To die for an exit strategy

More Stories

Hillary in 2012?

The Obama experience may prove her case

Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009

I write this week from New Orleans, where I am participating in the Bipartisan Policy Center's Inaugural Political Summit, organized by Tom Daschle, Howard Baker and Bob Dole, and hosted by Mary Matalin and James Carville.

A curious lack of curiosity

Where is the outrage over Obama White House intelligence leaks?

Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009

Not so long ago, there was a furious fight between different tribes in the White House, the CIA and the State and Defense departments over the correct war-fighting strategy. The coin of the realm back then was intelligence: Intelligence that pointed in the right policy direction was cherry-picked and shown to the public; covert players connected to undesirable conclusions were outed or disparaged. This fight for the hearts and minds of Washington opinion shapers was fought out on the battlefields of The Washington Post and the New York Times - and from them to the networks and news outlets across the country and around the world.

The need to take a stand

GOP can't just vote 'present' on our future

Monday, Oct. 26, 2009

A growing percentage of those Americans who oppose President Obama believe the president is testing the envelope of acceptable domestic, constitutional and foreign policies. Staggering deficits measured in the trillions, unemployment measured almost in double digits and a weakening dollar measured in ever fewer ounces of gold are creating an economic crisis that is testing America's historic optimism and faith in a brighter future.

A hesitant White House

As Obama hangs back, Russia rolls forward

Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009

On three fronts - South Korean trade, Ukrainian/Russian diplomacy and Afghan war fighting - the Obama administration is being increasingly pressured by unfolding events to shed ideology and rationalizations and come quickly to a realistic analysis of world events and their consequences.

Washington is nuts

Don't increase entitlements; cut costs

Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009

Want to hear a real laugher? Despite the current disharmony in politics, there's one policy on which all of Washington agrees. Republicans and Democrats, House and Senate, president and Congress all agree that after last fall's financial crisis, the federal government has to more closely regulate the financial industry to protect our economy from risk of systemic financial collapse.

Cherry-picking ... again

Downplaying the inroads made by al Qaeda

Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009

Al Qaeda is becoming the weapon of mass destruction (WMD) of the Obama administration's Afghan war. Or, to be more precise, it is a reverse WMD.

Cut and walk?

An evasion of reality

Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009

The gist of Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal's analysis that presumably will be presented to the president is: If (1) you and Congress fully resource the effort (troops, materiel and civilian aid) and (2) if we get much better at coordinating all our assets - Defense and State departments, Agency for International Development, intelligence, contractors, NATO, others - then (3) there is a better than even chance of success in Afghanistan, which will take (4) from five to seven more years.

End the coarsening of civic discourse

President should repudiate Democrats' incendiary rhetoric

Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009

As the town-hall meetings on health care started in early August, the Democratic Party talking points accused the attending citizens of being "demonstrators hired by K Street lobbyists." Then they started calling them a "mob." Getting into the spirit of his party, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called those who opposed Obamacare "evil." Then the House Democratic Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer called the dissenters "un-American." For good measure Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi accused them of being Nazis.

Downsized diplomatic muscle

Eating humble pie in search of meaningless agreements

Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009

With one-sixth of the Obama administration's term of office complete, last week it revealed its profound commitment to an unprecedented policy of eschewing the exercise of great-power diplomacy and, indeed, of being willing to consciously accept humiliation in the hope of gaining future advantage from talking with hostile but weaker nations.