January 2012

A reporter for the Arizona Republic notes that the state's Republican legislature is set to outdo Wisconsin with their attempt to curb public employee unions. According to the report, the bill would:

Mitt Romney seems to have succeeded in raising enough doubts about Newt Gingrich to secure a comfortable win in Florida, but his attacks and his prospective victory coincide with a majority of Americans thinking President Obama doesn’t look too bad. Rasmussen’s polling shows that 51 percent of all…

According to Barack Obama's 2012 campaign website, Jon Corzine of Hoboken, New Jersey raised at least $500,000 for the president's reelection effort. Here's the listing:

In response to Mitt Romney's remarks that he would protect Medicare and Social Security, this afternoon DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz held a conference call which was formally dubbed the Mitt Romney will destroy Medicare and Social Security conference call."

Via GOP12, here's a Newt Gingrich robocall going out to Floridians:

Via Real Clear Politics, Democratic party spokesman Brad Woodhouse makes a bizarre assertion in response to Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus comparing Obama to the captain of a wrecked Italian cruise ship:

Today's Wall Street Journal takes a look at Bobby Jindal's education reform proposals and concludes that the Louisiana Governor's is actually making a serious attempt to challenge the public education monopoly:

Patriotism, it’s said, is the last refuge of a scoundrel. A worthy example now making its way into the national spotlight is the United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC), which is making strained national security arguments on Capitol Hill to pave the way for a $2 billion federal bailout. If…

Last night, Sean Hannity asked Sarah Palin whether she’d vote for Newt Gingrich in Florida. Palin replied, “Yeah, I’d keep the process going.” The 2008 vice presidential nominee and former Alaska governor said the key question is, “Who is best able to defend our republic?”  She argued, “We find out…

Yesterday, Newt Gingrich did not answer questions regarding his past support for an individual health insurance mandate, as a recently discovered audio clip recorded in May 2009 showed. Here's what Gingrich said then:

The front-page headline in yesterday's New York Post blared, "Wheely Rich: Tycoon wills $1M to driver." Not only that, but the late music mogul Alan Meltzer gave $500,000 to his doorman. At least when it comes to the doorman, it shouldn't be a surprise. In Steve Dublanica's book on tipping, Keep…

BuzzFeed: "Not President Obama's Most Empathetic Moment"

At a campaign rally in Florida Monday evening, Mitt Romney told the crowd: "We will never go after Medicare and Social Security."

The Villages, Fla.

Daily Caller: "DOJ dodges, won’t say if Holder knew ‘Fast and Furious’ gun killed border guard"

Tampa, Fla.

I’m not sure you’ve heard, but freedom of the press is on the wane in the United States. Just last week the U.S. dropped 27 places in Reporters Without Borders’ annual Press Freedom Index, in large part due to the “many arrests of journalists covering Occupy Wall Street protests.” Apparently we now…

Nearly a month after the first primary of the year, Republicans are increasingly dissatisfied with the choice of presidential candidates, a new poll from Pew Research Center finds. CNN reports:

As the Florida ad wars continue, Newt Gingrich has pulled an ad that left out the word “illegal” in characterizing Mitt Romney as “anti-immigrant,” but Romney continues to run an ad that leaves out the word “exonerated” in highlighting ethics charges leveled against Gingrich.

A friend of TWS passes along this announcement:

The blog Verum Serum has dug up a clip of a May 2009 Newt Gingrich conference call that followed a White House press conference on health care reform. (You can listen to the whole call here.) Gingrich said he was "little bit skeptical but encouraged" by the approach President Obama was taking. He…

A Suffolk University poll of likely Floriday GOP primary voters shows Mitt Romney leading Newt Gingrich 47 percent to 27 percent. Rick Santorum comes in third at 12 percent, while Ron Paul is in fourth at 9 percent. The poll was conducted on Saturday and Sunday, and it shows largest lead for Romney…

Suffolk reports on its latest poll of likely Republican voters in Florida: 

Mitt Romney and his allies have spent over $15 million on paid media ads in Florida, $12 million more than what was spent on behalf of Newt Gingrich. Politico reports:

Jeb Bush’s decision not to endorse Mitt Romney before Tuesday primary raises three possibilities about the former Florida governor’s role in the 2012 presidential election.       

Rick Santorum scrapped plans to campaign in Boca Raton this morning and will instead be campaigning in Missouri and Minnesota later today. He will make his way to Nevada and Colorado on Tuesday. 

Two weeks ago, a top adviser to Newt Gingrich told me that his candidate would stay in the Republican race through the convention, regardless of the outcome in South Carolina. Gingrich reiterated those plans in comments to reporters over the weekend.

In 1982, Argentina’s right wing military junta launched a sudden invasion of the Falkland Islands, the South Atlantic archipelago that has been a British possession since 1833. The invasion was motivated by a desire to distract attention from the country’s severe economic woes, including…

Buzzfeed: "Romney, Eyeing Blowout, Keeps Foot To Newt's Neck"

Set amid the historic halls of England’s Harrow School, The White Devil plumbs the literal depths of a shambling student residence known as the Lot to uncover a dank and sinister mystery linking one of the school’s most illustrious alumni, Lord Byron, to a malevolent resident ghost.

Starting in March 2011, a series of microearthquakes hit Ohio. The first few registered just above 2.0 on the Richter scale and were not felt by residents. But on New Year’s Eve, a tremor hit Youngstown that measured 4.0—still very mild, but noticed. It was the second quake to hit the area in a…

In early May, a little over a week after President Barack Obama ordered the raid that killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, Texas congressman Ron Paul staked out his position on the man who plotted the murder of nearly 3,000 people on American soil: The operation to kill bin Laden, Paul said, was…

The angry man at the town-council meeting snarled, “As Harry Truman put it, ‘There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.’ ” “No,” answered his tension-easing neighbor, “that was Mark Twain. You remember, the guy who also said, ‘The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in…

Tripoli

Last week, Syrian security forces withdrew from Zabadani, a town near Damascus where defectors from the army and other antiregime elements had been exchanging heavy fire with the army. In Lebanon, some democracy activists believe that an opposition victory in a major Syrian city will energize…

We have Occupy Wall Street to thank for the already grating tendency among pundits to sort the American people by percentages. The possibilities for such categorization are endless. There are, of course, the 1 percent of Americans who make more than $516,000 a year and the 99 percent who do not.…

New York’s art museums are shirking two crucial civic duties. One is to show major artworks, not just buy them. The other is to serve the community in which they live. Museums in other American cities often do the same, but New York is different: It is still (for the time being) the center of the…

The Senate often goes into recess. This year it’s going a step further. It’s going into hibernation.

At first blush, our government’s approach to head off Iranian nuclear weapons with tighter sanctions and military threats seems totally at odds with its continued effort to negotiate a disarmament deal with Pyongyang. Yet, in one key respect, both of these approaches and a broad swath of bipartisan…

Right diagnosis. Wrong prescription. That’s the fairest way to describe Rick Santorum’s idea to provide tax breaks for “manufacturing.” Leave aside the definitional issues—some of us at The Weekly Standard who “manufacture” ideas might qualify for the benefit he intends for others. The solution to…

It’s had a great five-hundred-year run .  .  . but it’s time to change.

I

Lake Oswego, Oregon

You can criticize Barack Obama—and fear not, I’m about to—but he has been a consequential president. Obamacare, his signature domestic accomplishment, is a substantial step toward the government-run health care program that Democrats have long desired. It may be hard to get rid of, even with a…

If anybody doubts that our future will be mixed up with the People’s Republic of China, The Scrapbook invites you to take a stroll along New York Avenue in Washington, D.C., and gape at the big new office building going up within easy walking distance of the White House. It’s the Washington…

We have good news for all you skeptics who’ve been wondering whether you should trust the gossipy stories in the new book The Obamas: You can stop worrying. The author of the book, which was published to much hoo-ha this month, is a journalist named Jodi Kantor, and here’s what I read about her…

Two new polls released Sunday night indicate that Newt Gingrich has a chance of pulling off an upset in the Florida GOP primary. An Insider Advantage poll conducted for Newsmax shows Mitt Romney leading Gingrich by just 4.6 points, and a PPP tracking poll shows Romney dropping a point from…

The Villages, Fla.

Thomas Friedman, apparently trying to top his many previous attempts to convincingly demonstrate coherence is just beyond his grasp, opens his column today thusly:

At Forbes, David Shaywitz has a column on why excess medical regulation is harmful, and it's one of the best things I've read on the topic:

A Rasmussen poll conducted Saturday shows Mitt Romney leading Newt Gingrich 44% to 28%:

Politico reports, "Picking up where he left off during the debate, Rick Santorum said Friday that Mitt Romney’s health care record is 'a big, big liability' and 'something to get mad about.'"

Public Policy Polling conducted a poll of 387 likely Florida primary voters on Saturday and found Romney holding an 8-point lead:

Former presidential candidate Herman Cain made a surprise appearance at a Lincoln Day dinner in West Palm Beach Saturday night to endorse Newt Gingrich.

If you are one of the many who believes that uncertainty is stalling our recovery, you should be smiling. Much uncertainty has been replaced by a surer knowledge of what policy makers have in mind for the economy, and of the direction of some of the key economic indicators. If you are sure you love…

Jonah Goldberg: "Obama’s Vision for a Spartan America"

Cape Canaveral, Fla.

Bloomberg recently ran a great series on the challenges to expanding America's manufacturing sector that's worth reading in light of the president's State of the Union rhetoric on jobs. It opens with this distressing anecdote:

After Daily Caller blogger Matt Lewis eviscerated a harsh Reuters story on Florida senator Marco Rubio, the wire service was forced to make five corrections.

Lee Smith, writing at Tablet: 

Mitt Romney is back to talking about firing people.  During last night’s debate, he responded to Newt Gingrich’s proposal that America establish a lunar colony by the end of the decade by saying that if someone presented him with that proposal, “I’d say, ‘You’re fired.’”  While one might think…

During last night’s debate, Mitt Romney responded to Newt Gingrich’s proposal that America establish a lunar colony by the end of the decade by saying that if someone presented him with that proposal, “I’d say, ‘You’re fired.’” While one might think Romney justified in firing someone who pitched…

It's regularly been pointed out that the average compensation—that includes pay and benefits—for federal workers is now double the private sector average. Defenders of federal employees have routinely insisted that this is an unfair comparison. Well, Andrew Biggs, the former Social Security…

The question was, "We have many qualified, Hispanic leaders. Which of our Hispanic leaders would you consider to serve in your cabinet?" Santorum, by dint of his position on stage, got to speak first, picking the very obvious choice of up-and-coming Florida senator Marco Rubio. Gingrich came in…

Josh Rogin reports: “President Barack Obama is personally enamored with a recent essay written by neoconservative writer Bob Kagan, an advisor to Mitt Romney, in which Kagan argues that the idea the United States is in decline is false.”

Several of our favorite journals showed up recently in The Scrapbook’s mailbox (no, The Scrapbook hasn’t fully converted to the digital era yet), and they seemed to be even more chock-a-block than usual with interesting articles. The Fall 2011 issue of the New Atlantis features several WEEKLY…

In the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, Newt Gingrich has a sizable lead over his Republican rival Mitt Romney. NBC reports: 

Tim Mak of Politico reports on the latest Quinnipiac University poll:

Michael Barone: " The JAX attax"

In his latest Bloomberg column, Ezra Klein pushes back on the GOP critique of the president. As far as he is concerned, the president is really a pragmatic center-leftist.

More than anyone else during any of the previous Republican presidential debates, Rick Santorum took dead aim tonight at the similarities between Romneycare and Obamacare. Arguing that those similarities could pose great problems for the Republican party and for the prospects for repeal if Mitt…

Between Sunday and Wednesday, Newt Gingrich went from leading Mitt Romney by 8 points to trailing Mitt Romney by 8 points in the Florida GOP primary polls. Thursday night's debate in Jacksonville was Gingrich's best opportunity--and most likely his only--ahead of Tuesday's primary to reverse…

While tonight’s Republican debate in Florida featured contentious exchanges over health care, immigration, Freddie Mac, and other topics, there was at least one subject that did not elicit barbs and harsh words—Israel. The question posed to the candidates was by a self-identified Republican…

Mark Salter, writing at RealClearPolitics:

Washington Times: "Issa calls for second prosecutor to testify about ‘Fast and Furious’"

The latest Pew poll finds that Americans are concernced about Iran:

Chicago chef Chris Jones respects the judges' decision, he doesn't harbor any ill will towards his competitors, and as he said on the phone earlier today, "I don't make excuses." That said, when the contestants on Top Chef: Texas were told to create a healthy version of a meal to be served at a…

Mohammed Dahlan, the former security official for Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in the Gaza Strip, is in a lot of trouble. On January 9, at the behest of Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas, Jordan’s Central Bank reportedly seized Dahlan’s assets, only days after Palestinian Authority…

There is a great deal of debate going on about which Republican presidential candidate would likely fare the best versus President Obama this fall. The latest Rasmussen polling shows that all three leading GOP contenders are currently within 5 points of each other versus Obama, and all three are…

At an event today in Rochester, New Hampshire, Vice President Joe Biden used an Indian accent to imitate call service employees:

In a letter to be released later today, a bipartisan group of 89 House members urge Barack Obama to fully implement Iranian sanctions Congress passed last year. In particular, the members of Congress want the president to implement the legislation, and not the president’s interpretation of the…

Mitt Romney has been attacking Newt Gingrich for alleged ethics violations during his tenure as speaker of the House.  But as Byron York writes, the Gingrich ethics scandal was a product of vindictive partisan politics, it was inflamed by a complicit press corps, and it resulted (with little press…

The Washington Post reports: 

A new Rasmussen poll of Florida primary voters shows Mitt Romney maintaining an 8-point lead over Newt Gingrich, 39 percent to 31 percent. Rick Santorum and Ron Paul, both of whom have effectively pulled out of the Sunshine State, are polling at 12 percent and 9 percent, respectively. Here's more…

A Rasmussen poll conducted on Sunday, the day after the South Carolina primary, showed Newt Gingrich leading Mitt Romney by 9 points--41 percent to 32 percent--in Florida. Rasmussen's poll conducted on Wednesday now shows Romney leading Gingrich by 8 points:

In wake of his 12-point defeat in the South Carolina primary (which no previous Republican nominee has lost), Mitt Romney’s principal challenge is to convince Republican primary voters that he shares their core convictions and concerns. Above all, he needs to convince them that he shares their…

With the Center for American Progress’s Think Progress blog under scrutiny for publishing what some would consider borderline anti-Semitic content, it would seem likely that bloggers over there might be careful about the content. (Even Think Progress’s editor Faiz Shakir admitted that some of the…

First Read: "Santorum hints at leaving FL before Tuesday primary"

In his last work, The Responsible Electorate (1966), the great scholar V.O. Key argued against the thinking of political scientists of his age that the mass public was too ill-informed to make wise decisions:           

Cocoa, Fla.

For the first time since the New Year, Newt Gingrich has pulled ahead of Mitt Romney in Gallup’s national polling. In the most recent 5-day poll — from January 20-24 (straddling the South Carolina primary) — Gingrich leads Romney by 3 percentage points: 31 to 28 percent. Ten days earlier (January…

Miami

Drudge has a story about Obama getting off of Air Force One in Arizona, greeting Republican governor Jan Brewer, and immediately giving her a piece of his mind. Evidently our president did not appreciate something Brewer wrote about him. According to the pool report, they had a testy exchange from…

Joel Kotkin: "The Last Patrician: Romney Falls From Favor as America Loses Faith in Old Money"

Three polls released in the immediate aftermath of Newt Gingrich's South Carolina primary victory showed that the former House speaker had surged to a 5 to 9 point lead in Florida. But two new polls released today show Mitt Romney back on top. 

There's one mention of Newt Gingrich in The Reagan Diaries. It's in Chapter 3, which covers 1983. Page 123 in the book:

New York senator Chuck Schumer commented on Mitch Daniels's Republican response to the State of the Union Address at a press conference today on Capitol Hill. "The Republican speaker last night, Mitch Daniels, talked about Americans must talk about the state of the union as grave," Schumer said.…

The Miami Herald's Marc Caputo reports:

New Jersey governor Chris Christie has been perhaps the most visible campaign surrogate for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, making the case that Romney is the most electable Republican in the race and pushing hard for the man he endorsed after declaring, once again and finally, that he…

Writing at National Review Online, Elliott Abrams explains Newt Gingrich’s Ronald Reagan problem:

It seems there is room for another candidate--say, Mitch Daniels, for example, or even Bobby Jindal--to make a late entry into the Republican primary field. Consider Rasmussen's latest survey:

Ft. Myers, Fla.

The boss noted President Obama's praise for the military in last night's State of the Union address—praise, that is, designed to advance his own liberal agenda. President Obama is “using the prestige of the military to justify the nanny state,” as the boss wrote last night. Still, Obama seemed…

Naples, Fla.

Michael Barone: "Lots of military; one sentence on Obamacare"

Does liberalism embody the military virtues? Is martial virtue the highest stage of progressivism?

There were some nice patriotic touches, a passel of small proposals, and old ideas like soaking the rich in President Obama’s State of the Union Address. But mostly the speech consisted of an effort to make a big deal out of not much.

The Republican National Committee has compiled this video comparing lines President Obama used tonight in his State of the Union Address with lines he used in previous addresses before Congress:

Obama's State of the Union might be most notable for what was not said. There were 44 words dedicated to health care reform. There was no mention of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, aka stimulus bill.

Here's the full text of Mitch Daniels's response to the State of the Union, as prepared for delivery: 

Here's the full text of President Obama's State of the Union Address, as prepared for delivery: 

Fox Nation: "WHO'S GREEDY? Obama Gave 1% to Charity, Romney Gave 15%"

Earlier today, Newt Gingrich hit Mitt Romney for hiring former Charlie Crist staffers. "We discovered last night that Mitt Romney has picked up Charlie Crist’s campaign team,” Gingrich said.  “I thought that sort of told you everything you needed to know about this primary."

The Washington Post's Aaron Blake reports that the pro-Gingrich super PAC is spending an eye-popping $6 million in Florida on this tough new ad on Romneycare and Obamacare:

According to the latest Rasmussen poll, Newt Gingrich now enjoys the support of 52 percent of Tea Party voters, and his huge advantage among such voters has vaulted him into the national lead in the GOP presidential race. The poll was taken yesterday, two days after Gingrich’s win in the South…

They were touring the Capitol, enjoying the Smithsonian museums on the National Mall, pushing strollers around the monuments, singing, and holding yellow balloons in mitten-clad hands. They were everywhere. They were March for Life participants, visiting Washington, D.C. on the anniversary of the…

Berlin

Sarasota, Fla.

Tampa, Fla.

Has some group called the RGA released the first Mitch Daniels 2012 ad of this election cycle?

St. Petersburg, Fla.

As they shift focus to education-reform star Florida, GOP presidential candidates would do well to join the host of Americans and legislators marking School Choice Week this week with rallies, speeches, gatherings, and general enthusiasm.

The New York Times writes about Indiana governor Mitch Daniels, who will give the Republican response to the State of the Union address tonight, and reports: 

Even former Democratic congressman Artur Davis wants Jeb Bush to run for president. "Enter the last dream date that Republicans may have at their disposal," Davis writes after listing some of the weaknesses on Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney. "His name is Jeb Bush, and this time, there is a…

In an interesting portion of last night’s Republican presidential debate, moderator Brian Williams asked, “Governor Romney…what have you done to further the cause of conservatism as a Republican leader?” Romney replied, 

It has been 1,000 days since the Senate has produced a budget, and congressional Republicans are getting fed up.

Jonah Goldberg: "Most Boring Guy Wins Most Boring Debate?"

Tampa, Fla.

Tampa, Fla.

After two combative debates in South Carolina that helped change the trajectory of the Republican race, the first of two debates in Florida was relatively low key and seems unlikely to change anything. With good answers and very good luck, Mitt Romney recovered after a tough week that had two…

The Washington Post reports:

During one of his lesser moments in South Carolina, Mitt Romney insisted he would never apologize for his success, “success” being his preferred euphemism for titanic wealth. Surely, he’s right. He should no more apologize for being wealthy than we should want him to do so. To a greater degree than…

If any exchange will be talked about from tonight's Republican debate, it will likely be this one, between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich on Freddie Mac, consulting fees, and lobbying:

I’ve got to think Monday night’s debate further swelled the groundswell of support for Mitch Daniels. The liveliest part of the debate was at the beginning, when Mitt went after Newt—and Republicans all over America watched with fascinated horror at the thought that these are the two GOP…

On Sean Hannity's Fox News show this evening, former senator Fred Thompson endorsed Newt Gingrich for president. "I have come to the growing realization that Newt Gingrich is the guy who can articulate what America is all about," Thompson told Hannity. Thompson himself briefly ran for president in…

Matt McKillip, a representative of www.runmitchrun.com, earlier today on Fox News: 

Last Monday, Gallup’s national 5-day polling (taken from January 11-15) showed Mitt Romney leading his nearest competitors in the Republican presidential field (Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum) by a colossal 23 percentage points — 37 to 14 percent. Just seven days later, Romney’s lead over Gingrich…

The latest Gallup polling shows Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney each trailing President Obama by exactly the same tally — 50 to 48 percent. Across the months, Gallup has shown a slow decline in Romney’s level of support versus Obama: Romney led Obama by 2 percentage points in September, was tied in…

It shouldn't come as a surprise that a book on a handgun's history would come out now. After all, C.J. Chivers's The Gun, about the AK-47, not only sold well but also won the Pulitzer Prize. The story of the Glock is different. It came out in the early 1980s—not as a product of a Stalinist regime…

Two years ago in Cairo, Nobel laureate and former International Atomic Energy Agency head Mohamed ElBaradei was the talk of the town. Newly retired from the IAEA, ElBaradei returned to Egypt in February 2010 after living abroad for decades. He began criticizing the Mubarak regime, hinting that he…

In response to charges from Mitt Romney that the former House speaker 'lobbied' for Freddie Mac, Newt Gingrich campaign surrogate J.C. Watts, a former congressman from Oklahoma, argued that his work as a 'consultant' to the mortgage giant actually makes Gingrich a better candidate for president.

Ross Douthat, writing on the New York Times’s website, has a must-read article on the Republican presidential field and the desirability—and even possibility!—of a new entry. “For months now, even as the rest of the conservative commentariat has gradually resigned itself to the existing…

In his latest television ad directed at Florida voters, Mitt Romney accuses Republican rival Newt Gingrich of cashing in on the housing crisis by taking money from Freddie Mac:

From Rasmussen's latest poll of Florida:

Saturday’s South Carolina primary featured a number of firsts:

A new poll from Florida conduced by InsiderAdvantage/Majority Opinion Research finds 34.4 percent of Republican voters going for Newt Gingrich and 25.6 percent for Mitt Romney. Ron Paul has support from 13.1 percent, while Rick Santorum gets 10.7 percent.

The Hill: "Christie: Gingrich 'embarrassed' GOP"

Manchester, N.H.

After he almost won the Iowa caucuses earlier this month, Rick Santorum was instantly dubbed a “Washington outsider,” even an “antiestablishment candidate.” It was a convenient tag that made it easier for reporters to keep all these strange Republicans straight: Newt Gingrich, Washington insider;…

On one of the lousier days of my life, taken up with hospital visits and worrisome health news about dearly loved ones, I made my exhausted way to an undeniably stupid movie on a giant IMAX screen with sound booming forth from approximately 279,000 speakers on the floor and in the ceiling and in…

Late on a frozen, translucent night in Moscow in 1981, I took my collie out for a walk and let her off the leash on the snow-covered playground near our building in the foreigners’ compound where we lived. She was only a few months old and my half-hearted training techniques had done little to…

People are entitled to complain about bias in the media, but I’m largely indifferent to the problem. This is not because “liberal bias” doesn’t exist—I’ve been a journalist for 40 years and lifelong witness—but because it is so pervasive, and so impervious to challenge, that it is hardly worth…

What makes Stephen Fry so (his words) “slappable .  .  . odious .  .  . punchable”? Part of it is the smug expression, the striped socks. We may also curse the ubiquity. Here he is on dramatic television (Bones), film (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows), hosting documentaries, whipping up novels,…

We’ll stipulate that of course the Marines who urinated on the bodies of dead Taliban in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, last year should be appropriately disciplined, assuming things are as they appear in the video.

There are a number of pricey regulations that have received attention of late: net neutrality, new ozone standards, countless regulations stemming from the passage of the Dodd-Frank bill. These rules typically garner a mention in the Wall Street Journal, a formal Office of Information and…

Let us now praise the Supreme Court. We know that Newt Gingrich thinks the judiciary needs rebuking, and we agree with him to a point. But sometimes​—​actually, often under Chief Justice John Roberts​—​the Court gets it right. And it did so last week unanimously in Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical…

Whatever else the grandiose project of “building Europe” may have accomplished—and at this point the entire edifice seems to be teetering​—​it has proven an enormous boon to social scientists and legal scholars. Scores of research centers, study groups, and commissions have been created both in…

Manchester, N.H.

John Keats was to Romantic poetry as James Dean was to cinema: young, gifted, and doomed. His charisma lies in the astonishing energy, humor, and inspiration that he packed into a small physical frame and an appallingly brief time frame: He died of tuberculosis aged barely 25. His eyes were always…

Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677) has long appealed to skeptics and secularists. In the 18th century, “Spinozism” was a synonym for atheism. Shelley channeled him in his own arguments for atheism, George Eliot translated him, Hegel and Marx admired him, and he was one of Nietzsche’s favorite philosophers.…

The left has not been happy with the Obama administration’s handling of the war on terror for some time now. In addition to leaving Guantánamo open, the administration has maintained Bush-era practices such as open-ended detention for terrorist suspects, reaffirming the “state secrets” privilege,…

Question: Why would GOP candidates vying to establish themselves as the “conservative alternative” to Mitt Romney attack the one-time financier for his robust practice of free-market economics, layoffs included, during his years at Bain Capital? Answer: Well, because he is vulnerable on that point.

The Republican death wish is back. It’s the habit of Republicans to do something crazy or stupid that diminishes their election prospects. Think of Watergate in the 1970s. In the 2006 midterm elections, the disclosure of Florida congressman Mark Foley’s flirtation with Capitol pages turned a defeat…

If for nothing else, Jodi Kantor’s The Obamas will be remembered for an anecdote from 2010. After he spent hours disputing an allegation in the French media that Michelle Obama thought life in the White House was “hell,” press secretary Robert Gibbs encountered senior adviser Valerie Jarrett. She…

Courtesy of one friend, an old pro, three perhaps overlooked points in the sea of analysis of South Carolina and beyond:

Newt Gingrich won a decisive victory in South Carolina tonight, defeating Mitt Romney by more than 10 points, after having been down by 10 points just a week ago.

Columbia, S.C.

Mitt Romney needs a big idea. And it’s not the one he cited at the beginning of his speech after his humiliating loss to Newt Gingrich in the South Carolina primary Saturday. Executive experience matters, Romney said. He has it and Gingrich, like President Obama, doesn’t.

Here's video of Newt Gingrich's victory speech, delivered this evening in South Carolina: 

Newt Gingrich has not yet delivered his victory speech tonight in South Carolina, but he has delivered a strong message to his rivals via Twitter. "Thank you South Carolina! Help me deliver the knockout punch in Florida," Gingrich tweeted. "Join our Moneybomb and donate now."

As the polls close in South Carolina tonight, NBC News is able to project that Newt Gingrich will be the winner of the Republican primary in the first Southern state to vote. 

Solyndra, the bankrupt solar panel firm at the center of the Obama administration's green energy loan program scandal, still owes U.S. taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. So why is it destroying millions of dollars in saleable assets? CBS San Francisco reports:

Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, tweets:

Cancel the competition. Mark Steyn has already won the "best-article-not-in-THE-WEEKLY-STANDARD-to-appear-in-2012" award. Read his "The Sinking of the West."

On Monday, the European Union is expected to decide to boycott Iranian oil. If it does—nothing is ever certain when EU policymakers gather, least of all a firm decision—Iran says it will close the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world’s oil moves to market. That country’s navy…

Tax rates were cut, regulations were rolled back, but the part of Ronald Reagan’s original economic agenda that never got off the ground was re-establishing a dollar as good as gold. This was partly because Paul Volcker was so successful a Fed chairman that fundamental monetary reform came to seem…

As John McCormack writes, the Obama administration’s latest health-care decree states that, under Obamacare, religiously affiliated organizations (hospitals, schools, charities, and the like) will be required to provide free birth control and morning-after pills to their employees, including free…

Orangeburg, S.C.

Jamie Fly and Gary Schmitt argue "The Case for Regime Change in Iran."

A couple weeks ago Vanity Fair published an excerpt from Michael Kranish and Scott Helman’s book The Real Romney. It was not entirely unfriendly to Mitt Romney, but neither was it entirely fair. For example, the authors tip their hand as to their own views and agendas in the following passage:

A bit of a (Freudian?) slip earlier today when Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa referred to President Obama's senior adviser as Mr. Fluff:

We all know there is no such thing as a free lunch, but the Obama administration has decided to move forward with its mandate that private insurance companies must provide "free" coverage of contraception and sterilization procedures, as well as an abortion pill called "ella"--which is much…

Gallup chief Frank Newport said that Mitt Romney's support is "collapsing" and that everything is within the realm of possibilities in this Republican primary. “We have seen more movement, more roller coaster kind of effect this year than any other Republican primary in our history of tracking,”…

A lot of people are buzzing about this blog post by Tom Bruschino, assistant professor of history at the U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Bruschino was contacted by PolitiFact and asked to weigh in on Mitt Romney's claim that "Our navy is smaller than it's…

In an interview with radio host Laura Ingraham this morning, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney acknowledged that Newt Gingrich is likely going to win a few states over the course of the primary process.

In case anyone skipped their daily dosage of news over the three day MLK holiday, it was New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof’s turn to pillory Republicans for acquiescing to the unequal income distribution in the United States, and more generally to defend the economic glory that is…

The Obama campaign is hosting an event next month featuring Marc Jacobs, Scarlett Johansson, Tory Burch, Vera Wang, Anna Wintour, and many more. It's the kind of event the Republican National Committee appreciates, because it can (as it did just now) show how out of touch President Obama is by…

What a week for headlines: An oceanliner keels, Rick Perry quits the race, Newt Gingrich's ex-wife talks about open marriage, and Rick Santorum wins Iowa. But the biggest news of the week is without doubt Beverly Kim's elimination from Top Chef: Texas. Yes, I'm joking, but as Beverly said over the…

Mitt Romney's campaign just announced the endorsement of Virginia governor Bob McDonnell. “As I have said throughout this primary process, we need a governor to serve as our next president,” McDonnell said in a prepared statement mailed out by the campaign.

In tonight’s debate, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum both questioned whether Mitt Romney actually governed in a pro-life fashion, even after his public conversion on abortion. Both claimed that Romney’s health care law increased access to taxpayer-subsidized abortion. Romney denied any culpability,…

North Charleston, S.C.

It's notoriously hard to judge the political consequences of candidate debates. The media and political elites tend to opine as either drama critics judging performance art or as professors judging intellectual arguments. Doing well on one or another of these criteria can matter for a candidate.…

North Charleston, S.C.

In a pinch, Newt Gingrich resorts to his specialty: attacking the media. He did it again Thursday night in the Republican presidential debate in North Charleston, South Carolina. And the audience responded enthusiastically to his angry denunciation of CNN moderator John King for making his former…

Newt Gingrich just now released his 2010 federal income tax return. According to the summary his campaign provided, "Speaker and Mrs. Gingrich owed federal taxes of $994,708 on an adjusted gross income of $3,142,066.  $613,517 of the tax amount owed had been previously withheld or otherwise paid,…

Matt Labash welcomes the new kids on the block, the Washington Free Beacon:

The latest Rasmussen poll from South Carolina shows a 16-point swing between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich over the span of two days.  In Rasmussen’s polling taken on Monday, before the most recent GOP presidential debate, Romney led Gingrich by 14 percentage points — 35 to 21 percent.  Rasmussen’s…

Joe Nocera, writing in the New York Times: 

Beaufort, S.C.

President Obama’s rejection of a pipeline to bring more Canadian oil to the United States is enormously revealing. He sided with the environmental lobby, a major Democratic interest group, over the majority of Americans who favor the job-creating pipeline. And that’s not all.

This morning, the Republican leadership on the Hill announced that Indiana governor Mitch Daniels would deliver the GOP response Tuesday night to President Obama’s State of the Union Address. An hour ago, a dark lady mysteriously appeared at our offices and dropped off an envelope before vanishing…

Photography company Kodak filed chapter 11 bankruptcy protection paperwork today, the Associated Press reported. “[Kodak] seeks to boost its cash position and stay in business. The move comes as the ailing company has failed to find a buyer for its trove of 1,100 digital imaging patents.” 

At the Washington Surgi-Clinic, located five blocks from the White House, an abortion proceducre known as "dilation and evacuation" is performed, in which a doctor dismembers a human fetus and removes the remains with a high-powered suction device. The 20th and F Street abortion clinic advertises…

In a recent presidential debate, Congressman Ron Paul made a bizarre equivalence between a Chinese dissident taking refuge in America and Osama bin Laden hiding in Pakistan, as he was attempting to criticize American foreign and defense policies generally. And while it may come as a relief to…

ABC's Brian Ross writes:

Is Barack Obama pinning the blame for his failure to approve the Keystone XL pipeline on Hillary Clinton? Look at this White House statement from yesterday (emphasis mine): 

January 4, the morning after the Iowa caucus: 

Public Policy Polling hasn't yet completed its latest poll in South Carolina, but the pollster tweets that it's a tight race: "Gingrich and Romney basically running even on the first night of our South Carolina poll. No one else close."

CNN reports that "Rick Perry is telling supporters that he will drop his bid for the Republican presidential nomination on Thursday."

Heav'n has no rage, like love to hatred turn'd, Nor hell a fury, like a woman scorn'd. --William Congreve It's a line Newt Gingrich probably had in mind this morning when he spoke with the Today Show:

A new online ad from Newt Gingrich reminds voters of what the three principals from the 2008 South Carolina primary--John McCain, Mike Huckabee, and Fred Thompson--had to say about Mitt Romney at the time. Watch below:

An Insider Advantage poll taken in South Carolina on Wednesday — two days after the most recent Republican presidential debate — shows that Newt Gingrich has erased a double-digit deficit to take the lead over Mitt Romney.  Gingrich now has 32 percent support, up 11 percentage points from his tally…

The Des Moines Register reports: 

Politico: "New York Rep. Maurice Hinchey to retire, sources say"

Politico reports on its latest poll of South Carolina: 

Rick Santorum's latest ad warns Republican primary voters not to follow the establishment off a cliff and endorse his rival Mitt Romney: 

Warrenville, S.C.

National Journal reports:

While Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, and other Balkan countries have been plagued by radical Islamist incursions, Albanian prime minister Sali Berisha, who is Muslim, told the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronoth at the end of November that he considers Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Iranian government “the…

There is controversy at Guantanamo over a policy that allows authorities to review attorney-client communications. The Associated Press reports on one reason this policy was implemented in the first place: 

A fundamental tension endemic within the conservative movement is whether and when the federal government should intervene in issues that fall almost entirely within the realm of the state. For instance, do the feds have an obligation—or even a right—to try to save a state from self-immolation? If…

The boss, who’s something of a gold standard enthusiast, is excited: Newt Gingrich called this morning for a Gold Commission, like the one Ronald Reagan set up in 1981, to consider how to get back to hard money (and perhaps to gold). Here’s video of Gingrich speaking in Columbia, S.C., at a foreign…

Alana Goodman, writing at the New York Post: 

The Tikvah Fund is hosting an evening with Yuval Levin and Leon Wieseltier tomorrow at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C. on "America, Israel, and the Future of Liberal Democracy." Here are the details: 

Last night, referring to the Republican presidential race, Sean Hannity asked Sarah Palin, “You haven’t given an endorsement.  Are you gettin’ any closer to giving an endorsement?” The former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate replied: 

Rich Lowry: "‘Dude, Where’s My Lifeboat?’"

You might have noticed recently that Barack Obama’s job approval has ticked up slightly in the last few weeks. What to make of this?

Lexington, S.C.

Three days before the South Carolina Republican primary, the press corps is poised to declare the GOP race over. If Mitt Romney follows up his wins in Iowa and New Hampshire with a win in the South, the media will tell Republicans in the other 47 states that there’s no need for them to cast votes…

Rick Perry ain't backin' down on his tough Turkey talk.

One of the European parliament’s most influential members, the German Christian Democrat Elmar Brok, has declared that Standard & Poor’s decision to downgrade the credit ratings of nine eurozone member states is part of a “currency war” being waged by the United States against the euro and Europe…

The latest Rasmussen poll from South Carolina shows little movement, aside from Mitt Romney apparently having picked up almost all of the support that previously went to Jon Huntsman. The poll likely represents a high watermark for Romney in South Carolina, as it was taken just after Huntsman…

My colleague Michael Warren recently asked Jon Huntsman to comment on why he had failed to appeal to Republican voters, and got this response:

Florence, S.C.

Democratic-leaning firm PPP reports its latest Florida poll:

The Hill reports on the latest ahead of this weekend's primary vote in South Carolina: 

This morning on C-SPAN, the boss said he thinks it would be good for the Republican party to part ways with Ron Paul. (Watch the video here.)

As Politico notes, "President Obama will formally accept the Democratic nomination at Bank of America stadium in Charlotte, N.C."

If Jon Huntsman’s presidential campaign had a theme or a defining characteristic—something voters might easily identify with the candidate—it was probably his often-repeated contention that the country was facing a “trust deficit” between its citizens and elected officials. It’s no small irony,…

Washington Times: "Conservatives feud over Santorum endorsement"

Myrtle Beach, S.C.

The most enthusiastic response from the debate crowd Monday night came when Newt Gingrich challenged debate moderator Juan Williams 

The most obvious thing to say about Monday night’s debate is that it was better than almost all the previous ones, in part because there were fewer participants. We’ll get one more five-person debate on Thursday, then Rick Perry will most likely withdraw after Saturday’s primary—so we'll have…

Myrtle Beach, S.C.

In tonight's Republican presidential debate in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Mitt Romney declined to state directly whether he would release his income tax returns.

With the first two presidential nominating contests under his belt, Mitt Romney is surging nationally among registered Republicans. Gallup's latest national poll shows Romney with 37 percent support, equaling his highest point of the race, and a 13-point swing for Romney from his position just…

Newt Gingrich has told voters in South Carolina not to vote for Rick Santorum because Santorum can’t defeat either Mitt Romney or Barack Obama. In particular, Gingrich made an appeal to conservatives: “If you're a conservative, just look at the polls. I am the only candidate capable of stopping a…

CNN: "Poll: Obama tied with Romney & Paul in November showdowns"

Rick Santorum said this morning in an interview with radio host Laura Ingraham that Republican rival Mitt Romney has “perpetrated lies” and called on the former Bain Capital chief to release his tax returns.

J.E. Dyer writes about our "build-up" and military posture in the Gulf: 

The latest Florida poll from American Research Group: 

On the Sunday before the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, senior White House adviser Valerie Jarrett visited Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta to give a political speech, in support of her boss (Barack Obama) and congressional Democrats:

The latest InsiderAdvantage poll of likely registered voters in the South Carolina Republican primary:

Last Friday, President Obama asked Congress for the power to consolidate government agencies, saying he’d start by rolling Commerce and five lesser departments into a single business and trade department.

At the end of the New York Times blog post that first reported Jon Huntsman would be dropping out of the presidential race today, there's an interesting bit of analysis explaining why the former governor of Utah never caught fire within the Republican field:

USA Today: "Martin Luther King papers go online"

Beirut

Manchester, N.H.

America’s more or less free-market capitalism is not under threat from Marxist-Leninism: That system’s demonstrated failures have consigned it to the ash-heap of history. Nor is it under threat from China’s system of managed economy plus political repression: We can’t even abide police breaking up…

The first master’s thesis defense committee on which I served, more years ago than I care to count, evaluated an effort titled “Liberal Deviations of Robert A. Taft, 1945-1953.” As a young assistant professor still intoxicated by a heady academic liberal consensus, I was prone to dismiss the…

Tension between Iran and the United States flared on December 28, 2011, when Habibollah Sayyari, commander of Iran’s navy, threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, the 34-mile-wide passage through which more than one-third of the world’s oil tanker traffic travels. His televised statement that…

Jonathan Steinberg presents the fabled German chancellor as both an egomaniacal hypochondriac and a political-military genius: “He is the statesman who unified Germany in three wars .  .  . a hypochondriac with the constitution of an ox, a brutal tyrant who could easily shed tears, a convert to an…

Based on his commercial success alone, Shel Silverstein (1932-1999) deserves a great deal of attention from those who care about American poetry. Consider the facts: Both the books of poems and drawings that Silverstein published during his life remain in demand more than a quarter century later.…

Salem, N.H.

With the end of the Cold War in sight, then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell in the George H. W. Bush administration was asked how big the U.S. military should be. He replied, “We have to put a shingle outside our door saying, ‘Superpower Lives Here.’ ”

With 28-year-old Kim Jong Eun propped up to handle Pyongyang’s succession crisis, three facts about North Korea are salient. Kim Jong Il, who died December 17, like his father was a tyrant whose damage makes Qaddafi seem a choirboy. After six decades of peaceful competition with the capitalist…

Ankeny, Iowa

The conventional wisdom among the chattering class about the Republican field is that voters face a choice between “electability” and “ideology.” But a careful look at elections since the end of World War II suggests that is not the case. What most pundits think of as “electable,” a safe candidate…

A funny thing happened last week in Iowa. Foreign policy—mostly the question of how to deal with the threat posed by a nuclear Iran—emerged front and center in the Republican presidential race.

A friend told me at dinner over New Year’s break that people had started walking at night in New York’s Central Park again. In the year just ended, the New York Times reports, there was about one robbery in the park every three weeks. Back in the 1980s, when I started visiting, there were two a…

In 1942 George Stevens made a romantic comedy for MGM called Woman of the Year. Based on the journalist Dorothy Thompson, one of the subjects here, it concerned the obstacles to marital bliss faced by an emancipated woman and her former colleague turned husband. With Katharine Hepburn and Spencer…

Fox News's Bret Baier tweets:

If in recent years it seems as if Newsweek has been descending into self-parody, it's still hard to imagine that this is real:

Felicia Sonmez of the Washington Post reports that Rick Perry on Sunday channeled the boss and defended the four Marines:

NBC's Saturday Night Live poked fun at Mitt Romney in the cold opening of last night's show. Watch it below:

A particularly interesting Fox News Sunday discussion on the Internet-only "Panel Plus" segment this morning:

The New York Times reports that national conservative Christian leaders are waiting until after the South Carolina primary on January 21 to coalesce around a "not-Romney" Republican candidate. Those leaders are meeting in Texas this weekend to discuss the race. Here's more from the Times:

As we pointed out more than a month ago, the Obama reelection campaign's claim that "Republican candidates for president Mitt Romney, Rick Perry, and Newt Gingrich all say they would cut foreign aid to Israel--and every country--to zero" is simply false advertising. And agreeing with us and others,…

Beijing and Washington got the result they actively sought in Taiwan’s election: a second four-year term for President Ma Ying-jeou and the defeat of Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party. China and the United States—as well as Taiwan—must now live with the consequences of that outside…

In Haaretz, James Kirchick writes about the mainstream left's disturbing rhetoric:

Politics makes for strange posturings. It seems that several of the candidates for the Republican presidential nomination—some eagerly, others somewhere between reluctantly and warily—have decided that it is evil to take over failing companies and attempt to restructure them so that they can grow…

Duncan, S.C.

Newt Gingrich unveiled today what has to be one of the sillier ads of the campaign, accusing Mitt Romney of—quelle horreur!—speaking French:

CNN: "Romney back on top in new CNN national poll"

Crossroads GPS, the policy arm of the American Crossroads PAC, says a key factor in successfully repealing Obamacare in 2013 will be emphasizing the importance of repeal during the 2012 election campaign. National Journal quotes Crossroads GPS president Steven Law: 

A new poll of South Carolina primary voters, the latest from PPP, shows Mitt Romney with a lead over Newt Gingrich, 29 percent to 24 percent. Ron Paul just edges out Rick Santorum for third place there, with 15 percent and 14 percent support, respectively.

A new 60-second radio advertisement from the Mitt Romney campaign makes an appeal to South Carolina's socially conservative Republicans. Listen to the ad below:

Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.), a former Army lieutenant colonel, sends THE WEEKLY STANDARD an email commenting on the Marines' video, and has given us permission to publish it.

Rasmussen polling shows Mitt Romney leading in South Carolina, while Newt Gingrich is in second place and closing. It’s also interesting, however, to note the Republican candidates’ respective levels of support among Tea Party and non-Tea Party voters in what will be the first Republican-leaning…

In 1945, Friedrich Hayek famously predicted that economic interventionism in the West would lead to the erosion of democracy and the rise of authoritarianism. More than sixty-five years later, this prediction does not seem to have been validated.

Buzzfeed flags this passage from Michael Hastings new book The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America's War in Afghanistan. It seems that as a Presidential candidate visiting Iraq, Obama didn't exactly make enough time to welcome and thank the troops:

Mitt Romney has released a new television ad for South Carolina markets. The ad reminds viewers of some of the companies Romney helped start through his work at Bain Capital--Staples, Sports Authority--and then criticizes unnamed GOP opponents for taking the "Obama line" of putting "free markets on…

Obama administration bigwigs are falling all over themselves to denounce, condemn, lament, and apologize for the unfortunate behavior of a few Marines in Afghanistan last year. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta condemned the action as not just deplorable but “utterly deplorable.” Secretary of State…

When Rasmussen polled South Carolina a couple days after the Iowa caucuses, Rick Santorum was trailing Mitt Romney by just three points. But the latest Rasmussen poll of South Carolina primary voters shows Santorum falling behind Newt Gingrich (the change from the Januaury 5 poll is shown in…

Liz Cheney appeared on Fox News this morning to discuss President Obama's cuts to the military:

The Obama administration is continuing to pursue peace talks with the Taliban, even as the Taliban openly rejects the goals of those talks. 

With much fanfare, this past episode of Top Chef: Texas featured Restaurant Wars, which seems to excite the chefs but strikes me as the most perilous of challenges—a competent chef who volunteers to be team leader can go down with the ship, taking responsibility for others' mistakes. The chefs were…

The Hill: "Poll: Romney slipping in South Carolina, holds just two-point lead over Gingrich"

Before 1987, Supreme Court nominations were relatively peaceful affairs. Yes, there occasionally were bursts of controversy—the appointment of progressive activist Louis Brandeis in 1916, the promotion of conservative Justice William Rehnquist in 1986—but controversy was the exception, not the…

Kevin WIlliamson: "Obama: Incompetent or Evil?"

The Tikvah Fund is hosting an evening with Yuval Levin and Leon Wieseltier next week at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C. on "America, Israel, and the Future of Liberal Democracy." Here are the details: 

Andrew Higgins’s article in today’s Washington Post, “China denounces ‘Hong Konger trend,” follows on the Wall Street Journal Asia’s editorial about Beijing’s attacks on University of Hong Kong professor Robert Chung, whose polling of public opinion shows a marked increase in those identifying as…

Yes, we can all eat better and get more exercise. No, the government shouldn't take on these challenges by restricting our choices of food and drink. This is where the new website Women for Food Freedom comes in—a creation of the Independent Women's Forum meant to counter various…

The Tampa Bay Times reports that Mitt Romney's super PAC is currently up with a new radio ad in Florida's radio markets:

For those who might have missed it, Fox News’s Greta Van Susteren interviewed Newt Gingrich last night and asked whether he was “backing down” on his “attack on Bain capital.” Gingrich replied: 

Columbia, S.C.

Columbia, S.C.

Elliott Abrams, writing in the Wall Street Journal: 

The Wall Street Journal Asia editorial page is covering the uptick in verbal attacks on Hong Kong individuals and institutions by Chinese Communist officials and their official press. So far, the list includes pro-democracy politicians and their supporters, the Catholic Church, and the top U.S.…

Over at The Washington Examiner, Stephanie Hessler, an adjunct fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a former constitutional lawyer for the Senate Judiciary Committee, examines Obama's recent recess appointments. The appointments have been controversial because they didn't occur when the Senate was…

I’m flattered to be welcomed by Karl Rove, writing in today’s Wall Street Journal, to membership in the GOP establishment. I’m even more pleased by Rove’s statement that “No group of power brokers can pressure others into uniting behind one candidate. Millions of primary voters and caucus-goers…

Ridgeway, S.C.

Fred Barnes, writing in the Wall Street Journal:

Earlier this month, the Obama administration came out with a plan for the country’s defense and its military needs. It is a bold, even radical, plan that dramatically alters the nation’s strategic outlook. So of course it received almost as much media attention as the shouting matches between…

An Insider Advantage poll from South Carolina, taken after the New Hampshire primary, shows Mitt Romney with a narrow lead over Newt Gingrich. Romney has 23 percent support to Gingrich’s 21 percent support. Rick Santorum is in third place, with 14 percent support, followed by Ron Paul (13 percent…

New York Times: "Advisers Work to Put Positive Spin on Romney’s Career in Corporate Buyouts"

West Columbia, S.C.

Newt Gingrich edged Rick Santorum for 4th place in the New Hampshire Republican primary, nipping him by 49 votes, as the final tally came in as follows:  Mitt Romney, 39 percent; Ron Paul, 23 percent; Jon Huntsman, 17 percent; Gingrich, 9 percent; Santorum, 9 percent; and Rick Perry, 1 percent. …

Nate Silver: "Romney Looks Strong in South Carolina and Beyond"

Ten years ago this week, the U.S. government opened the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba detention facility. And three years ago this month, shortly after his inauguration, President Barack Obama ordered Guantanamo shuttered within one year. For a variety of reasons, Gitmo remains open, with approximately 171…

“China is the largest hypocrisy in the world,” Richard Gere told an interviewer from Indian television station NDTV yesterday, while attending a major Buddhist teaching by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Bodh Gaya. In the lengthy interview, the transcript of which can be read here, Gere argues that…

The boss weighed in on the New Hampshire primary -- and the Scottish independence movement -- last night on Sky News: 

Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina said yesterday that he thinks Mitt Romney will win the South Carolina primary on January 21.

Yale law and political science professor Bruce Ackerman is certainly no friend of our written constitutional forms. In his book, We the People: Foundations, he advocates an informal constitutional “amendment” process, whereby the people may skirt what he calls the “classical” amendment process that…

Quinnipiac's latest poll of head to head match-ups in Florida:

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Education issued first-year progress reports for 12 states that received $4 billion in federal funds through an Obama administration pet project, Race to the Top. Not one had followed through on the promises they’d made to secure these grants. For three states—New…

The latest PPP polling in North Carolina, the swing-state where the Democrats are holding their 2012 convention, shows Rick Santorum faring slightly better than Mitt Romney versus President Obama. The poll shows Santorum and Obama tied at 46 percent apiece in a hypothetical general election…

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich released the following ad today, targeting his rival Mitt Romney on his record on abortion:

The Associated Press:

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney announced his fourth quarter fundraising numbers via a press release:

Rush Limbaugh compares Newt Gingrich's attacks on Mitt Romney with Ross Perot's destructive assault on George H.W. Bush in 1992. It's a thought-provoking comparison.

Manchester, N.H.

Associated Press: "Romney sweeps NH to cement top status; Paul second"

Manchester, N.H.

Mitt Romney won a decisive victory in New Hampshire, carrying over 39 percent of the vote, a slightly better result than John McCain’s 37 percent in 2008.

In a video conference with Democratic supporters, Joe Biden weighed in tonight on the controversy around some remarks Mitt Romney made yesterday in New Hampshire. The vice president came out on Romney's side, saying that the Republican presidential candidate's comments were "probably taken out of…

Hooksett, N.H.

Mitt Romney’s victory in New Hampshire was every bit as significant as it appeared. History is now on Romney’s side: Every candidate who has won the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary has captured his party’s presidential nomination.

Mitt Romney's campaign just blasted out his victory remarks, as prepared for delivery, which he's in the middle of giving right now in New Hampshire: 

With 11 percent of precincts reporting, NBC News projects Mitt Romney as the winner of Republican presidential primary in New Hampshire. The vote count currently:

ABC News: Romney's still the clear frontrunner in New Hampshire

In addition to the boss's special editorial, "From Bain to Main," and Jonathan V. Last's piece on the topic, "How Many Cheers for Bain?" here are a couple intelligent pieces worth reading:

The Boston Herald reports that "A mystery man trying to vote in the New Hampshire primary using a dead man’s name got caught by an eagle-eyed voting supervisor in Manchester, then disappeared before police could corral him."

In an email, a former aide to Republican presidential candidate Buddy Roemer predicted there would not be a Roemer romp in today's New Hampshire primary. "I think that Gov. Roemer will do better than expected, but I don't see a statewide shift to his corner," former spokesman Aaron Walker told me.…

Via the twitter feed of Lachlan Markay, somebody at the Post is either having some fun, unburdening their guilty conscience, or perhaps a little bit of both:

There’s a lot of silliness on all sides of the Bain Capital debate.

Rasmussen's final poll of New Hampshire primary voters:

President Obama’s recent recess appointments have sparked no shortage of legal commentary. Does the president have the power to declare that the Senate is in "recess" in the middle of a session, and then to use his constitutional "recess appointment" power to install disfavored personnel at federal…

There’s a line of thinking you often hear from Republican-types about how markets are never wrong. You think a certain CEO’s lavish compensation is ridiculous? Nonsense, those types tell you. You think that a CEO’s VORP—that’s a baseball stat that translates, in this case, to the CEO’s marginal…

The latest Kaiser Health Tracking Poll shows that, since the survey taken in the first month after Obamacare’s passage, the gap between those who like Obamacare and those who dislike it has swung 8 percentage points against the health care overhaul.  Kaiser is an outlier poll, consistently showing…

ABC News: "Supreme Court Hears Messy Texas Redistricting Case"

Based off last Friday’s jobs report, Jonathan Chait thinks the answer to the title question might be “Yes:”

At a campaign event this evening at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C., President Obama indicated that he had successfully brought about "change"--an ambiguous 2008 campaign promise--by killing terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden. From the official White House transcript:

The Daily: "Liberal diatribe on the financial crisis and tea party needs reality check when it comes to austerity that wasn’t"

President Obama's first chief of staff Rahm Emanuel once sat on the board of troubled federal mortgage giant Freddie Mac. Bill Daley, the president's chief of staff whose departure was announced today, was previously a top executive at financial firm J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. So of course there…

A national CBS News poll taken after Iowa and released today shows that no one in the Republican presidential field has the support of even 20 percent of GOP primary voters. The poll shows Mitt Romney leading with 19 percent support, followed relatively closely by Newt Gingrich (15 percent), and…

Derry, N.H.

On the eve of the New Hampshire Republican primary, Rasmussen’s nationwide polling of likely voters shows that Americans want Congress and the President to repeal Obamacare. By a margin of 15 percentage points (54 to 39 percent), Americans want repeal.  By a margin of 17 points (51 to 34 percent),…

Concord, N.H.

The Los Angeles Times reports that White House chief of staff Bill Daley is stepping down:

Quinnipiac polls GOP voters likely to participate in Florida's January 31 primary:

Max Boot, writing in the Los Angeles Times:

Suffolk reports on its latest poll tracking poll of likely New Hampshire Republican primary voters:

USA Today reports that "A 'super PAC' backing Newt Gingrich will try to portray Mitt Romney as a greedy corporate raider with $3.4 million in radio and TV ads running in South Carolina starting Wednesday. The huge ad campaign by Winning Our Future plays off a movie, King of Bain: When Mitt Romney…

Just how fluid and crazy has this GOP primary been? Well, the latest poll from Public Policy Polling contains a startling development:

Exeter, N.H.

Two weeks ago I spoke with Tony Blankley. He was in the ICU at Sibley Hospital in Washington. He was glad to hear from me. He was cheerful, upbeat, optimistic.

The Obama administration states in its just released defense guidance paper that perhaps America’s nuclear “deterrence goals can be achieved with a smaller nuclear force.”

WMUR reports on its latest poll of the New Hampshire Republican primary: 

Politico reports on the latest New Hampshire poll from Democratic-leaning firm PPP:

Washington Times: Tony Blankley, 1948-2012

Remember that "pious baloney" Newt Gingrich accused Mitt Romney of serving up at this morning's Republican presidential debate? Well, just a couple hours after that memorable debate moment, Romney told a New Hampshire crowd: "There were a couple of times I wondered if I was going to get a pink…

Manchester, N.H.

Concord, N.H.

Rochester, N.H.

In this morning’s Republican presidential debate on Meet the Press, David Gregory asked Mitt Romney, “What would you say to conservatives, so that they'll trust that you'll stand up for conservative principles?” Without skipping a beat, Romney replied, “They've got my record as governor.”

Concord, N.H.

Concord, N.H.

Concord, N.H.

It was a tough distinction to earn (given the competition), but tonight ABC News managed to stage perhaps the most pointless debate of the Republican presidential race. George Stephanopoulos and Diane Sawyer seemed to be under the impression that Mitt Romney is in 5th place in the GOP race (they…

Manchester, N.H.

Manchester, N.H.

The Republican candidates did a pretty good job of making their cases tonight, given that they were dealing with questioners whose combination of bias and silliness was stunning, even by mainstream media standards.

Manchester, N.H.

A new poll from PPP of South Carolina Republican primary voters shows Mitt Romney with a seven-point lead over Newt Gingrich. Romney has 30 percent support of likely primary voters, compared with 23 percent for Gingrich and 19 percent for Rick Santorum. PPP also found that Romney's most dangerous…

Former Republican presidential candidate Gary Bauer will endorse Rick Santorum on Sunday at an event in South Carolina. Bauer, a former Reagan administration official, says in a statement that "Senator Santorum best personifies the Reagan-inspired conservatism that unites the GOP."

Manchester, N.H.

Friday afternoon at the Dublin School in Dublin, New Hampshire, Rick Santorum offered a preview of his own general election argument against President Barack Obama. He quoted Juan Williams's account of how the Obama administration rationalized its plan to push forward on passing Obamacare, even…

Israel was one of the first nations to recognize and welcome as a new nation the Republic of South Sudan on July 9, 2011. It was not surprising then, that South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayaardit recently chose Israel for one of his first presidential visits.

Jaffrey, N.H.

Derry, N.H.

The conventional wisdom says Mitt Romney is the candidate that President Obama and his allies fear, while they’re allegedly salivating at the thought of facing Newt Gingrich or Rick Santorum. Of course, conventional wisdom didn’t have Santorum coming from sixth place in the polls with three weeks…

As a few of my colleagues are flying back and forth from New Hampshire, what better time to talk about airplane germs. Last month, the Wall Street Journal confirmed our suspicions that flying really can make you sick. "Air travelers suffer higher rates of disease infection, research has shown,"…

“We believe that the U.S. is best positioned for both a cyclical recovery and dealing with … its growing debt burden,” advised Goldman Sachs’s chief investment officer for private wealth management, Sharmin Mossavar-Rahmani, to the firm’s clients in her investment management division’s “outlook.”…

There may be examples in history where war unfolded to the script of politicians and generals, but few come to mind. Unfortunately, the Pentagon’s newest strategic guidance prepares only for a future of ordered, defined battles. President Obama stated this much when he said that “the tide of war is…

Jake Tapper: "Rick Santorum Says by the Time He Had Campaign Cash, All the N.H. TV Time Was Bought Up"

The Foreign Policy Initiative folks write:

When former senator Rick Santorum talks about how much he loves Jesus, or hates abortion, he is usually addressing a gallery that is hungry for such rhetoric, and likely to applaud with enthusiasm. But has anyone ever been elected president of the United States because of his religious credentials?…

Radio host Laura Ingraham asked Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum about a possible alliance between himself and fellow candidate Newt Gingrich.

Newport, N.H.

CNN reports on its latest South Carolina poll:

Via the Washington Post:

Conservative leader Gary Bauer warns of the dangers of Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul in the latest Emergency Committee for Israel ad:

It's so far been a good day for Rick Santorum. After a new South Carolina poll showed Santorum's fast climb in that early primary state, Suffolk released its New Hampshire tracking poll:

Big buzz today over the jobs number. The unemployment rate declined from 8.7 percent to 8.5 percent, a number derived from the so-called "household" survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, while the "establishment" survey saw an increase of 200,000 jobs.

Via Hot Air, there are two reports from precincts that election night tallies were wrong. In one instance, a man credibly claims that Romney was awarded 20 more votes than he actually received. But Santorum said on Fox News last night that 21 Romney votes weren't counted in another precinct, so…

As Adam White explores in much greater detail, President Obama plainly doesn’t like being required to obtain Senate approval of his nominees — even though the Senate is controlled by his own party. Instead, Obama has preferred to entrust power to so-called “czars,” who aren’t approved by the Senate…

Rasmussen polling discovers a huge surge of support for Rick Santorum in South Carolina, which holds its primary directly after New Hampshire's.

The latest Rasmussen poll of likely voters offers a bit of good news and bit of bad news for Mitt Romney.  The poll shows that President Obama and Romney are now tied, at 42 percent support apiece. But among independents, the group that’s most likely to swing the next election, Obama now enjoys a…

Nate Silver: "Perry, Perry, Quite Contrary"

Republicans all across America like to think of their coalition as the “party of Ronald Reagan,” but have you noticed how frequently the party nominates somebody who opposed Ronald Reagan in 1980?Since Reagan’s last nomination in 1984 the GOP has nominated four men to lead the Republican party into…

Merrimack, N.H.

Windham, N.H.

There's no question Jon Huntsman has been praised by more Democrats and left leaning commentators than any of the other Republican presidential candidates. But until now, that praise has gone one way. Earlier this week, however, Huntsman's top fundraiser, Ann Herberger, announced her new “hero” was…

Perhaps most consequential to his rapid surge and surprising finish in the Iowa caucuses was Rick Santorum's willingness to practice old-fashioned retail politics. 

Newt Gingrich and Jon Huntsman both went up with their first television advertisements in New Hampshire on Thursday, just days before the primary on January 10. The Gingrich ad is a continuation of the former House speaker's big push to depict rival Mitt Romney as insufficiently conservative for…

First Read: "Here come the attacks on Romney"

The Wall Street Journal Asia has published an editorial arguing that the process for “electing” Hong Kong’s next chief executive reflects the erosion of the “one country, two systems” principle that was supposed to allow Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy and ultimately full democracy. The…

House Armed Services Committee chairman Howard P. “Buck” McKeon: 

For Chris Crary, the most recent casualty of Top Chef: Texas, losing isn't always a bad thing. Two years ago, back when he weighed a hefty 245 pounds ("and not in muscle," he pointed out), he decided it was time to lose weight. "I wasn't sure how my body would react," he said on the phone earlier…

At National Review Online, Artur Davis takes a look at the electability of the GOP contenders after Iowa. The conventional wisdom is that this issue is a big advantage for Mitt Romney, but Davis isn't so sure that Santorum can't defy expectations:

Author Mark Judge is promoting his latest venture, a film called The Story of Whittaker Chambers. Here's the elevator pitch for the movie, from the website Indie Wire:

The New Hampshire Union Leader reports:

Reuters reports: 

Rasmussen reports on its latest national poll: 

Normally, the Constitution requires the president to secure Senate confirmation before appointing cabinet secretaries and equivalent officers to lead federal agencies. But the Constitution carved out one exception to that rule: The president may appoint such an officer without Senate confirmation…

Berlin

Northfield, N.H.

Michele Bachmann’s speech announcing her departure from the presidential field emphasized the singular importance of repealing Obamacare. Referring to Howard Chandler Christy’s painting of the signing of the Constitution, which hangs in the United States Capitol, she said: 

Laconia, N.H.

Austin Ameican Statesman: "Perry stays in presidential race, says it 'wasn't a hard decision'"

Rockingham, N.H.

Radio host Bill Bennett woke Rick Santorum up this morning after his near victory in Iowa last night. “I just called Rick Santorum’s cell,” Bennett said. “And I woke him up. I feel terrible!”

James Pethokoukis: "January Surprise: Is Obama preparing a trillion-dollar, mass refinancing of mortgages?"

This morning, Rick Santorum sent out a fundraising letter that suggests he's going to cast himself as the Republican presidential candidate who can beat Mitt Romney and Barack Obama.

Manchester, N.H.

Pittsfield, N.H.

On behalf of the Working Group on Egypt, Michele Dunne of the Atlantic Council and Robert Kagan of the Brookings Institution have sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton concerning disturbing activity in Egypt.

The Romanian news agency Mediafax reports that an Iranian refugee who has been condemned to death for “apostasy” in Tehran has had his request for political asylum in Romania refused by the Romanian immigration office.

Last night, after finishing 5th in the Iowa caucus with ten percent of the vote, Texas governor Rick Perry said he was going back home to reassess whether he would stay in the presidential race. "I've decided to return to Texas, assess the results of tonight's caucus, determine whether there is a…

DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz went to Iowa to spin the Iowa caucus results. But a funny thing happened when she appeared as a talking head on television: Folks wanted to know whether President Obama would drop Vice President Joe Biden from the 2012 Democratic ticket and instead choose to run…

National Journal's Ron Fournier reports:

Ankeny, Iowa

The top-5 finishers in the Iowa Republican caucus had widely varying degrees of success in turning money spent into votes received. According to data published by BuzzFeed, showing how much was spent on Iowa media ads by each candidate (or by the super PACs and others who supported them), here’s…

Ben Smith of BuzzFeed, formerly of Politico, drops this scoop:

James Novogrod of NBC tweets some developments this morning suggesting that Bachmann's out:

Associated Press: "Gingrich hits Romney, says he'll continue to fight"

Yesterday, I posed five questions about the Iowa caucuses, and the answers are now in. Mitt Romney set a new all-time record for the lowest winning share of the vote (for either party) in the Iowa caucuses — 25 percent — one point lower than Bob Dole’s 26 percent level of support in 1996. That’s…

Mitt Romney received eight more votes in the Iowa caucuses than Rick Santorum. The media is spinning this as if it matters who actually receives more votes. It really doesn't. This is a battle for delegates -- a long one. It's not a winner take all election to serve as Iowa governor, senator, or…

In the Iowa caucuses, winning isn’t enough. Mitt Romney narrowly defeated Rick Santorum in the first contest in the Republican presidential race, yet his prospects of capturing the nomination were scarcely improved.

The AP reports: 

Yes, that's right: 8 votes. Out of more than 122,000 ballots cast, Mitt Romney received 30,015 votes, and Rick Santorum received 30,007 votes. This virtual tie is still a big, surprising win for Santorum, who was polling in the single digits a few weeks ago. 

Manchester, N.H.

Rick Santorum's speech tonight:

Bedford, N.H.

BuzzFeed reports:

Rick Perry just announced that he's returning to Texas to reassess his place in the presidential race. "I've decided to return to Texas, assess the results of tonight's caucus, determine whether there is a path forward for myself," the Texas governor said. Perry spent the most money in the Iowa…

Via the Drudge Report:  

Bedford, N.H.

Results from the Iowa caucuses are beginning to roll in, and with 31 percent of precincts reporting, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and Ron Paul are all tied at 23 percent. 

Mitt Romney's Maryland chairman, former Republican governor Bob Ehrlich, just appeared on local television to boost his presidential candidate. But, in fact, he might have done the opposite. He was asked by the host, "Is there a scenario in your head where President Obama doesn't win Maryland?"

David Brooks: "Workers of the World, Unite!"

So, uh, George Packer at The New Yorker wants to give Republicans a piece of his mind:

The first Gallup poll released in the New Year — covering the period from December 26 through January 2 — shows Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich practically tied with 24 and 23 percent support, respectively, among registered Republican and Republican-leaning voters. Ron Paul is all alone in third…

For those interested in things Jewish, the formidable literary critic D. G. Myers has provided a terrific guide to the 38 best Jewish books of 2011, ranging from Jewish history to thought to literature. I’ve long been an admirer of Myers, but I must admit I’m even more of one now, thanks to his…

The boss said on Fox News earlier today that no one is really sure how well Mitt Romney will stand up to attacks. "[Romney] has not been subjected to a lot of negative attacks from his competitors on the Republican side," the boss told host Megyn Kelly. "They've been busy cutting each other up. .…

Just as they said they would, the RNC is out with this ad today that uses President Obama's words (and promises) against himself:

As voters get their first formal chance to weigh in on the Republican presidential nomination process, here are five questions that will be answered during tonight’s Iowa caucuses:

At 9:55 a.m. Tuesday morning, this Jake Tapper tweet came sailing across the ether: “Near the breakfast buffet, Senator Rand Paul chatting with Bill Kristol.”

From a partial transcript of CBS's Early Show this morning (via Mike Allen): 

The Saudi Arabian monarchy is now led by two counterposed figures: the reforming King Abdullah and the fanatical Wahhabi crown prince Nayef. Recent incidents in the kingdom, although at first glance minor, may indicate the approach of a significant confrontation between modernizing and…

On the eve of the Iowa caucuses, Newt Gingrich lowered the boom on Mitt Romney in an interview with CNN's Piers Morgan. Gingrich criticized his GOP rival as a "Massachusetts moderate" while touting himself as a "Southern conservative." Asked if he ought to be responding more aggressively to attacks…

ABC News: "Romney in Iowa: ‘We’re Gonna Win This Thing’"

We now know what President Obama plans for 2012. He’s not going to lead. He doesn’t intend to govern. Work with Congress to deal with critical national problems such as slow economic growth, high unemployment, and exploding debt? Forget it. Obama is devoting the year to running for reelection.

Des Moines, Iowa

Perry, Iowa

Mitt Romney tells voters in Iowa that he's going to win, Zeke Miller reports at Buzzfeed:

The Hill: "On eve of Iowa vote, Santorum focusing attacks on Romney"

With Newt Gingrich now coming in fourth in Iowa polls, the former speaker of the House is playing down expectations before tomorrow's caucuses. "I don't think I'm going to win," Gingrich reportedly told the press. "If you look at the numbers, that volume of negativity has done enough damage. But on…

CNN's Dana Bash touted her interview with Texas congressman Ron Paul and his son, Kentucky senator Rand Paul, by noting on Twitter that the elder Paul "ruled out running outside" the Republican party if he fails to win the GOP nomination for president. But that's not exactly what Ron Paul said.…

A new survey of Iowa Republicans from GOP firm InsiderAdvantage shows a close, tough race the day before the Iowa caucuses. National front-runner Mitt Romney has a miniscule lead at 22.7 percent over Ron Paul at 22.4 percent. Rick Santorum, who is surging in many recent polls in the Hawkeye State,…

When Barack Obama last ran for president, he didn’t have much of a paper trail. He’d only been a state senator and U.S. senator for a few years, and had done a pretty good job of keeping his head down. Obama had not published much and had hardly been quoted. Now, however, there’s a large trove of…

Des Moines

Des Moines

In today's Observer, Nick Cohen argues that the West has a duty to intervene in Syria to stop atrocities by Assad's regime:

Newsweek writer Andrew Romano takes a tour of Barack Obama’s reelection headquarters in Chicago and reports:

It’s likely that no candidate will win so much as 30 percent of the votes cast in Tuesday’s Iowa caucuses. Yet you can bet that the press corps will crown as the big winner the candidate who gets perhaps one-quarter of the votes of caucus-goers in a state that’s half the size of the average…

Karl: "A Holiday Gift from Ron Paul"

PPP polled likely Iowa GOP caucus voters on Saturday and Sunday and found that the race is "headed for a photo finish":

When NATO planes launched their air campaign over Libya’s skies last spring and Western leaders said that Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi had to go, the first regime to change was at the London School of Economics. Its director, Sir Howard Davies, resigned following embarrassing dis-closures about…

The death notices for Christa Wolf, one of Germany’s most celebrated novelists, were telling. The German feuilletons heaved with tributes and mild dissents, steering debate away from the quality of her literary output​—​it was variable​—​to the political controversies she engendered. Wolf was, a…

To the Republicans of the states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Florida:

Was it Western strength that triumphed over communism or Western freedom? It was both, of course, but Václav Havel, who died last week at the age of 75 in the Czech Republic, has always had a special place in the hearts of those who stress the latter. Lech Walesa, with his shipyard electrician’s…

Anglophobes or egalitarians still looking for confirmation that the English aristocracy is no longer what it was may find Marcus Scriven’s Splendour & Squalor the most satisfying read since whatever it was that Sarah Ferguson last wrote.

Bedford, N.H.

Rick Santorum is back where he began his career in politics, running like crazy in an election no one thinks he can win. As a 32-year-old long-shot Republican candidate in 1990, Santorum wore out a lot of shoe leather knocking on doors (more than 20,000, he says, between him and his wife) in a…

On the night Republicans won control of the House of Representatives in November 2010, John Boehner laid out the new Congress’s key priorities: to restrain the growth of government, cut spending, reform how Congress works, and end the uncertainty in the economy to help get Americans back to work.…

When Senator Paul Simon of Illinois was running for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988, one of his first stops was in the backyard of a residence in Wartburg, Iowa. About 100 people had assembled to hear him. The first question: What’s up in Namibia?

With administration officials celebrating the “successful” withdrawal of American troops from Iraq, thanking antiwar groups for making that withdrawal possible, and proffering outrageous claims about Iraq’s “stability,” “sovereignty,” and the “demilitarization” of American foreign policy even as…

Did the baby boom wreck popular culture? “D’oh,” to borrow from the subject in question. On the other hand, consider the source. A generation ago was there anything with as much brains, sly cunning, human comedy, and broad public appeal as The Simpsons?

Las Vegas

The two of us​—​a marketing professor and a political analyst​—​have just published a book about the highly successful Obama presidential campaign of 2008. We have distilled a number of lessons from our research. Since the Obama camp already knows these lessons firsthand, we call them “rules for…

"We went to jail in one country and came out in another,” Russia’s most famous blogger, 35-year-old anti-corruption crusader Alexei Navalny, said on December 21 after serving two weeks’ detention for alleged disorderly conduct during demonstrations against vote-rigging in the parliamentary…

There was a time when John le Carré mattered, really mattered—back when he seemed a major talent and one of the best observers of our time: the man who had turned genre fiction into literature.

We are just days away from the start of the caucus and primary season, and while many questions remain, it is nevertheless possible to get a sense of where we have been, where we are going, and what all of this means for the Republican party.

During a recent 60 Minutes interview, President Obama revealed that he was being modest when he awarded himself a B+ grade near the end of his first year as president. “I would put our legislative and foreign policy accomplishments in our first two years against any president—with the possible…

Ladies and gentlemen, prepare for battle! The 2012 campaign is shaping up to be a struggle over which candidate best represents the interests and aspirations of the American middle class. Unable to run on his record, President Obama wants to recast the election as a choice between stolid defender…

The word “slight” could have been invented to describe Young Adult, the new collaboration from the director and screenwriter of Juno, the beautiful teen-pregnancy movie from 2007—which has a far more involved and involving plot and many more characters. By contrast, Young Adult tells a tiny little…

This book is yet another riposte to the late Harvard political scientist Samuel P. Huntington’s incendiary and much-discussed The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order (1996). Huntington’s book had been itself a response to Francis Fukuyama’s The End of History and the Last Man…

It’s started early this time. Nobody in Iowa has cast a vote in the 2012 Republican presidential caucuses. It’s not even 2012. But the quadrennial calls for an end to Iowa’s first-in-the-country caucuses have begun.

Not long ago Thomas Edsall told readers of the New York Times that the 2012 Obama campaign had essentially given up trying to win the support of white working-class voters. The Democrats, explained Edsall, had become a top-and-bottom coalition of highly educated professionals, many of whom work…

Suffolk reports on its latest poll of likely voters in New Hampshire's first in the nation primary:

After pledging to run a positive campaign (that really wasn't so positive), Newt Gingrich tells reporters he's ready to attack Romney. The New York Times reports: 

Rick Santorum, the Republican presidential candidate who's turned Iowa into a surprising three-way race, sat down on Meet the Press with David Gregory this morning. You can watch it here:

Two thousand and twelve is now upon us, and one thing is clear:  It will be a nation-defining year.  The election that will take place just over ten months from now will serve either as a welcome reaffirmation, or as a significant repudiation, of America’s founding principles of limited government…

The latest poll of Republican Iowa caucusgoers by the Des Moines Register finds Mitt Romney maintaining a slight lead over his Republican rivals with 24 percent support. In the survey, conducted over four days in the last week, Ron Paul comes in a close second with 22 percent, and Rick Santorum…