I caught up Sunday with Yossi Klein Halevi, the American-born Israeli author of the masterful Like Dreamers: The Story of the Israeli Paratroopers Who Reunited Jerusalem and Divided a Nation, who is in the U.S. on a book tour. He had
Even as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the interim deal in Geneva on Iran’s nuclear program an “historic mistake,” Secretary of State John Kerry claimed that there was “no daylight” between the U.S. and Israel on Iran. On the
Secretary of State John Kerry, defending the Geneva agreement on Iran’s nuclear program, told ABC News’ This Week that despite the deal’s flaws, it was, at least, better than what the Bush administration had done: In 2003, Iran made an
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Sunday’s deal in Geneva on Iran’s nuclear program a “historic mistake,” ruining what U.S. President Barack Obama might have hoped would be a global chorus of relief. Clearly, the U.S. had anticipated Israel’s negative reaction,
One of the few good kings of the Biblical age was Hezekiah, who was unique in his devotion to righteousness, “so that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those that were
The deal reached early Sunday morning in Geneva between Iran and the P+5 nations (U.S., France, Britain, China, Russia, plus Germany) on Iran’s nuclear program may not stop its progress toward a nuclear weapon, but it will likely postpone military
Dr. Shakil Afridi, the Pakistani doctor who helped the U.S. in the hunt for Osama bin Laden, was just charged with murder, based on accusations stemming from an old malpractice case, according to Reuters. The bizarre turn of events comes
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has yet to offer a sincere apology for his recent statement that “white suburban moms” were responsible for opposition to the Common Core standards. The closest he has come is his statement on MSNBC’s Morning
The state of California has rejected President Barack Obama’s proposed “fix” for individuals whose insurance policies are being canceled this year as a result of the law. Last week, the president proposed that insurance companies allow those policies to continue,
The Democrats’ exercise of the “nuclear option” to gut the Senate filibuster was a serious blow to American democracy, at least as a constitutional republic. But it has a few advantages: it will help Republicans repeal Obamacare, and it proves
In response to HHS to Delay 2014 Obamacare Signups Until After 2014 Midterms: During the shutdown fight in September and October, President Barack Obama refused any and all proposals to delay the individual mandate. He would not interfere with “settled
Obamacare is hurting millions of people–much to the surprise of the mainstream media, which failed to examine the law before it passed. (They left that task to the fledgling Tea Party, which they then called racist for its trouble). Yet
Carl Cannon, Washington Bureau Chief for RealClearPolitics.com, asked in an op-ed published Friday morning whether, in light of Martin Bashir’s profane–and unpunished–attack on Sarah Palin, the time has come to “pull the plug” on a network that devotes 85% of
Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) was one of only three Democrats to oppose ending the filibuster on executive and most judicial appointments in the Senate on Thursday. Levin’s dissent is noteworthy: he chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, which oversaw one
My friend Eugene Kontorovich, one of the world’s leading international law experts (on pirates, among other fascinating topics), posted a blog at the Global Post today in which he notes that the European Union is treating Morocco’s occupation of Western
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) applauded his party’s decision Thursday, endorsed by President Barack Obama, to end the filibuster for executive nominees and most judicial nominees, telling MSNBC: “I want the filibuster abolished. Completely.” The new rule passed the Senate by
President Barack Obama placed his own stamp on Senate Democrats’ decision to end the filibuster rule for executive nominees and most judicial appointments, telling White House reporters that despite gutting minority protections, he takes the Senate’s authority “very seriously.” He
Senate Democrats reneged on the terms of a July deal to save the filibuster when they passed new rules on Thursday that would permit executive appointees and most judicial nominees to be approved by a simple majority. Under the terms
Now that Democrats have gone “nuclear” and destroyed the filibuster for most judicial and executive nominees, Republicans’ warnings about the true ambitions of this president and his party are coming to fruition. If the procedural rights of the minority party
The Senate voted Thursday, 52-48, to end the filibuster rule for all executive and judicial appointments except for Supreme Court nominees, which would still need a 60-vote supermajority to end debate and move to a majority vote on confirmation. The
In a bitter historical irony, as Americans mark the fiftieth anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the world’s leading powers may be about to sign an agreement that would permit Iran, the world’s leading sponsor of terror
The purported deal to keep some troops in Afghanistan is a potential win for the U.S., and especially for all those who fought and sacrificed themselves to defeat Al Qaeda and protect the new government from collapse. But it is
The federal government shutdown was rated by most observers as a disaster for Republicans. Yet the failure of Obamacare has sent Democrats into a panic, and should prompt a re-evaluation of the October fight. There is no doubt that Democrats
Israel’s foreign minister said Wednesday that it was time for his country to look beyond the U.S. as its principal ally, the Jerusalem Post reports. Foreign minister Avigdor Liberman said that the U.S. was too distracted with other problems. However, with talks resuming
The city of Desert Hot Springs, California, near the resort town of Palm Springs, is facing bankruptcy–for the second time. The city filed for bankruptcy in 2001, and Gov. Jerry Brown subsequently signed a law that would make it more
President Barack Obama’s defense at his press conference last Thursday was not only that he hadn’t lied about the healthcare.gov website being ready on time, but that he could not possibly have lied because he did not know. “On the
On Tuesday, President Barack Obama made light of accusations that he is a socialist. “You’ve got to meet real socialists,” he joked in an appearance at the Wall Street Journal CEO Council. “You’ll have a sense of what a socialist is.”
President Barack Obama convinced a bipartisan group of Senators on Tuesday to delay enacting new sanctions until after the Thanksgiving recess. The Obama administration had sought the delay, it claimed, in order to show good faith to the Iranian regime
President Barack Obama told the Wall Street Journal‘s CEO Council meeting on Tuesday that the U.S. should scrap the debt ceiling, which he described as a “loaded gun” creating perpetual crisis in American politics. “We’re probably better off with a
Earlier this month, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, widely credited with being one of the “architects” of Obamacare, said on Fox News Sunday that there was no need to delay the individual mandate penalties for failing to carry health insurance–unless the Obamacare website,
On Tuesday, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which represents the world’s most advanced economies, advised the U.S. to eliminate the debt ceiling, warning that repeated crises over the debt limit threatened the global economy. Instead, the OECD suggests,
President Barack Obama will attempt to convince Senators from both parties today that Congress should not slap new sanctions on Iran for failing to halt nuclear enrichment. But there are many reasons to reject the president’s request, especially the fact,
Jewish leaders are feeling misled by the White House over the terms of a proposed deal with Iran on nuclear enrichment, according to the Times of Israel. Specifically, they are upset that they were urged not to lobby for new
During the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Israel’s Prime Minister, Golda Meir, pulled the plug on a speech to the nation by Minister of Defense Moshe Dayan, on the advice of journalists who had interviewed him earlier in the day. Dayan’s
On Monday, Secretary of State John Kerry told the Organization for American States that “The era of the Monroe Doctrine is over.” After the assembled delegates applauded, Kerry proceeded to misquote the doctrine as “a United States declaration about how
When former Obama adviser and campaign manager David Plouffe said on Sunday that running against Obamacare would be an “impossibility” for Republicans, his reasoning seemed dubious. By the fall of 2014, Plouffe insisted, “millions of people will be signed up,”
Last month, the Wall Street Journal published a fascinating essay by Peter Savodnik about Lee Harvey Oswald’s time in the Soviet Union. It reveals much about Oswald’s essentially introverted, tortured character, and provides a basis for understanding why the simplest explanation
With Obamacare imploding, the unthinkable has become possible: the law could be repealed. Not just after the 2014 midterm elections, or after a new president takes office in 2017, but in the very near future. That is because many Democrats
President Barack Obama has elected not to attend the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address on Tuesday, Nov. 19th. Instead, he will be meeting with Senators at the White House to persuade them not to impose new sanctions on Iran,
My colleague Matt Boyle takes issue with Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) for focusing on minority outreach when he and Mitt Romney failed to turn out the Republican Party’s base in 2012–by which I take him to mean white voters. Respectfully,