"Influence Peddler" was a pseudonymous contributor to The Weekly Standard in 2007, writing frequently about Democratic Party politics and the Iraq War debate. The column focused on congressional maneuvering over Iraq war funding, troop surge policy, and the political dynamics surrounding the Democratic leadership's positions on the conflict.
I'll be watching the debate between Newt Gingrich and John Kerry over global climate change. But I have to wonder, why didn't Al Gore take this one? I mean, Lurch is exciting and stimulating, but once Al Gore cleaned the floor with Gingrich--explained the 'consensus' and all--any 'debate would be…
I've flogged the Democrats quite a bit for suggesting that they will ultimately pay a price at the polls for their extreme opposition to the continued use of force in Iraq. Their willingness to escalate that opposition, despite mounting evidence that the surge is yielding results, is likely to…
As Congressional Democrats continue their trek from wanting no responsibility for anything that happens in Iraq to insisting that US troops depart today, it's useful to recall that the Iraq Study Group whose recommendations they so often cite rejected such an idea. And that reminder is delivered…
The professional left has made a cottage industry lately of defending Michael Ware against charges that he heckled John McCain. I did not comment on the story, and am glad I refrained--since it appears that the story was essentially false. But Rob at Say Anything has picked up on an interview…
It's hard to catch a Democrat who will actually explain the party's vision for Iraq after they complete the troop pullout they advocate. Joe Biden is universally regarded as one of the party's brighter and more sober minds, as well as an important leader on foreign policy. His comments on Countdown…
The writers at the Washington Note lean decidedly Democratic. Today, Scott Paul of Citizens for Global Solutions warns that maybe--just maybe--in their zeal to bug out of Iraq ASAP, the Democrats are coming off as isolationist and patronizing: My hope over these past few years has been that…
Majority Leader Harry Reid signs on to Russ Feingold's bill to cut off all funds for US troops in Iraq as of March 31, 2008. Presidential Candidate Barack Obama promises that once President Bush vetoes the Iraq supplemental, Congress will pass a 'clean' funding bill. The professional left is angry…
Congressional Democrats have adjourned for Easter recess. Although the Bush administration has identified April 15 as the date by which a supplemental must be signed in order to prevent "disruption to key programs'" (in the words of Secretary Gates), Congress will not even return to the District…