May 2011

Syed Saleem Shahzad was a rare journalist. His reporting on the Taliban, al Qaeda, and other heads of the jihadist hydra based in Pakistan was always essential reading. He never wavered, as far as I can tell, in giving readers as complete a picture as he could. Oftentimes, that meant Shahzad…

"Sarah Palin and her advisers are refusing to tell members of the media where she is going on her current bus tour - and the former Alaska governor seems to be enjoying the cat and mouse game that's resulted."

In what is probably best described as the Hindenburg of press conferences, Anthony Weiner was just confronted on CNN. If Weiner didn't send a lewd photo to a 21 year-old coed, then surely he has perfected the art of sounding guilty:

In today's Wall Street Journal Reuel Marc Gerecht and Mark Dubowitz discuss a novel approach to sanctions on Iran:

Since a photo of the crotch of a skinny white man in gray boxer briefs was posted on Congressman Anthony Weiner Twitter account late Friday night, conservative bloggers have been pointing out a number of facts that cast doubt on Weiner's claim that his account was "hacked" and that the lewd photo…

The Department of Justice has filed charges against five terrorists who are currently being held at Gitmo. This means, as Shepard Smith reports, that KSM and four other terrorists "will likely face trial before a U.S. military commission at Guantanamo Bay." 

Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport had been planning to provide an initial public offering to investors this week, allowing folks from around the world to buy shares in the currently private company that operates the facility. Suddenly, over Memorial Day weekend and in the middle of the night, Domodedovo…

Democratic National Committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said on Face the Nation this past Sunday that if the House-passed Medicare reform is implemented, future beneficiaries could be denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions: 

“Stars are stars,” Metropolitan Opera general manager Peter Gelb says. “They’re different than company members." In this case, it means musicians on union contracts must go on tour in Japan, while some of the Met's brightest lights have cancelled their planned appearances due to worries about…

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 

According to the Jerusalem Post, a "flotilla of 15 ships, organized by the Turkish humanitarian organization, IHH - which is outlawed in Israel due to its ties with Hamas, as well as The Free Gaza Movement - is planning to sail to the Gaza Strip in late June. The organizers are currently working to…

Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty released this video, giving a glimpse of the narrative he's trying to build: 

Even the New York Times editors can't help but conclude, after taking a look at first-quarter economic growth data, that "The Numbers Are Grim." In particular, this is what they find alarming: "the growth estimate remained stuck at an annual rate of 1.8 percent, compared with 3.1 percent at the end…

Libyan military officials have left Muammar Qaddafi's army, "defect[ing] in protest [of Qaddafi's] actions against his own people, saying there had been a lot of killing of civilians and violence against women," according to Lebanon's Daily Star.

Dalibor Rohac says beware of Greek-style bailouts.

Politico reports: 

Here are a few posts worth reading, I think, on this Memorial Day.

President Barack Obama named nominees of new military brass today, on Memorial Day, for the positions of chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, vice chair of the Joint Chiefs, and chief of staff of the Army. USA Today reports:

President Obama is increasing government spending even faster than the budget numbers imply. That’s because some of his increased spending is disguised as cuts in taxes. 

Do House Republicans want to kill the elderly? If you listen to the left these days, you’d certainly think so. Last week, a liberal advocacy group called “The Agenda Project”—which claims to advance “rational, effective ideas in the public debate”—released an ad showing a look-alike of House Budget…

Early this month came the news that Notre Dame has agreed, at last, to drop the trespassing charges it had been pressing against the protesters who marched on its campus two years ago. The pro-life protesters. At a Catholic school.

Paris Ever since the news broke, a week ago Saturday, of the IMF head’s surprise arrest, for alleged attempted rape, in the first-class cabin of an Air France jet minutes from takeoff on the JFK tarmac, the Dominique Strauss-Kahn meltdown has caused France to experience a kind of cosmic O.J.…

After 34 years of teaching sociology at the University of Illinois at Chicago, I recently retired at age 64 at 80 percent of my pay for life. This calculation was based on a salary spiked by summer teaching, and since I no longer pay into the retirement fund, I now receive significantly more than…

The End of the Holocaust by Alvin H. Rosenfeld Indiana, 328 pp., $29.95

By the time you read this, Katie Couric will no longer be the anchorwoman on the CBS Evening News. She could not do what she was paid $15 million a year to do: bring up the ratings for CBS prime-time news and with them its advertising revenues. Both fell further during her tenure. While advertising…

Thorne Bay, Alaska

Even visitors who know Rome well are unlikely to venture north along the Via Flaminia, beyond the Aurelian Walls that encircle most of the city. Compared with what lies inside the walls, and with a few exceptions beyond, there is little to see in this clean and barren part of town. Though the…

President Obama’s speech on May 19 outlining the administration’s Middle East policy vindicates his predecessor’s freedom agenda, though the two men reached the same place by different paths. It was the 9/11 attacks that forced George W. Bush to conclude that promoting democracy and human rights in…

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, was not just rich and powerful. He was also, until last Saturday, the likely next president of France. So commanding was his lead that rumors had been flying since April that Martine Aubry, his chief rival for the…

I was interviewing Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky on February 17, in his temporary office in the Russell building on Capitol Hill, when his chief of staff Doug Stafford entered the room.

It’s All About the Bike The Pursuit of Happiness on Two Wheels by Robert Penn Bloomsbury, 208 pp., $20

In his speech at the State Department on May 19, President Obama called Egypt essential to the future of democratic reform in the Middle East and North Africa. As the largest and most influential Arab country, Egypt could in large part determine the course of the regional uprisings and the prospect…

When I Am Playing with My Cat, How Do I Know That

  Bridesmaids Directed by Paul Feig

American identity, character, and civic life are shaped by many things, but decisive among them are our national memories—of our long history, our triumphs and tragedies, our national aspirations and achievements. Crucial to the national memory are the words our forebears wrote, to show us who we…

As with Christmas form letters and amateur poetry, I don’t take kindly to friends sticking books in my hand that lie outside my areas of interest, then insisting that I must read them. When one recently did just that with Born to Run, it was nearly cause for excommunication. Sure, I subscribe to…

The Triumph of Conservatism

Big Business Progressives, from TR to ObamaThe Triumph of Conservatism, By Gabriel Kolko

Big Business Progressives, from TR to Obama

Big Business Progressives, from TR to Obama

What does it mean to be an American? It's the kind of high school essay question that brings to mind those lofty notions of freedom and liberty. But that would be so 1961—and today's students are not all focused on what they can do for their country. To wit, in a recent study conducted by Stanford…

The fuss about a possible default if our warring politicians fail to agree on an increase in the debt ceiling is good fun for reporters: the president removed himself from the negotiations in favor of a visit to the Palace and says he won’t agree to cut spending unless the Republicans agree to…

Krauthammer: "What Obama did to Israel"

Kari Barbic reviews Kung Fu Panda 2 in the Washington Times:

"Are America's museums as willing to stand up for an artist whose life may be on the line?" That's the cutting question asked by Terry Teachout, who points out the cowardice of some cultural leaders unwilling to protest the Chinese government's imprisonment of artist Ai Weiwei. In fact, some…

Katherine Zimmerman, of the American Enterprise Institute's Critical Threats program, offers an update of what's going on in Yemen. "Heavy fighting between government forces and tribesmen outside of Yemen’s capital has broadened the conflict," Zimmerman finds. "Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has…

Feel the Ryanmentum:

Via Dave Weigel, a new web video of mysterious origins is highlighting some Tim Pawlenty's more moderate statements. His past support of cap-and-trade is well known and he's already walked it back. The video includes a soundbite that might be problematic for Pawlenty.

Ben Smith points out that on Wednesday Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty referred to "Iran" and "Iranians" a few times when he was actually talking about Iraq. Jonathan Chait pounces: "He didn't just mishear the question. And he didn't simply misspeak. He clarified that he was being asked about Iran…

The other day, on a rainy night in Tbilisi, Georgian opposition leader Nino Burjanadze’s motorcade ran over a cop and sped away:

Senator Jim DeMint, R-S.C., sat down for an interview with Coffee and Markets, a podcast hosted by Brad Jackson and Ben Domenech. When asked about the National Labor Relations Board's attempt to keep Boeing from building a factory in his state, DeMint had some exceptionally harsh words for the NLRB:

Last Friday, protesters in Syria burned Russian and Iranian flags as they took to the streets to speak out against the regime. Today's Friday, so protesters again took to the streets.  This time, some were spotted burning pictures of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Haartez reports:  

Charles Krauthammer writes in the Washington Post:

Paul Ryan was interviewed on Fox News’s Special Report last night. Watch the segment for an impressive, and unapologetic, defense of the House Republican budget—and (what Republicans too rarely stress) an explanation that the status quo is "collapsing." His plan, Ryan says, "saves Medicare from…

The thing about government health care is that it's really good at controlling costs. Wait, what?

Looks like we're in for nasty weather. One eye is taken for an eye... There's a bad moon on the rise. -Creedence Clearwater Revival  

Republican congresswomen issued a joint statement in response to DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz's comments that Republicans are "anti-woman" and waging a "war on women":

Barney Frank -- unintentionally! -- sums up the problem: "'If it is (a conflict of interest), then much of Washington is involved (in conflicts),' Frank told the Herald last night."

From the Metropolitan Museum of Art to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, exhibitions around the country are threatened after a court ruling has Russia afraid to loan out its art.

Writing in USA Today, Neil Armstrong, Gene Cernan, and Jim Lovell —the first and last men on the moon, and the commanders of Apollo 11, 17, and 13 — highlight another example of President Obama’s lack of faith in American exceptionalism.  In a piece entitled, “Is Obama Grounding JFK’s Space…

GOP presidential contender Tim Pawlenty says he'll be releasing his alternative plan for Medicare reform soon. He's been dogged by the press (and the DNC) about whether he'd be willing to sign Ryan's budget.

Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the new chair of the Democratic National Committee, said Thursday morning that Republicans are "anti-woman" and are waging "war on women" in pursuit of an "extremely radical social agenda." What about her Democratic colleagues who voted the same way as…

Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, the new chair of the Democratic National Committee, said Thursday morning that Republicans are "anti-woman" and are waging "war on women" in pursuit of an "extremely radical social agenda." What about her Democratic colleagues who voted the same way as…

In a moment of candor after his political career had ended, former vice president Al Gore averred that his support of ethanol was in part driven by “a certain fondness for the farmers in the state of Iowa because I was about to run for president.” Gore, it should be noted, cast the tie-breaking…

Scott Conroy of Real Clear Politics reports:

The MIlwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports: 

By endorsing the judicial and media “reforms” in this month’s constitutional referendum, Ecuador has moved a step closer to Venezuelan-style autocracy. President Rafael Correa, a Hugo Chávez disciple who has attacked opposition journalists, harassed private companies, and weakened democracy, will…

A coalition of right-leaning education reformers have recently and sharply broken with the growing federal influence Republicans and Democrats have broadly supported in recent decades. This edusphere tussle connects education to the wider debate Americans (evinced most loudly by Tea Party…

This morning, the newly appointed chair of the Democratic National Committee, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), told reporters she questioned whether Republican presidential candidates like Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty and Jon Huntsman believed in American exceptionalism.

The Kaiser Health Tracking Poll in May skews Democratic by 9 percentage points, yet its results among those who feel strongly (either way) go against Obamacare by 10 percentage points.  The monthly Kaiser poll includes 34 percent Democrats and only 25 percent Republicans. Despite this lopsided…

Keeping hopes for Ryan-Rubio 2012 alive, in an op-ed for the Miami Herald  Sen. Marco Rubio, D-Fla., comes out swinging today in favor of Medicare reform:

Berlin—Since President Obama ordered the special forces strike that killed mass murderer Osama Bin Laden earlier this month, the German government has grown increasingly reluctant to help Washington find terrorists who are fighting U.S. and allied troops in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Yesterday, the budget proposed by the House of Representatives was put up for a vote in the Senate. Every Democratic senator (save one, who was absent) voted no. Subsequently, a budget proposed by Senator Pat Toomey (R., Pa.) was put up for a vote.  Every Democratic senator voted no. Then a budget…

"Bill Clinton to Paul Ryan on Medicare Election: ‘Give me a Call’"

Perry contemplating throwing a 10 gallon hat in the ring?

Who could have guessed Bill Clinton could be so two-faced? Charlie Spiering at the Washington Examiner writes: 

That big fat zero is not a typo.

Dave Weigel reports that Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty argued against cutting the military earlier today at a speech and press gathering at the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C.:

Former Minnesota governor and presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty reiterated today that while he thinks Paul Ryan is a "very bright, courageous congressman," he doesn't wholeheartedly support Ryan's budget. "I think in general the direction of it is positive, but I'm going to have my own plan,"…

Supreme Court justices talk about who has influenced their writing and how they approach penning an opinion, with mentions of Vladimir Nabokov and the television show 24.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said yesterday that "Iraq [should] host U.S. troops beyond the end of the year to maintain stability and keep Iran at bay," according to the Wall Street Journal. 

I wrote a five-part series on Texas's breathtaking economic achievements earlier this year so this didn't come as a surprise to me, but a lot of people will probably find this stunning:

In June 2009, President Obama said, “Medicare and Medicaid are the single biggest drivers of the federal deficit and the federal debt by a huge margin.” Two years later, Paul Ryan and the House Republicans have advanced a serious proposal to deal with these two biggest drivers of our debt. Obama…

Saudi authorities have arrested Manal al-Sherif, a courageous female subject of the kingdom who blogged about the demand made by her and others for the right of Saudi women to drive motor vehicles.

Charles Krauthammer argues on Fox News that Paul Ryan is “the one man who could make the argument, which will be the central argument in the campaign, next year, over the size and the scope of government.”  He adds, “I wouldn’t just ask him or cajole him. I’d get a posse up there.”

On a day when many pundits and (allegedly) objective news reporters are declaring the Medicare reform Paul Ryan proposed caused the Republican to lose in New York's special congressional election, Ryan is out with a new video defending his plan and attacking Obama's.

A recent AP/GfK poll has been getting a lot of attention for allegedly showing that Americans think the federal budget can be balanced without cutting Medicare spending. The poll’s sample, however, includes 35 percent Democrats and only 18 percent Republicans (and 46 percent Democrats and 29…

"Israeli Prime Minister Gets 29 Standing Ovations in Congress, Sends Message to White House"

With Mitch Daniels having taken himself out of the GOP nomination battle, the field has come into sharp focus, and the view is not good for President Obama and the Democrats.

Democrat Kathy Hochul defeated Republican Jane Corwin and "Tea Party" candidate Jack Davis in Tuesday's special congressional election in western New York. With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Hochul is leading Corwin 48,530 votes to 43,836 votes (or 47.1 percent to 42.6 percent). The current…

Maybe Obama really is waging a perpetual campaign.

Shakespeare might be the greatest writer ever to live, but he ranks only 40 out of 100 on this list -- a charity contest whose winner is chosen American Idol-style. Voting ends tomorrow for the Chase Community Giving project on Facebook. While arts organizations struggling to survive turn to social…

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday met with representative delegates of the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) and the National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC). But while the meeting was meant to shore up bipartisan support for Israel from American Jewish political organizations,…

When asked about Medicare reform this afternoon in the Capitol, Senator Scott Brown (R-Mass.) said, "We need to stop playing games and we need to come up with some solutions." What solutions might those be? "I already laid it out yesterday," Brown told me, referring to an op-ed he published in…

Oh ye Republicans who voted for Paul Ryan's budget, take heed! The Associated Press and the Washington Post (not to mention Chuck Schumer, Steve Israel, and the rest of the Democratic party) have prophesied that the Medicare reform apocalypse shall commence at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, when…

President Obama’s visit to Ireland yesterday bookended a tumultuous week in Washington. After a blow-up with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu over whether the 1967 borders with land swaps should be the starting point of negotiations or a concession that Israel provides as part of a…

While Dominique Strauss-Kahn broods under guard in a downtown Manhattan apartment, the housekeeper who has accused the former head of the International Monetary Fund of sexual assault remains silent until she can speak in court. Another alleged victim, Tristane Banon, a 31-year-old French novelist…

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu just delivered the following remarks to a joint session of Congress:

NATO forces have just completed its "heaviest attack yet on the capital since the start of the two-month-old NATO bombing campaign...alliance aircraft struck at least 15 targets in central Tripoli early Tuesday, with most of the airstrikes concentrated on an area around Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s…

Today the Washington Post announced they were starting a new blog today devoted to covering think tanks. Sure, why not? It strikes me that this is a good idea. Then I read the rest of the press release:

Philip Klein notes an important pledge Tim Pawlenty made in his presidential campaign announcement in Des Moines, Iowa yesterday. Federal ethanol subsidies "have to be phased out,"  Pawlenty said, countering much of the the agricultural community in Iowa, including many conservative Republicans in…

The Scrapbook had some nice things to say about What So Proudly We Hail, a new anthology of American short stories, speeches, letters, and patriotic songs edited by Amy A. Kass, Leon R. Kass, and Diana Schaub (ISI Books, $35).

Harvard professor Harvey Mansfield delivered the following remarks upon accepting the Bradley Prize last week in Washington, D.C.: 

Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), the ranking member of the Budget Committee, yesterday announced that he would be blocking a set of unanimous consent measures this week in protest of the Senate Democrats, who don't have a budget plan for the 2012 fiscal year.

Keep sending your prayers to Missouri.

"My question is, what the hell was the Secret Service agent driving the limo doing drinking a Slurpee while on duty?"

AEI's Critical Threats program and the Institute for the Study of War have put together an important study on the expanding Haqqani Network, "Afghanistan's most dangerous insurgent organization."

Ohio's congressional delegation is shrinking; Washington state's is growing. So with the prospect of losing his congressional seat to redistricting, Ohio congressman Dennis Kucinich is exploring a House run in Washington, far away from Cleveland, the city he was once the mayor of. “My district…

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg plans to challenge the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act so that youngsters under 13 can join his social networking site.

Via Tom Gross: Video of Syrian protesters burning Russian and Iranian flags:

In a major speech last week, Paul Ryan claimed that, under President Obama’s proposed budget, high earners would have their federal tax rate raised to 45 percent — in addition to taxes that they would have to pay at the state and local levels. Glenn Kessler, the Washington Post’s “fact checker,”…

At a breakfast with reporters this morning, former House speaker Newt Gingrich, who's currently vying for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, said his comments on Meet the Press last week, where he said he opposed “right-wing social engineering,” were not an attack on Paul Ryan or Ryan’s…

It's now official: Tim Pawlenty is running for president. 

Haaretz reports: 

Eric Cantor, in a speech delivered at AIPAC yesterday, said the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians "is not about the '67 lines." Instead, Cantor argued, "it is a culture infused with resentment and hatred. It is this culture that underlies the Palestinians' and the broader Arab world's…

On Meet the Press, Rep. Chris Van Hollen, the ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee, said that “political courage on the Republican side means taking on the revenue piece” of the deficit equation.  In other words, it requires Republicans to support raising taxes.  Time’s Mike Murphy and…

Former Congresswoman and Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney gave a murderous dictator a propaganda victory over the weekend:

Former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty has released this preview video, in advance of his official announcement later today that he'll be running for president, called "A Time for Truth." 

There’s no GOP operative for whom I have higher regard than former RNC chair and senior Bush advisor Ed Gillespie. He deserves to be taken seriously when he says (according to Politico): "For all intents and purposes, the field is set. The waiting is over. It's possible someone may get in later on,…

"The remaining candidates, in essence, are still running against Mr. Daniels’s ghost."

President Obama, the Wall Street Journal reports, is preparing a speech that “will ask those in the Middle East and beyond to reject Islamic militancy in the wake of Osama bin Laden’s death and embrace a new era of relations” with the United States. Killing bin Laden is the pretext for part two of…

Santa Monica

Do-Gooders Gone Wild

Normally in Washington, the agenda for spring and summer is set by the president’s budget and the priorities of congressional leaders. But this year will be different. House Republicans have proposed an ambitious platform, in the form of the budget produced by House Budget Committee chairman Paul…

Political Folk Music in America from Its Origins to Bob Dylan by Lawrence J. Epstein

Win Win

The Last Boy

History Man

Claiming Lincoln

Any journalist who has ever said anything worth saying—or in my case, more than a few things they regret—is all too familiar with hate mail. 

It was no accident that Marco Rubio, the senator from Florida, spoke first. Senate Republicans had adopted a division of labor for their session at the White House last week with President Obama. Eleven of them addressed the president, touching on spending cuts and raising the debt limit.

A mystery lies at the heart of America’s budget politics. In the weeks since debate began on raising the debt limit, President Obama has faulted Republican budget plans as a way of giving favors to “millionaires and billionaires” at the expense of the poor and aged, just as he did during last…

Communist China has earned praise in the past few years for a perceived thaw in its strict opposition to religious observance—particularly Christianity. A visitor to China will see Christian churches out in the open; a printing facility in Nanjing is the largest Bible publisher in the world. There…

The news from Syria grows grimmer by the day—more peaceful protesters killed, ten thousand arrested in the past week, army units shelling residential neighborhoods. 

Give Smart

Benghazi

Today, on Meet the Press, Paul Ryan responded to a question in which David Gregory asserted that the Medicare reforms proposed by the House are unpopular. Such assertions are regularly made by the press but are not backed up by a realistic look at the polls.  The American people have actually…

At a commencement address at the University of Notre Dame, Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned against allowing America's might and military to decline. "As we make the tough choices needed to put this country’s finances in order and to secure our future prosperity – including the sacrifices that…

Here's the full text of the President Obama's address to AIPAC, as prepared for delivery:

Not running: Mike Huckabee, the 2008 runner-up; John Thune, the likeliest candidate from the Senate, the body that has produced the out-party candidate in 2008, 2004, and 1996; Mike Pence, who could lay as much claim as anyone to represent the conservative movement; and Haley Barbour and Mitch…

Just a few years ago, Tommy Thompson was a well-regarded former governor of Wisconsin. Now it looks like recent attacks on Thompson for his alleged support of Obamacare, by the Club for Growth and others, are starting to take a toll.

Jamie Weinstein of the Daily Caller was curious to hear what the media should do now that Donald Trump is no longer running for president. So he did what any good reporter would do -- shoe leather reporting!

Is there anything more irritating than that predictable sigh, so often heard from the trendy anti-gentrification crowd, that New York was so much better, so much more authentic, when one couldn’t walk through Central Park without fear of sexual molestation; when Times Square was an outdoor brothel,…

Is there anything more irritating than that predictable sigh, so often heard from the trendy anti-gentrification crowd, that New York was so much better, so much more authentic, when one couldn’t walk through Central Park without fear of sexual molestation; when Times Square was an outdoor brothel,…

In what country is the Knesset? That sounds like a rhetorical question, akin to the one Groucho Marx would ask losers on his TV show so they would get a consolation prize: “who’s buried in Grant’s tomb?”

The black day – with the red ink – arrived this week: America reached the limits of what it can borrow. But the world didn’t end, the economy didn’t grind to a halt, and the dollar didn’t collapse. This non-event is being handled by accounting sleight of hand: some $4 trillion of the $14.3 trillion…

If this story isn't just about the perfect metaphor for the decline of America, I don't know what is.

Here's video from Benjamin Netanyahu's response to Obama's Middle East speech, which was given in front of the president himself and the press:

Earlier this year, Fox News switched its polling firm from Opinion Dynamics to Anderson Robbins Research (D)/Shaw and Company Research (R), a joint bipartisan collaboration.

Yesterday, this 2003 South Bend Tribune article on Mitch Daniels was highlighted by Sam Stein at the Huffington Post and then made its way around the blogosphere: 

During last week's debate in the western New York congressional race, Democrat Kathy Hochul hammered Republican Jane Corwin for wanting to "end" Medicare and for somehow not caring about 10-year-olds with leukemia. I thought Corwin did an adequate job defending the Ryan Medicare reform, but never…

Before John Boehner delivered the commencement address at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., about 75 Catholic academics sent the speaker a letter denouncing the House Republicans' budget as inconsistent with the Catholic Church's teachings about social justice.

The New York Times reports that Bashar al-Assad continues to murder Syrians who are protesting his regime:

In what could be interpreted as a sign that Tim Pawlenty is betting big on Iowa, the former Minnesota governor will announce that he is running for president on Monday in Des Moines, the AP reports.

Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman has issued the following statement in response to President Obama's Middle East address yesterday:

Glenn Kessler of the Washington Post goes over the history of America's Israel policy and the significance of President Obama's declaration yesterday that “The borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps, so that secure and recognized borders are…

Jon Huntsman, former Utah governor and Obama's ambassador, steps out onto the GOP presidential stage today in New Hampshire. In an interview with Good Morning America, Huntsman sought to define himself as a fiscal hawk, and foreign policy dove.

Organized labor makes up 12 of the top 20 political donors in the last 20 years and nearly all of that money has gone to Democrats. Labor leaders have also been less than subtle in their criticisms of Republicans over the years. However, with public sector unions the target of voter outrage and the…

Longview, Washington—When an Australian shipping company named Millennium Bulk Terminals announced plans last November to open a coal export terminal in this port city of 36,000, few predicted any trouble. Millennium quickly bought the site on which the terminal would be located, a property on the…

Senate Budget Committee chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) has again delayed the introduction and markup of a budget proposal, according to the Hill. Conrad says he will defer that part of the process until after the bipartisan talks led by Vice President Joe Biden conclude:

Mike Murphy says enough with the Iowa caucuses already.

Lately I have been writing a lot about the Republican nomination battle, and every time I do I receive a good number of emails from readers who are worried that there is no candidate who really enthuses the party. I thought it would be good to dedicate a whole column to the question: when and how…

"The Netanyahu government had been assured of no surprises in the speech."

Elliott Abrams writes: 

Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad is continuing his assault on protesters, following President Obama's sanctions (yesterday) and his major address on the Middle East (today). The AP reports:

When President Obama tours the country and touts Obamacare, one thing you never hear him highlight is that half of Obamacare’s projected decrease in the number of uninsured comes from people who would simply be dumped into Medicaid at taxpayer expense. Of the 32 million people that the…

Goodwin Liu, a Berkley law professor nominated to sit on the 9th Circuit, was rejected by the Senate this afternoon. Liu needed 60 votes to cut off debate on his nomination, but he only got 52. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska was the only member of the Republican caucus to vote for cloture, while Ben…

I've pounded this drum good and hard, but here's another stark reminder that, thanks to hundreds of millions in campaign cash, the Democratic party is basically a subsidiary of organized labor. After the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decided to turn Atlas Shrugged into a documentary and…

One of the most typical reactions of French commentators to the arrest of Dominique Strauss-Kahn in New York has been a kind of knee jerk disparagement of the American criminal justice system – or the “atrocious” American criminal justice system, as one “expert” put it on the French news channel…

The Senate will vote on President Obama's nomination of Berkley law professor Goodwin Liu to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals today. Politico's Meredith Shiner reports that Liu "teeters toward a loss":

Here's the full text, as prepared for delivery, of President Obama's Middle East address:

This "Age of Obama" is exhausting. Ever since Barack Obama stepped onto the stage at the DNC in 2004, it's as if we've all been stuck as bit players in the "Obama Show," which has by now become very tiresome in its seventh season. Everything all the time invariably is interpreted through this…

On Friday, President Barack Obama will visit the CIA’s headquarters in Virginia to thank intelligence professionals for helping to kill Osama bin Laden. According to practically all news reports detailing the operation earlier this month in Abbottabad, Pakistan, the CIA was integral in providing…

There's a U.N. report on North Korea that China doesn't want you to read. Why? Because it "accus[es] North Korea of actively exporting ballistic missiles, components and technology to customers in the Middle East," according to the AP. And, according to Global Security Newswire, China is "acting as…

Stanford economics professor and Hoover Insitution Fellow John B. Taylor argues that having the debt ceiling tied to spending cuts will bolster economic confidence and government credibility:

President Obama’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), headed by Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, has now granted Obamacare waivers to the entire states of Nevada and New Hampshire. In its letter to Nevada, HHS admits that, without the waiver, “there is a reasonable likelihood” that Obamacare…

"Schumer: You’re damn right we’ll use Gingrich’s criticism of Ryan against the GOP"

The Wall Street Journal reports: 

There is definite discontent among plugged-in Republicans about the GOP field. From what I gather, lots of people feel as though no candidate offers the right combination of conservatism, authenticity, and excitement. Those seem to be the main grievance points.

Reading a short AP story on the new Dick Cheney book, I couldn't help but note this line:

Meredith Whitnety: Yup, muni bonds are still boned.

It's the subtlety here that you really have to appreciate. I mean, here is a liberal group that has total faith that Americans want to understand the issues and make informed policy choices:

The AP reports:

According to the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, the Turkish Islamist group I.H.H. has condemned America's killing of Osama bin Laden:

Philip Roth wins the 2011 Man Booker International Prize. And one of the judges promptly resigns, with this provocative comment (among others):  "Emperor's clothes: in 20 years' time will anyone read him?" A worthy question.

After hundreds of deaths of protesters at the hands of Bashar al-Assad's forces in Syria, the U.S. "will impose sanctions on Syrian President Bashar Assad for human rights abuses on Wednesday," Reuters reports. Although the report calls this a "dramatic escalation of US pressure on Damascus to…

More anti-media thuggery from the Obama White House:

Straight from the Obama campaign to my inbox:

As the New York Times reports, organizations that provide home health care or nursing home care are seeking waivers from Obamacare, which would otherwise compromise their ability to provide care. The Times writes that “many nursing homes and home care agencies, alarmed at the cost of providing…

Charlie Cook on next week's special election in western New York: 

If your dishwasher isn't performing the way it used to (because of an obscure political-environmental battle in Spokane, Washington) there may be hope for fixing your "new and improved" dish detergent. Reader P.J. writes in with the results of some rigorous practical trials:

Congressmen Eric Cantor and Peter Roskam write in Politico:

Much has been made of the Paul Ryan-authored House budget’s proposal to make Medicare more solvent through increased competition and choice — and rightly so. But that proposal is hardly the sole difference between the respective budgets authored by Ryan and President Obama.

Fox News's Jennifer Griffin reports that Pakistan is rushing to complete its fourth nuclear reactor:

"Egyptian Saif al-Adel now acting leader of al Qaeda, ex-militant says"

Matt Welch on why Bernard Henri-Levy is "France's National Disgrace." And a bonus reminder from Jonah Goldberg on BHL's amazing self-regard.

In a statement released by the Pawlenty for President Exploratory Committee, former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty offered advice for the president on his upcoming meeting with Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "President Obama should use his meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu to…

After much fanfare about a coming bipartisan budget agreement in the Senate, it looks as though rumors that the so-called Gang of Six had fallen apart may be true. Bloomberg reports:

One of our TWS colleagues (who asks to remain anonymous) emails from aboard Holland America’s Eurodam, at sea between Lisbon, Portugal and Vigo, Spain:

On a conference call with bloggers and reporters from conservative media outlets today, Newt Gingrich continued to do damage control in the wake of his comments on Meet the Press, in which he used the terms "radical change" and "right-wing social engineering" when discussing the House Republicans'…

Tom Gross, a Middle East analyst based in Israel, recently gave an interview to Radio Farda, the pro-democracy branch of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that broadcasts in Iran. Gross discussed Iran, Israel, democracy, and the Middle East, among other topics. The interview was translated into Farsi…

Reuters reports that former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani has joined a presidential campaign in Peru: 

Bloomberg reports that the Syrians are continuing to protest today against the Assad regime. According to the news report, this comes after "the discovery of a mass grave containing the bodies of anti-government activists." Bloomberg reports:

Last night, Charles Krauthammer weighed in on the controversy surrounding Newt Gingrich's criticism of the House Republican's budget. "This is a big deal," Krauthammer said on Fox News. "He's done. He didn't have a big chance from the beginning, but now it's over. Apart from being contradictory and…

THE WEEKLY STANDARD has confirmed that Paul Ryan will announce he does not intend to run for what will be an open Wisconsin Senate seat in 2012, with Herb Kohl's retirement. As House Budget chair, Ryan has his hands full, developing and promoting various efforts at "right-wing social…

Lawrence Kaplan writes in the Wall Street Journal:

Former Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson is mulling a Senate run, Mike Allen reports:

Adult stem cells cure AIDS?

Gallup: "Americans' Economic Concerns Reach Two-Year High"

AEI's Critical Threats team will be hosting an important conference on Yemen tomorrow, titled, "Crisis in Yemen, the Rise of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, and US National Security." Here are the event details:

This Nakba Day was different because it fell amidst the many recent developments in what we call the Arab Spring. It is probably correct that Palestinians have been feeling left out, as the attention of the world and of their Arab brothers turns to reform, politics, revolts, elections,…

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is ramping up its misleading campaign on this year's Republican House budget (which includes Medicare reforms). On a new microsite, DontEndMedicare.com, the DCCC is urging citizens to "Tell Republican Members of Congress to keep their hands off…

Conn Carroll highlights a greeting Newt Gingrich received in Iowa today. Per the Des Moines Register: 

"Harlequin is revolutionizing the e-book market," John Barber writes in the Globe and Mail. (I wrote about this two years ago -- and offered a number of other reasons for romance's popularity in electronic form.)

Speaking at the Economic Club of Chicago this afternoon, House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) intensified his criticism of opponents of his "Path to Prosperity" budget plan, including President Barack Obama, calling their vision for the future of America one of "shared scarcity."

The latest Rasmussen poll of likely voters shows that, by a margin of 17 percentage points (55 to 38 percent), Americans support the repeal of Obamacare. Repeal is supported by men and women; by those in their 30s, 40s, 50s to mid-60s, and mid-60s on up; and by all income groups (ranging from…

In a Foreign Policy article, “Confessions of a Vulcan,” Dov Zakheim puts himself and his former Bush-era “Vulcan” colleagues in his analytical crosshairs, in particular on the subject of Afghanistan and the larger issue of “nation building,” or, as Zakheim more correctly and precisely defines it,…

“If we don’t succeed, I probably won’t be re-elected. If I’m not re-elected, you’re not gonna have somebody who does the kinds of things I do, who actually believes in government, and believes in unions at the same time.” — Gov. Dannel Malloy to union leaders on March 4. 

The Washington Post's Philip Rucker reports on the NY-26 special election, which will be held in 8 days: 

It's now being reported that businessman Donald Trump won't run for president in 2012. This wasn't the first time Trump considered running: Matt Labash wrote about  The Donald's campaign in 2000: 

Indiana state supreme court justice Steven David, a recent appointee of Governor Mitch Daniels, authored a 3-2 opinion that openly admits to overturning several centuries of common law understanding. At issue was this question: If police officers attempt to unlawfully enter the home of a free…

The Hill's Michael O'Brien writes:

In a lot of the discussions of Paul Ryan's proposed Medicare reform--whether by Newt Gingrich, Democrats, or the media--the Wisconsin congressman's plan is often compared to the Medicare status quo. Of course, everyone agrees that Medicare is on an unsustainable course. This chart from the…

Via Breitbart.tv, "Transparent: Obama Official Refuses to Disclose Information About Executive Order on Transparency."

Over the weekend, International Monetary Fund head Dominique Strauss-Kahn was nabbed by police and accused of sexually assaulting a hotel maid. Even as that case is being sorted out, new allegations of sexual assault are emerging against the high-powered French bureaucrat:

On April 20, Newt Gingrich said he would have voted for Paul Ryan's Medicare reform and praised it as just a "first step" toward fixing our health care system. In a Facebook post hours later, he edged away from his full embrace of Ryan's plan.

In what is fast becoming a weekly event, the Obama administration granted 200 more companies waivers from the Democrats' sweeping health care law in the Friday night news dump. That brings the number of companies receiving waivers to 1,372. (You can get a full list of the companies exempted here.)

There is now talk of Paul Ryan potentially running for Senate in 2012, in the wake of Democratic incumbent Herb Kohl’s announcement that he is retiring. It seems unlikely, however, that this prospect will be very tempting to Ryan.

This doesn't sound good: "Shadow Stat Misery Index Highest on Record"

Against Reform by John Pepall Toronto, 176 pp., $19.95

Good and Bad Ways to Think About Religion and Politics by Robert Benne Eerdmans, 128 pp., $14

Judging the likely trajectory of post-Mubarak Egypt requires assessing the depth of public support for Islamism, and usually this has meant assessing the strength and intentions of the Muslim Brotherhood. While the Brotherhood remains central, however, the country is also facing a frequently…

Louisville Kentucky is one of just four states electing governors this year, and the race—pitting Democratic incumbent Steve Beshear against a Republican nominee to be chosen in a primary on May 17—will be colorful and could be close.

Atlas Shrugged Directed by Paul Johansson

Here’s what we posted on our website shortly after President Obama finished speaking Sunday night, May 1:

In May 2010, in the aftermath of the attempted bombing of Times Square by a jihadist with ties to the Pakistani Taliban, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave an interview to 60 Minutes and made a startling claim about the government in Pakistan. “I’m not saying that they’re at the highest…

Before Osama bin Laden’s body was even cold—or wet, depending upon how quickly it was committed to the Arabian Sea—the debate over the significance of his demise at the hands of U.S. Navy SEALs was underway. Some suggest he will prove irreplaceable to al Qaeda, a uniquely inspiring leader and…

Acting White The Curious History of a Racial Slur by Ron Christie Thomas Dunne, 304 pp., $25.99

Who’s the most powerful conservative leader in the Americas, north and south? That may sound like a trick question, but it’s not. The answer is Stephen Harper, the Canadian prime minister who triumphed last week in an election that all but destroyed two opposition parties, the Liberals and the Bloc…

The Deadlocked Election of 1800 Jefferson, Burr, and the Union in the Balance by James Roger Sharp Kansas, 239 pp., $34.95

The killing of Osama bin Laden says a lot about the United States at war. It occurred almost a decade after 9/11, contradicting the notion that a democracy can’t fight a long war. It demonstrates that our presence in Afghanistan, without which the raid would have been impossible, is our main point…

Sunday morning on Meet the Press, former House speaker Newt Gingrich ripped the Medicare reform proposed by Paul Ryan and supported by almost all House Republicans as "radical" and "right-wing social engineering."

The weakening of the dollar since 2008 has added 56.5 cents to the price of gasoline, the congressional Joint Economic Committee (JEC) has found. The average price of gasoline would be $3.40 per gallon, instead of the current average price nationally of nearly $4, if the dollar hadn’t declined.

From Fox News:

In-N-Out Burger officially arrived in Texas last week, and the overwhelming response it received has drawn attention from fans everywhere. The chain, which prides itself in its fresh, never-frozen ingredients, has established a meat-distribution center in the state and is opening stores in Frisco…

In case you missed it, check out Kevin Kosar’s review of Ellen and Edith: Woodrow Wilson’s First Ladies, from the May 9th issue. He reintroduces us to the man who championed the League of Nations through the lens of his relationships with his wives:

Phoenix—There is something bracing about a trip away from Washington, a town in which it is widely accepted that no person of prominence means what he or she says. The president says that he will not sign on to any significant spending cuts, and the Republicans say they will not sign on to any tax…

Too bad for him the election is next year: "Two Years In, Obama Says Full Recovery Will 'Take Us Several Years'"

A statement from Congressman Paul Ryan: 

It's official: Ashton Kutcher is replacing Charlie Sheen on Two and a Half Men. Though really, no one could actually replace the singular Sheen...

Erin McPike at RealClearPolitics reports that, following a big fundraising speech by Mitch Daniels's wife, the Indiana governor kicked back with some college students who are asking him to run for president:

It’s Friday, so Syrians are out in the streets again protesting, as they have been on every Friday now for almost two months, braving the atrocities of a regime that has surrounded several Syrian cities with tanks and allegedly fired on its citizens with artillery.

New York Times:

The New York Times reports:

CNN reports that Defense Secretary Robert Gates is concerned about the security of the Navy SEALs, after the Obama administration credited the elite force with killing Osama bin Laden in Pakistan:

Reuters has published its account of the hunt for Osama bin Laden. Like other versions of the story that have come out, this one says that the key information about the courier who unwittingly led authorities to bin Laden’s Abbottabad compound came from Hassan Ghul – an al Qaeda operative who was…

Maybe we'll have to settle for watching the Ryan-Feingold debates in 2012:

Chris Cilizza reports that Wisconsin Democrat senator Herb Kohl plans to call it quits after 2012:

This might be the surest sign yet that the Indiana Governor is ready to run:

Is the mainstream media the Obama administration's farm team? With the hiring of the Washington Post's Shailagh Murray to be Joe Biden's new communications director, which happened after the vice president's old press guy (Jay Carney, formerly of Time magazine) was called up to the major leagues to…

This week, the latest challenge to Obamacare, and its individual mandate to purchase health insurance, was heard before the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond. Similar appeals cases are due to be heard next month in Cincinnati and Atlanta. Already two federal judges have declared the mandate…

A recently leaked threat assessment prepared at Guantanamo draws into question the Obama administration’s analysis of a detainee who was transferred to Yemen shortly before all future transfers to the unstable nation were suspended.

"Why Don't We Hear About Soros' Ties to Over 30 Major News Organizations?"

Mitt Romney brings out strong feelings among Republicans. Some see him as the conservative exemplar, the man who can return the party to its pro-business, fiscal conservative roots. Others see him as an “establishment RINO” who says what needs to be said in order to win a political…

Steve Hayward: "Mulling a Daniels Run"

In a speech today in Michigan, Mitt Romney made it clear he won't be running away from the health care system he implemented in Massachusetts. While pundits have encouraged him to admit that it was a mistake, Romney said, “There’s only one problem with that--it wouldn’t be honest.”

The Library of Congress has opened a "National Jukebox" on the Internet. It has more than 10,000 recordings and more are on the way, in genres from classical to Tin Pan Alley. But heed the LoC's disclaimer: "WARNING: Historical recordings may contain offensive language."

Thirty-four Republican senators will send a letter to Barack Obama, calling on the president "to finally end the DOJ’s unwarranted investigations of CIA interrogators, whose work led to one of the most defining moments of the Global War on Terror."

General Ray Odierno is warning against Defense cuts, Defense News reports:

A bipartisan group of senators joined together yesterday to discuss a proposed Senate resolution on Syria, which would condemn the rogue regime and urge the Obama administration to act decisively. The strongly worded resolution "expresses solidarity and support for the people of Syria as they seek…

Once again, Muqtada al Sadr may help the United States snatch success from the jaws of defeat in Iraq.

Professor John Michael Bailey’s course on human sexuality has been dropped from Northwestern University’s offerings in psychology for next year. The publicity surrounding an optional after-class live demonstration of a motorized sex toy apparently had a sobering effect in the hallowed halls.

Have you heard the news? First the nefarious Koch brothers were trying to end education for kids in Wisconsin (well, until they weren’t actually). And, now, if you can believe it, the news is that the Koch brothers are trying to promote education! Some nerve…

The Oslo Freedom Forum is the brainchild of activist and social entrepreneur Thor Halvorssen. As the National Review’s Jay Nordlinger recently commented, Halvorssen’s Forum is “that rare thing under the sun: a genuine human rights conference.” Unlike so many other such gatherings, the goal here in…

A bipartisan group of members of Congress has written a letter to Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, asking to "help work out a mechanism with Israel to allow legitimate humanitarian assistance to go to Gaza without provoking a needless confrontation."

Where is the Senate Democrats' actual budget plan for 2012? Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, presented a proposal to his caucus in a closed-door meeting Tuesday, telling reporters afterward that the plan will seek to reduce the deficit by $4 trillion, with $2 trillion…

Jack Davis, the "Tea Party" candidate in the upcoming NY-26 special election who has run before as a Democrat for congress, roughed up a Republican tracking him with a video camera last night. "Hey, you wanna [get] punched out?" Davis asks the tracker, who was asking Davis why he backed out of the…

Hope and Change: "85% of New College Grads Move Back in with Mom and Dad"

"Want to guess which potential Republican candidate looks ready to pass the pH test on [cap and trade]? Mitch Daniels. In early 2009, when the issue was ill-defined, he was already arguing against it. That's a nice arrow in the quiver the next time he's asked about the 'social truce.'"

Many people in the business community and in Congress are up in arms over the National Labor Relations Board's attempt to tell Boeing that they can't build factory in South Carolina. This was Harry Reid's response to their protests:

The J. Paul Getty Trust, the world's richest art organization, has a new president: James Cuno, director of the Art Institute of Chicago. And New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art has a new chairman: real estate developer Daniel Brodsky, who tells the New York Times that he doesn't know much about…

Former congressman Newt Gingrich today announced his "candidacy for President of the United States."

One big problem conservatives face in trying to develop and implement effective public policy is that conservative thinkers have gotten used to operating in an intellectual milieu that assumes activist government is the answer to every question.

Three months after the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak, the new Egypt is still sorting itself out—and perhaps will be for some time to come. Observers are concerned about both the country’s domestic problems—attacks on the Coptic Community, the rise of the long-repressed Salafi movement,…

There's been something of a furor over the invitation of the rapper Common to the White House. Common is typically associated with so-called "positive" hip-hop; however, his politics are very left-wing and some of his lyrics have romanticized left-wing terrorist groups. Specifically, he's written…

Reuters reports that President Obama "could deliver a major policy speech as early as next week laying out his new Middle East strategy following the US killing of Osama bin Laden and amid ongoing upheaval in the Arab world, US officials said on Wednesday."

Less than a month ago, Senator John Kerry defended the Syrian regime, expressing optimism that it would reform on its own. Kerry said, as Josh Rogin reports at Foreign Policy:

I was a bit surprised this morning to see an AP poll showing the President at a 60 percent approval rating, and the number of Americans saying he should be reelected above 50 percent. Numerous other polls have shown a small post-Osama bounce, but they've also shown his approval on the economy being…

In the aftermath of Osama bin Laden’s death, the Washington Post ran a four-part series by men and women who had their “lives shattered and transformed by” the terror master. One of the contributors was especially curious: former Guantanamo detainee Moazzam Begg.

Republican David Bellavia, an Iraq war veteran and Republican candidate who was passed over by the GOP county chairmen in favor of Jane Corwin as the nominee in New York's 26th Congressional District, indicated last night that he plans on endorsing Jack Davis, a former Democrat now running as a…

Jen Rubin at the Washington Post talks to Senator Marco Rubio about Syria:

Alternate headline: "Honestly, Who Cares?"

On Sunday, Byron York offered a fascinating report on the thinking among Republican insiders in South Carolina:

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell will vote against increasing the debt limit unless President Obama agrees to spending cuts and long term reforms that satisfy the bond market, as well as foreign investors, and “astonish the American people.”

After several months of bipartisan gangs, presidential commissions and summits, and rhetoric from leadership, the Senate has still not passed a budget resolution. And even more meetings at the White House about budget deficits this week mean the delay continues. Finally, though, there seems to be…

"Indiana Gov. Daniels thinks he could beat Obama"

In February, David Bellavia, a decorated Iraq war combat veteran and conservative Republican, was passed over by GOP party chairmen as a candidate for New York's 26th Congressional District special election. Bellavia tells THE WEEKLY STANDARD that tomorrow night at a rally in Rochester he will…

Ahmed Benchemsi would probably have held on to his job as editor of Morocco’s top newsmagazine, TelQuel, had he known a wave of democratic uprisings was about to engulf the Middle East and North Africa. Last October, he had been forced to shutter TelQuel’s Arabic-language sister publication,…

The Obama administration has been under siege for its support of the U.N.’s top human rights body, the U.N. Human Rights Council. Until today, Syria was seeking to join the Council during elections scheduled to take place at the General Assembly on May 20, 2011. The administration, European states,…

The latest indestructible media meme is that Republicans are in disarray over Paul Ryan's proposed Medicare reform. "Republican rift widens on Medicare," write The Hill's Alexander Bolton and Julian Pecquet today. Their evidence of the ever-widening rift is that Senator Pat Toomey (R, Pa.)…

Television ownership in America is down for the first time in two decades. Your first thought will be that the Internet is killing the boxes, but as the piece pointed out, the digital conversation had the effect of making many go without.

Well, this is an interesting development:

The Palestinians zealously celebrated last week’s unity deal between Hamas and Fatah. Young men in both the West Bank and Gaza cruised around in their cars, honking and flashing the victory sign out of their windows. There was dancing, singing, and firecrackers. Indeed, the civil war between the…

The website The Final Edition has just been unveiled with some fanfare. Ostensibly, it's a parody of the New York Times. Heaven knows there's no shortage of material there. The Atlantic's summation of what's on the site will give you the general flavor:

After New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's recent praise of Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels yesterday, I joked that Daniels/Christie would make an awfully good ticket for 2012.

The Syrian regime is pledging to fight until the end, as protesters continue to take to the streets across the Arab nation. "We will sit here," a cousin of Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad said, according to the New York Times. "We call it a fight until the end."

Back in February, weeks before NATO launched its Libyan bombing campaign but after the Tripoli regime had slaughtered hundreds of civilians, Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega phoned Muammar Qaddafi multiple times to express his support. Speaking publicly, Ortega declared that the bloodstained…

John Heilemann: "If the economy remains in the state it’s in today come Labor Day next year, the ending of bin Laden will be all but forgotten as a salient voting issue, and Obama will be vulnerable, more vulnerable than he would find plausible, or even imaginable, today."

A key excerpt from John Boehner's Monday night speech on the debt ceiling: 

Wither Ryan/Rubio 2012? Is Daniels/Christie the new hotness?

CNN reports: 

That's the question Jennifer Rubin is asking about over at the Washington Post today, and it's a good one. While Democrats have been all Mediscare all the time, no one's really asking about Obamacare's Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). The president claims this will cut a trillion and a…

There is an awful lot of rampant speculation right now, much of it masquerading as confirmed fact, about how well the House Republican’s proposed Medicare reforms are going over with the American public. But there is very little hard evidence. There have only been two polls, to my knowledge, that…

Max Boot writes in the Wall Street Journal: 

In an interview with President Obama on Sunday night’s 60 Minutes, Steve Kroft asked:

In the small town of Orcutt, California, a private association has raised donations to erect a flagpole and monument between a highway exit and a park-and-ride lot, at the entrance to the community’s Old Town section. The pole would hang the American flag, encircled by five pillars, one each for…

Oslo—During the Second World War, Nazi Germany occupied Norway over five brutal years. By the time the Scandinavian nation was liberated by Allied forces and its indigenous resistance movement, more than 10,000 Norwegians had lost their lives and almost as many had spent time in German…

Fred Barnes writes in the Wall Street Journal:

"JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR"

Nonetheless, Obama may be moving toward something resembling a doctrine. One of his advisers described the president’s actions in Libya as “leading from behind.” That’s not a slogan designed for signs at the 2012 Democratic convention, but it does accurately describe the balance that Obama now…

Portsmouth, N.H.

Miami 

Wipe that smirk off your face, Mister President. “We cannot afford $1 trillion worth of tax cuts for every millionaire and billionaire in our society.” Is there some Sidwell Friends night school class liberal politicians take to perfect an expression of smug disdain? When Teddy Roosevelt was…

But with the inevitable forward march of progress come new ways of hiding things, and new things to hide. —Chris Ware, Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth  

We may never know whether the conjecture of the historian Fouad Ajami is correct: that President Barack Obama sought the approval of the Arab League for the air war against Muammar Qaddafi because he thought the league—an organization that has always shown greater sympathy for the region’s rulers…

A spectre is haunting Europe​—​the spectre of the disintegration of the eurozone. All the powers of old Europe have entered into a holy alliance to exorcize this spectre: German chancellor and French president, the Brussels eurocracy and the bonus-laden bankers. Let the ruling classes tremble. The…

Since the introduction of Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget, backed by the House GOP, Democrats have been heavily engaged in “Mediscare” tactics. “Put simply, it ends Medicare as we know it,” said President Obama, attacking Ryan’s plan. 

Ellen and Edith

I know you were all waiting with bated breath to see when America's Greatest Living Public Intellectual™ would weigh in on the Osama bin Laden killing, so good news! Chomsky's dutiful stenographers have seen fit to wipe the cerebral-spinal fluid dripping out the corner of his mouth, and splatter it…

At Politico, Carrie Budoff Brown reports Dick Cheney isn't objecting to Obama's decision not to release photos Osama bin Laden's body:

The news has flown a bit under the radar here in the United States, for understandable reasons; but the results earlier this week of the Scottish parliament elections are historic. Whether this is good or bad history, of course, remains to be seen. For the first time, and much against the odds and…

To get in the mood for today's Kentucky Derby, I highly recommend reading WEEKLY STANDARD senior editor Lee Smith's recent reminiscence of attending the event as a child. After all, not many people can say that their grandfather owned the thoroughbred that won the run for the roses:

Bourbon

When actor-activist Michael J. Fox released his memoir Lucky Man, Phyllis Richman thought the title a bit much. Sure, the most popular celebrity suffering from Parkinson's disease has done a lot to spread awareness, but to call himself lucky? "With apologies to Michael J. Fox," writes Richman in…

When the killing of Osama bin Laden was announced, Washingtonians joined in the nationwide spontaneous celebrations. Then began the calculation of the impact of the president’s actions on his electoral prospects.

"Obama is rude and unresponsive to sister of 9/11 victim"

On Wednesday night, the Washington Post sent out a "Breaking News" alert under the headline "Medicare dropped from GOP budget proposal." An hour later, the Post sent out a correction:

It appears that Pakistan is now putting on a tough face, trying to send the message that the country that harbored Osama bin Laden can in fact control its terrorism problem. CBS reports:

The panjandrums at the Democratic National Committee are upset—as they so often are, at the American people, at the economy, at the world, at reality. But now they’re unhappy with...THE WEEKLY STANDARD! Can you believe it? All because our colleague, Daniel Halper, reported (accurately) yesterday…

As expected, the Yale College faculty voted Thursday to remove all obstacles to hosting an on-campus ROTC program. The Yale Daily News reported a “significant majority” in favor. According to a source, support was so strong a simple show of hands was enough to decide the issue; no ballots…

Kathleen Sebelius, President Obama’s secretary of Health and Human Services, lowered the bar of political discourse still further yesterday. Sebelius said that, under the proposed Medicare reforms authored by Paul Ryan and passed overwhelmingly by the House of Representatives, many seniors would…

Cheryl Miller, at the American Enterprise Institute, has written an informative report on ROTC, titled "A Case Study of ROTC in New York City." Here are some of the reports key findings:

The thing to watch going into last night's debate was Tim Pawlenty's performance because the Minnesota governor was the only one of the five candidates participating with a good chance of winning the Republican nomination. He didn't exactly blow anyone away, but he did get in an adequate number of…

Tariq Ramadan is the latest in a long chorus to criticize the Obama administration for killing Osama bin Laden. The organization that his grandfather Hassan al-Banna started, the Muslim Brotherhood, along with its Palestinian branch Hamas, mourned the death of the holy warrior, while more moderate…

Dave Weigel reports:

The Scrapbook is pleased to doff its homburg to the estimable Claremont Review of Books. The Tenth Anniversary issue just landed on our cluttered desk—with a bit of a thud, actually, since it’s a hefty double issue, running 118 pages. But a very high quality thud—it’s an astonishingly compelling…

Sky News reports:

Charles Krauthammer writes in the Washington Post:

Mark Halperin: "Five Mistakes the Obama Administration Has Made in the Aftermath of Bin Laden Killing"

I have noticed something unsettling in my own life lately: I know a lot of people who are on food stamps or some kind of extraordinary government assistance. The count right now stands around 10 people, which is a lot for a small town denizen such as myself.

There have been a lot of bad and self-serving arguments made against offshore oil drilling, but after the House of Representatives passed a bill permitting offshore drilling in Virginia today, Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., may have taken craven opportunism to new heights: 

"In Bin Laden’s Compound, Seals’ All-Star Team"

Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty arguably has the most to lose or gain in tonight's Republican presidential debate in Greenville, South Carolina. That's because he seems to be the only one of the five candidates participating in debate with a good shot of actually becoming the Republican nominee.

Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, told reporters and business leaders this morning at a breakfast on Capitol Hill that House Republicans have returned from their town hall meetings “energized” about their 2012 budget. "I talked to dozens of members yesterday…

Director Kenneth Branagh explains why his comic book adaptation Thor, which opens this Friday, is not so different from his Shakespeare films. And he compares it to the royal wedding.

Obama's not one to "spike the football" after a victory (or after killing Osama bin Laden), but it seems his campaign team (or some of his ardent supporters) doesn't feel the same way. Check out www.gutsycall.com -- it redirects users to Obama's campaign website, www.barackobama.com. Could it be…

In response to the Justice Department sending a letter to the head of the NCAA, asking a few questions about why college football doesn’t have a generic playoff system in lieu of its highly successful Bowl Championship Series (BCS), Senator Orrin Hatch (R., Utah) encouraged the Obama administration…

For today's big event at Ground Zero celebrating the death of bin Laden, the White House invited a cross-section of 50 9/11 families to participate. The South Florida Sun Sentinel reports that at least one family has declined the invite, in part because they were put off by the fact the White House…

Over at The Atlantic, Derek Thompson flags this terrifying indicator:

Likely voters’ responses to two questions in a recent Rasmussen poll highlight both the challenge that Paul Ryan and the House Republicans face in persuading Americans to support their proposed budget, and why it’s likely that they will ultimately prevail. Rasmussen asked likely voters what they…

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) produced a highly misleading ad last week about the House GOP's Medicare reform plan. The ad portrayed seniors working tough jobs to pay for their health care under a plan the DCCC says would "end Medicare."

ThinkProgress, a blog of the left-wing Center for American Progress Action Fund, sent a blogger to cover many of Paul Ryan's recent town hall meetings in an apparent attempt to spin a "budget backlash" narrative. So kudos to Igor Volsky at ThinkProgress for acknowledging the truth in this post…

You see what happens when you bring rapacious lawyers and San Francisco politics together?:

In wake of the recent Hamas-Fatah agreement, that's the question many on Capitol Hill are beginning to ask. For instance, yesterday, Democratic congressman Ted Deutch released the following statement: 

With government looking to cut spending, many are turning a watchful eye to the Department of Defense. The problem is, as Michael Goldfarb explains to Reuters, it's hard to make the argument, especially after the military's successful killing of Osama bin Laden, that there's a more effective…

On talk radio and TV, there seems to be a rising chorus of voices calling for the White House to release photos of the deceased and bloodied Osama bid Laden. At least two potential GOP presidential candidates have joined the chorus. But the Obama administration should be commended for deciding not…

Ever since President Obama gave his speech on deficit reduction last month, in response to the Paul Ryan-authored 2012 House Republican budget, press accounts have suggested that he has released an actual budget that would reduce deficit spending by $4 trillion. This claim is wrong on both counts:…

While you are picking out a card for your mom this week (Mother’s Day is Sunday!), keep in mind just how much she misses you. The Wall Street Journal posted a piece yesterday on “Women on the Verge of an Empty Nest,” about the new psychological issues today’s mothers face as they approach the…

It's official -- we've reached a point where most of America pays no federal income tax.

Bill Roggio on "who will lead al Qaeda?"

“There are those who say the United States should not be the global policeman. But if not us, who?”

In what could be a sign of desperation on the part of opponents of the Paul Ryan’s budget, the Washington Post’s Ezra Klein and Slate’s Simon Lazarus both argue that the House budget contains an Obamacare-like individual mandate that requires people to buy health insurance under penalty of law. The…

JerrySeinfeld.com debuts Friday. The comedian has assembled over a thousand clips from his standup career. But they'll be made available just three videos at a time. His rationale? “Burger King now has a burger where you decide how many patties. How disgusting is that? That’s the problem right…

Quinnipiac asks registered voters whether

The House of Representatives voted today on the "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act," which bans direct federal funding of elective abortions and federal funding of insurance policies that cover elective abortions, such as policies that will be offered by Obamacare's exchanges in a few short…

The leaders of the House Progressive Caucus write a letter urging President Obama to announce a "significant drawdown of U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan":

The New Yorker’s Ryan Lizza, who a week ago gave us the “lead from behind” version of the Obama Doctrine, now suggests that in the wake of the killing of Osama bin Laden, there may be yet another “new” direction for administration policy.

With the news of Osama bin Laden’s death sating much of the world’s appetite for reports from the Middle East, the Syrian regime has used what is essentially a media blackout to move against the opposition. As the London-based pan-Arab daily Al Hayat reports:

Mitch Daniels, the Republican governor of Indiana and a possible presidential candidate in 2012, still hasn't fleshed out his ideas on foreign policy in general or the war in Afghanistan in particular.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the House of Representatives voted yesterday to repeal mandatory federal funding to states to establish Obamacare exchanges. The Inquirer writes:

Dave Weigel looks at the internals of the latest New York Times poll and notices something that should be rather disconcerting for the president:

Guess he thinks this beats a bullet to the head from a Navy SEAL:

Via Moe Lane, I think it's best to let the schadenfreude wash over you like a warm breeze on a Caribbean island. Go ahead and savor this one, people:

The Hill:

Those who actually know what information was gathered from the use of enhanced interrogation techniques by CIA officers are now feeling vindicated. After years of being widely criticized for the program, information that these CIA interrogators learned from their use of enhanced interrogation…

That's the case Senator John Cornyn (R, Tex.) makes against Jack McConnell, Obama's nominee to serve on the U.S. District Court in Rhode Island:

Fred Kagan writes:

Rasmussen finds that 40 percent of likely voters haven't heard enough about Ryan's plan to have an opinion about it, while 26 percent support it and 34 percent oppose it. What does this tell us? The fight over the budget remains very much unsettled.

A new Rasmussen poll shows Chris Christie and Paul Ryan running first and second, respectively, among potential Republican presidential candidates. This is one of the first national surveys to include Ryan and Christie in its list of prospective candidates. Michele Bachmann also fares well in the…

The 2011 TIME 100, Time magazine’s list of the 100 “most influential people in the world,” includes three — and only three — potential Republican presidential candidates. Which three? Paul Ryan, Chris Christie, and Michele Bachmann.  Could Time, for all its weaknesses, have a better sense than the…

"Senate Republicans Release Jobs Plan"

In the wake of Osama bin Laden's death at the hands of a covert U.S. assault force, there has been plenty of specualtion in the U.S. press about Pakistan's involvement in sheltering the terror chief, followed by denials from Pakistan. But in an interview with Time magazine, CIA director Leon…

"How anti-war members of Congress hope to capitalize on Bin Laden's death."

Several weeks ago, I had the honor of visiting a Navy SEAL training facility in Virginia and spending a day with a SEAL team commanded by a former colleague from my time in government. I left that experience impressed by the bravery and commitment of these young men, who were preparing for a future…

Since its onset in mid-January, the Arab Spring has caused serious problems for the Islamic Republic of Iran. Even more than other Middle Eastern states threatened by mass dissent, Iran’s ruling regime has fostered bizarre conspiracy theories blaming its intellectual enemies, both foreign and…

"NEA Research Director Sunil Iyengar said the fact that performing arts ticket revenue is bigger than movie ticket sales will surprise many people." Not those who know that movie tickets are around $10, and a night at the opera can start at $100. Another story on the study conducted by the National…

Will the killing of Osama bin Laden boost President Obama’s chances of reelection? That’s unknowable at this point. But what is clear as a result of the terrorist leader’s death is that things will get easier for Obama’s foreign policy over the next few months.

It appears that somebody at AdWeek lost a pretty serious bet, because despite the half-hearted caveats and hypotheticals, this is possibly the most repugnant magazine article I've read in a great long while:

Yet another version of how U.S. intelligence officials identified Osama bin Laden’s courier has been published. Again, we need confirmation from intelligence officials to determine which details are true. It is not at all clear at this point how this went down.

I just ran into former White House chief of staff/Treasury secretary/secretary of State Jim Baker at Reagan National airport. After some small talk and some sharing of our pleasure at the killing of Osama bin Laden and our admiration for all involved, from the president to the Navy SEALs, we…

The Washington Post and the Pew Research Center conducted a poll yesterday that shows President Obama's job approval rating is 56 percent, "an increase of nine percentage points over April polls by Post-ABC News and Pew. That is the highest approval rating for the president in either poll since…

Earlier today, the boss responded to an email from Ben Smith asking for reaction to Sarah Palin's foreign policy speech. The boss:

In the judgment of one of my most knowledgeable colleagues, this is the best Taiwan news animation ever:

The Fatah group the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades has released the following statement, condemning the U.S. for killing Osama bin Laden:

The Washington Post provides a look at the anonymous (so far) Navy SEAL who killed Osama bin Laden, based on descriptions of the elite special ops unit from retired members:

He has been the subject of ongoing 2012 presidential speculation. His fiscal fortitude in Indiana has been widely covered, and his controversial “truce” remarks on social issues have sparked heated debate. But to date, Indiana governor Mitch Daniels has received very little national exposure for…

WEEKLY STANDARD contributing editor Reuel Marc Gerecht weighs in this morning with a piece in the Wall Street Journal on how "killing of Shiites in Iraq was Bin Laden's undoing in the eyes of many Muslims":

The Wall Street Journal editorializes on the latest activities of Kathleen Sebelius, President Obama’s secretary of Health and Human Services. Sebelius has decided effectively to tell the elderly CEO of Forest Labs to get a new job. The Journal's editors write:

The exact identity of Osama bin Laden’s courier, who unwittingly led to his boss’s demise, remains to be confirmed, but CNN reports that it was a Kuwaiti known as Abu Ahmad al Kuwaiti. If that’s true, then obviously it wasn’t the courier mentioned in the leaked Gitmo file written for Abu Faraj al…

Hitchens: "Death of a Madman"

"Limbaugh: ‘We Need To Open The Program Today By Congratulating President Obama’"

So Osama bin Laden has not been hiding in Karachi or somewhere in the mountains of Waziristan; rather, he’s been in Abbottabad. Oh dear. There might be a place more embarrassing for Pakistan but it is hard to think of one. It is yet further evidence that Pakistan, supposedly a key ally of the…

An official White House photo taken yesterday, in the Situation Room:

A recent scene on Iraqi television, via Bad Rachel: 

While most of the world celebrates the U.S. military operation that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, the sentiment is not unanimous. In the Gaza Strip, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has condemned the United States, accusing Washington of assassinating a “Muslim and Arabic warrior”…

Charles Krauthammer has it right: the number one take-away from Osama bin Laden’s killing is the “reach, power and efficiency” of the American military. The reach is global, the power is both immense and immensely precise (President Obama was able to reject the bomb-it-to-smithereens option on…

Reuters reports:

Movie critic Dan Kois admits that he hates watching films "that are good for you." Which raises the question: Should someone who admits their tastes are anything but sophisticated be given the job of film critic? Another question: Should someone who hates mainstream films be given the job of film…

Bob Kagan remembers Ron Asmus, a freedom fighter, at the Washington Post:

Keep America Safe just released this statement, following the death of Osama bin Laden: 

It's been reported that bin Laden was killed by SEAL Team Six, officially known as Naval Special Warfare Development Group or DevGru. Marc Ambinder has a good report that fills in some of the particulars:

A recently leaked Guantanamo file names Osama bin Laden’s “designated courier.” The file, which summarizes the available intelligence on top al Qaeda operative Abu Faraj al Libbi, reads: 

Katrina Trinko captured the scene and some moving videos: 

First reports from the battlefield are notoriously inaccurate, and it’s to be expected that they will be confusing and contradictory – and, considering that “sources and methods” and Pakistani sensibilities are fairly important in this case, probably intentionally misleading. The initial stories…

According to the Associated Press,

Following the death of Osama bin Laden at the hands of Navy Seals, U.S. Naval Academy Commandant Captain Robert E. Clark II addressed midshipmen in Annapolis last night:

The death of Osama bin Laden is a major symbolic victory in the war on terror. Not since the defeat of al Qaeda in Iraq has the U.S. been able to celebrate such a clear success against the terrorist enemy. This achievement will provide closure for the many lives lost on (and tremendous sacrifices…

The FBI updated its list of most wanted terrorists:

Reuters reports that the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas has taken Osama bin Laden's side: 

ABC News provides this exclusive footage from inside Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan:

A lot of parties inside the American government, from President Obama on down, will rightly claim credit for the demise of Osama bin Laden. But one party, in particular, deserves mention because its members have been repeatedly demonized in the press: the Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF-GTMO). 

President George W. Bush:

A senior administration official told reporters during a conference call tonight that during the raid by U.S. forces that killed Osama bin Laden "we lost one helicopter due to mechanical failure." But all U.S. forces escaped safely. "The aircraft was destroyed by the crew and the assault force and…

Congratulations to all those, from the president on down, who are responsible for the achievement of tracking down and killing Osama bin Laden. The wheels of justice may sometimes turn slowly, but turn they do—with the help of the United States armed forces and intelligence personnel. Justice has…

Osama bin Laden was killed today by American forces in Pakistan, President Obama just announced. The AP reports:

Mitch Daniels is likely, I’m told, to announce his candidacy for the GOP presidential nomination in the next couple of weeks. Michele Bachmann will, I think, enter the race in June. And it now looks as if Mike Huckabee is also going to run.

The Wall Street Journal reports: 

The April Kaiser Health Tracking Poll shows that, even among a group of respondents that lean Democratic by 15 points, support is divided right down the middle between leaving Medicare as it is and reforming it as Paul Ryan and the House of Representative have proposed.