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More Reax

Jennifer Rubin at Commentar y: I wonder what the president was hoping to accomplish. Who is his audience and what was his message? He seemed desperately to want to stop the recriminations (and who wouldn’t after a month of watching his party being beaten about the ears?) but he has no …

Written by David Frum on Thursday May 21, 2009

After The Speeches ...

... I am left with this question: What exactly is new in the Obama administration's counter-terrorism policy? Enhanced interrogation techniques so-called were discontinued five years ago. Military commissions with greater safeguards for the accused had already been ordered up by the US courts.…

Written by David Frum on Thursday May 21, 2009

Is America Becoming More Prolife? Probably No

Or so argues my new column in The Week . The new Gallup poll finding a surge in prolife identification is wrong. Worse, it's misleading - and threatens to send Republicans careening in precisely the worst possible direction in pursuit of votes they will not find.

Written by David Frum on Thursday May 21, 2009

A Bleeding Party

Tom Edsall reports on the new Pew survey of partisan identification. The Pew survey is a testament to the miscalculations of the Bush administration and of the Republican leadership in Congress. The two were handed an extraordinary opportunity to build on an outpouring of public support in …

Written by David Frum on Thursday May 21, 2009

Robert Draper Responds

I wrote to Robert Draper to pose the question with which I was left after reading his piece : What did he think motivated Secretary Rumsfeld? He kindly sent the following reply: To be charitable to Rumsfeld, I think he had the following honest views: 1) the military required transformation; …

Written by David Frum on Thursday May 21, 2009

Less Obama, Less Debt

Back in February, I noted that Washington could learn a thing or two from Ottawa in its handling of the recession. (See: “ Looking North for Ideas ”) Whereas Congress seems eager to spend first and ask questions later, the Canadian government has been more restrained: …

Written by David Gratzer on Thursday May 21, 2009

Can We Start Holding Democrats Accountable Now?

The Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington released a report on May 20 showing the members of Congress currently under investigation for various illegal and unethical activities. Given the claim, back in 2007, that Democrats were ushering in a new era of honesty, one would …

Written by Dustin Siggins on Thursday May 21, 2009

The Challenge That Went Unanswered

To my ears, this challenge from Vice President Cheney ranks among the most important and powerful passages in his speech: By presidential decision, last month we saw the selective release of documents relating to enhanced interrogations. This is held up as a bold exercise in open government, …

Written by David Frum on Thursday May 21, 2009

The Obama Speech: Some Early Reactions

Jay Nordlinger has a font color="#000000"> good post

Written by David Frum on Thursday May 21, 2009

"it Can't Happen Here"

A US version of the Halimi plot is intercepted . This time.

Written by David Frum on Thursday May 21, 2009

The Other Daniel Pearl

The photo is worthy of the name of the magazine whose cover it adorns: “Shock” or “ Choc ” in French. It shows a man whose head has been wrapped in duct tape. His face is completely covered except for a small space that has been left for his nose. The nose is bloodied. The …

Written by John Rosenthal on Wednesday May 20, 2009

Sanity Prevails In California

If you’re curious about what happened in California ’s special election last night, when voters roundly rejected a complex series of propositions aimed at extending taxes, borrowing, and spending, look no further than Assemblywoman Noreen Evans, chairwoman of the State Assembly …

Written by Michael Rosen on Wednesday May 20, 2009

NY Governor's Race - Winnable, but Not by Lazio

The 2010 race for Governor of New York has begun. Its participants are still being sorted out. Now that former New York Rep. Rick Lazio is seeking to run for Governor of New York, the question is not whom he’ll face in the general—unless something seismic occurs this year, that’s going to be …

Written by Tom Qualtere on Wednesday May 20, 2009

Too Complex To Fail?

ProPublica on the Obama administration's secret weapon for claiming economic success : nobody will ever be able to prove they failed! [T]he Obama administration does have a rough estimate of how many jobs will be created by direct government spending. (For the record, $100 billion creates …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday May 20, 2009

Common Sense On Kyoto

“Instead of focusing on initiatives with the greatest benefits, [politicians] tend to be swayed by those with the most vocal advocates. Take the Kyoto Protocol.” The author then laments the $180 billion annual cost of Kyoto . Such words are often written by global warming …

Written by David Gratzer on Wednesday May 20, 2009

Is Britain On The Verge Of A Constitutional Crisis?

The resignation of the Speaker of the British House of Commons over the expenses scandal caught American attention for about 10 seconds. It deserves more. British friends are speculating that the country may be about to experience a collapse of support for all parties, as happened in Italy in the …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday May 20, 2009

Bloggingheads

Ellen Laipson of the Stimson Center and I discuss Afghanistan, Pakistan, and President Obama's upcoming speech to the Islamic world on Bloggingheads.TV . We find common ground in our admiration for Henry Stimson!

Written by David Frum on Tuesday May 19, 2009

Congressman Jim Moran: Mr. Responsibility

In the event that terrorists housed at Guantanamo Bay are transferred to the United States for trial, the federal courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia – the location of Zacarias Moussaoui’s trial and John Walker Lindh’s plea – could well be their destination. …

Written by Henry Clay on Tuesday May 19, 2009

David Frum On Adrian Goldsworthys "how Rome Fell"

For those readers planning an ambitious summer reading program, I offer over in the Bookshelf a guide to some important recent new books on the decline and fall of the Roman Empire , all together masquerading as a review of Adrian Goldsworthy's new book, How Rome Fell .

Written by David Frum on Tuesday May 19, 2009

How Rome Fell

Over the past three years, three excellent and important new books have been published on the end of the Roman Empire – and by amazing happy coincidence the order in which they were published corresponds exactly to the order in which they should be read. In 2005, the British archaeologist and …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday May 19, 2009