Entries

McConnell Offers Plan To Push Trade Deals

Reuters reports : Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, seeking to spur action on three long-delayed free trade agreements, said on Thursday he was prepared to help the White House renew a retraining program for workers displaced by trade but added a major demand of his own. "Given …

Written by FrumForum News on Thursday June 23, 2011

New Prosecutor for Gitmo Trials

The Associated Press reports : The U.S. Defense Department has announced a new chief prosecutor for the military tribunal trials at Guantanamo Bay. Army Brig. Gen. Mark Martins will be in charge of prosecuting Guantanamo detainees charged with war crimes and other crimes. He succeeds Navy …

Written by FrumForum News on Thursday June 23, 2011

GOP Must Call Democrats' Bluff On Medicare Cuts

There's good reasons to think a Democrat offer to cut Medicare is insincere. But if the GOP is serious, they need to call Democrats’ bluff and propose even deeper cuts. Eric Cantor’s withdrawal from the debt talks with Joe Biden may be dominating the headlines for now but, in the long run, it …

Written by Eli Lehrer on Thursday June 23, 2011

Palestinians: Talks With Israel Won't Stop UN Bid

The Associated Press reports : The Palestinians will seek membership as an independent state at the U.N. in September even if peace negotiations with Israel are underway, the Palestinian U.N. envoy said Thursday. Riyad Mansour said the Palestinians are working on three separate tracks — …

Written by FrumForum News on Thursday June 23, 2011

Senate To Vote On New Rules For Terror Suspects

The New York Times reports : The Senate Armed Services Committee has voted for a sweeping and bipartisan package redefining the rules for detaining terrorism suspects, including giving military judges the power to review the cases of prisoners in Afghanistan and mandating military …

Written by FrumForum News on Thursday June 23, 2011

Seized Phone Reveals Bin Laden's Pakistan Ties

The New York Times reports : The cellphone of Osama bin Laden’s trusted courier, which was recovered in the raid that killed both men in Pakistan last month, contained contacts to a militant group that is a longtime asset of Pakistan’s intelligence agency, senior American officials who …

Written by FrumForum News on Thursday June 23, 2011

NJ Makes Deep Cuts to State Worker Benefits

The New York Times reports : New Jersey lawmakers on Thursday approved a broad rollback of benefits for 750, 000 government workers and retirees, the deepest cut in state and local costs in memory, in a major victory for Gov. Chris Christie and a once-unthinkable setback for the state’s …

Written by FrumForum News on Thursday June 23, 2011

Flying The Jewish-Unfriendly Skies

Saudi Arabian Airlines' partnership with Delta's Skyteam Alliance ignited a fire storm of controversy. It also brought to mind a favorite anecdote. Saudi Arabian Airlines has joined Delta's Skyteam alliance, raising fears that the US airliner might be contaminated by the Saudi state's anti-Jewish …

Written by David Frum on Thursday June 23, 2011

Tea Party Could Cause GOP to Lose 2012

The Miami Herald reports: Beware, Florida Republicans: The tea party movement that swept you into office in 2010 could cost you the next election. That’s the takeaway message from Republican pollster and consultant Alex Patton, who conducted a recent survey showing that, by a 2:1 …

Written by FrumForum News on Thursday June 23, 2011

Ending UK Lawfare Against Israelis

A hero of the Entebbe raid was threatened with arrest in the UK. So was a former Israeli Foreign Minister. Their alleged crimes? Doing their duty to protect their country. Israeli politicians and soldiers have repeatedly been threatened with arrest in the United Kingdom in recent years because …

Written by David Frum on Thursday June 23, 2011

T-Paw To Give First Foreign Policy Speech

The Daily Caller reports : Tim Pawlenty will discuss the Middle East Tuesday in the first big foreign policy address of his campaign, according to an aide. “Governor Pawlenty will deliver a major foreign policy address next Tuesday morning at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York …

Written by FrumForum News on Thursday June 23, 2011

FTC Subpoenas Google In Anti-Trust Case

The Daily Beast reports : The feds want some information in an anti-trust investigation, and they won’t be using the world’s leading search engine to find it. Instead, they’ll use a more serious tool, issuing Google a subpoena, the first step in a major investigation into whether the …

Written by FrumForum News on Thursday June 23, 2011

White House Blasts GOP Defense Bill

POLITICO reports : A move by House Republicans to reauthorize the war on terror is unwise because it could foster perceptions that the U.S. is in an endless war with Al Qaeda, the Taliban and similar groups, the White House argues in a legislative position paper obtained by POLITICO. …

Written by FrumForum News on Thursday June 23, 2011

WSJ: Perry Running For President

The Wall Street Journal reports : A Republican campaign veteran tells us that Texas Governor Rick Perry has decided to run for President, though the official word from Team Perry is still a definite maybe. Our normally reliable Republican source reports that Mr. Perry has surveyed the …

Written by FrumForum News on Thursday June 23, 2011

Reid Taking Over Debt Talks with Obama and Boehner

Reuters reports : President Barack Obama, House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner and Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid will take over stalled budget talks but a first meeting has not yet been set, Reid said on Thursday. "I think it's in the hands of the Speaker and the President …

Written by FrumForum News on Thursday June 23, 2011

Saleh Won't Return Home Soon

Reuters reports : Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh is not likely to return home soon from Saudi Arabia, where he is recovering from serious injuries suffered in an attack on his palace this month, a Western diplomat said on Thursday. The United States and Saudi Arabia are pushing …

Written by FrumForum News on Thursday June 23, 2011

Bolton: Iran Will Have Nukes "Soon"

The Daily Caller reports : John Bolton, former US ambassador to the United Nations, sharply criticized the Obama administration’s handling of the Middle East while testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Committee Thursday morning. Bolton focused on Iran and Syria, laying out steps …

Written by FrumForum News on Thursday June 23, 2011

Clinton: No New Aid to Pakistan Without Change

Reuters reports : The United States is not prepared to continue the same levels of military aid to Pakistan unless it sees some changes in the relationship, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday. "When it comes to our military aid, we are not prepared to continue …

Written by FrumForum News on Thursday June 23, 2011

Somalia Names New Prime Minister

The New York Times reports : The president of Somalia’s transitional government on Thursday appointed a new, Harvard-educated prime minister who said he would try to revive Somalia’s war-wrecked economy and establish better security in a country that has been virtually lawless for the past …

Written by FrumForum News on Thursday June 23, 2011

Top GOP Senators: Tax Hikes Can't Pass

Reuters reports : The top two Republicans in Senate said on Thursday that Democrats' demands for new stimulus measures and tax increases run counter to the goals of a deal that would reduce budget deficits and would not pass Congress. "President Obama needs to decide between his goal of …

Written by FrumForum News on Thursday June 23, 2011