over a 10% drop …

Written by David Frum on Monday November 23, 2009

Sarah Palin's Woman Problem

Sarah Palin’s constituency is a relatively small group of conservative men. I offended a lot of these people last week by suggesting that there was some sexual dynamic at work. Whatever impulse it is that so excites Palin supporters though, it is not shared by their wives. Opinions differ about …

Written by David Frum on Monday November 23, 2009

Herbal Remedies Need Real Scrutiny

Federal regulators restrict advertising about drugs to the most bland and basic statements. Yet snake oil flim-flam can be huckstered in the most truth-defying way, thanks to a 1994 law coaxed through Congress by the people who make these drugs. Did you know that there exists an all-natural remedy …

Written by David Frum on Monday November 23, 2009

Iran’s Campaign of Judicial Murder

The Iranian regime has responded to this summer's election protests with show trials and now an increasing number of political executions. With this move, the mullahs have made it even harder for President Obama to continue his diplomatic outreach. The mullahs are closing the doors both on …

Written by David Frum on Monday November 23, 2009

Fudging Poll Numbers 101

Rush Limbaugh recently accused the Gallup Poll of "upping the sample [of] black Americans to keep [Obama] up at 50%" in the polls. Now, if you were a pollster and really did want to cheat and over-represent Democrats, there is a much easier way to do it. Mark Blumenthal links to Rush Limbaugh …

Written by Andrew Gelman on Monday November 23, 2009

More Tests Doesn't Mean More Saved Lives

Recently, Sarah Palin criticized the new cancer screening guidelines and questioned if cutting costs had anything to do with the recommendations. If we are going to spend resources saving lives, shouldn't we examine costs to maximize the number of lives saved? On Friday, Sarah Palin intervened …

Written by Andrew Pavelyev on Monday November 23, 2009

Reagan Never Went Rogue

Many commentators have likened Sarah Palin to revered conservative icon Ronald Reagan. Both were governors of Western states, but the similarities end there. As Sarah Palin embarks on a publicity tour for her book, conservative commentators have again taken to likening the former Alaska …

Written by Rob Bernstein on Sunday November 22, 2009

Tehran's Last Chance

With their rejection of the latest offer from the IAEA, the Iranians could not make their message clearer if they had sent a crayoned letter: “We’re building a bomb — and you don’t dare stop us. Boom boom, suckers.” If Iran were a normal country, the offer would have been handsome. Iran …

Written by David Frum on Saturday November 21, 2009

The Juggernaut Rolls Forward

Looks like Blanche Lincoln is voting to allow the bill to proceed. We're heading to an all or nothing situation for Republicans. Because we dealt ourselves out of the game at the start, this thing either passes more or less as the Dem leadership wishes - or it collapses utterly. Looks like Blanche …

Written by David Frum on Saturday November 21, 2009

GOP Missing in Action on Health Reform

Sen. Ron Wyden has sold to the Democratic leadership an amendment that would enable more employees to cash out their employer-provided benefits and buy their own insurance policy on a health exchange. This is an idea that conservative economists originally made the case for. Why then is the GOP …

Written by David Frum on Friday November 20, 2009