Joel B. Pollak

Joel B. Pollak - Page 337

Articles by Joel B. Pollak

Celebrating Alan Dershowitz

Today I will have the honor of participating in a special Harvard Law School event honoring the career of Alan Dershowitz, the famous defense lawyer and legal scholar. I have been asked to speak specifically about his work as a

Republicans Do Have a Strategy–Even If They Had to Stumble onto It

Conservatives, and Republicans in general, have been accused of having “no strategy” in the showdown with President Barack Obama and the Democrats over Obamacare, the government shutdown, and the debt ceiling. It might be argued that the Republicans only adopted

Republicans Do Have a Strategy–Even If They Had to Stumble onto It

While the World Debates Iran, Covert War Continues

The Iranian government claimed Sunday that it had arrested four individuals accused of trying to sabotage the country’s nuclear sites. While the exact sites allegedly targeted were not named, if such sabotage is indeed going on, it likely involves the

While the World Debates Iran, Covert War Continues

California's 'Trust Act' Defies Feds on Immigration

When Arizona passed SB 1070, allowing law enforcement officers to demand proof of legal U.S. residence from people detained for other legitimate reasons, the Obama administration acted quickly to challenge the constitutionality of that law in court (and won). Now

California's 'Trust Act' Defies Feds on Immigration

Stephanopoulos's Misleading Parting Shot

On ABC News’ This Week, House Speaker John Boehner told host George Stephanopoulos that the votes were not there to pass a “clean” debt ceiling increase–i.e. a plain increase with no changes to spending and none of the changes to

Stephanopoulos's Misleading Parting Shot

Democrats Can't Name ONE Republican Who Backs Default

The Big Lie being told by President Barack Obama, Treasury Secretary Jack “Loop-de” Lew, and Democrats in general is that Republicans are pushing for a default on the national debt. Lew said it again on Sunday’s edition of Fox News

Democrats Can't Name ONE Republican Who Backs Default

NPR's Horsley Spins the Debt Ceiling for Obama

Scott Horsley continues to be one of the most biased reporters at National Public Radio–and that’s saying something. Horsley, NPR’s White House correspondent, described the looming debt ceiling battle on Weekend Edition on Sunday in terms that not only painted Republicans in

NPR's Horsley Spins the Debt Ceiling for Obama

NYT Tells Only Half the Story of Shutdown

The New York Times led Sunday morning with a feature on how the government shutdown over Obamacare was “waged by a galaxy of conservative groups with more money, organized tactics and interconnections than is commonly known.” It recycles some typical left-wing

NYT Tells Only Half the Story of Shutdown

Full Faith and Credit Act: House Republicans' Trump Card

The Wall Street Journal editorial page recently highlighted a largely unknown piece of legislation passed by the House of Representatives in May: the Full Faith and Credit Act, sponsored by Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA). The bill would prevent the federal government from

Full Faith and Credit Act: House Republicans' Trump Card

Obama Has Lost It

It is worth noting that in most of the serious political crises during (or, more accurately, fomented by) the Obama administration, President Barack Obama has done nothing to reach agreements, and much to destroy them. Dealmaking comes down–alarmingly!–to Vice President

Netanyahu Schools Obama on Diplomacy, Again

President Barack Obama has apparently been quite desperate to meet his Iranian counterpart–so desperate, according to Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani, that he has persevered despite being rejected over five times. Contrast that with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who told

NPR: 'Obamacare Rolled Out as Planned'

National Public Radio’s David Greene introduced Friday’s Morning Edition by pronouncing: “Obamacare rolled out as planned.” He repeated the phrase in introducing NPR’s news story, “Ready or Not, Obamacare Rolls Out As Planned.” The story did cover the “computer glitches and slowdowns” that

NPR: 'Obamacare Rolled Out as Planned'

Obama Administration Asks Congress to Delay Iran Sanctions

The Obama administration asked Congress on Thursday to delay a new round of sanctions against Iran, citing new negotiations and the progress made in recent overtures between President Barack Obama and Iranian president Hassan Rouhani. Until now, the administration has

Obama Administration Asks Congress to Delay Iran Sanctions

Did They Have to Shoot?

Becoming a parent really does change your perspective on things. And there’s no way for me to look at that picture of police taking Miriam Carey’s 18-month-old daughter–the same age, roughly, as my own daughter–out of her bullet-riddled Infiniti without

Beyond the Shutdown: Cut, Cap and Balance

The partial shutdown of the federal government is on its third day, but the political fight is effectively over. The GOP has fought to a draw–and, as predicted, the shutdown is now part of a bigger, and more consequential, debt

Beyond the Shutdown: Cut, Cap and Balance

Why the Moderate House Revolt Is Being Ignored (Except by the Media)

The Huffington Post is running a tally of the twenty House Republicans who are prepared to buck party leadership and cave to President Barack Obama’s demands to fund the government without conditions. The media are very interested in the dissenters,

Iran's Rouhani Boasts: I Rejected Obama Five Times

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani told reporters on Wednesday that he turned down five requests from U.S. President Barack Obama to meet at the United Nations, according to Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency. Rouhani said: “Before my trip (to New York),

Iran's Rouhani Boasts: I Rejected Obama Five Times

Viral Video of Tesla on Fire Sends Shares Tumbling 6%

Lindsay Leveen, the expert behind greenexplored.com, sent along this alarming YouTube video, taken by passing drivers, of a new Tesla Model S on fire in Washington state (no injuries, language warning): The video garnered nearly 200,000 views since it was

China's Maoist Economy Has Obama Parallels

The Wall Street Journal ran a very interesting analysis Wednesday about new pressures facing foreign companies in China: old Maoist tactics. Those amount to using threats of investigation to force concessions–such as price cuts–as well as public confessions of wrongdoing, not

WWII Heroes Fought for Their Country, Not Their Government

The nation once again owes the heroes of World War II a debt of gratitude. The veterans who stormed the barricades that the federal government tried to erect around the WWII memorial on the Mall in Washington, D.C. reminded us that

WWII Heroes Fought for Their Country, Not Their Government

Obamacare Crash Highlights Obama's Narcissicm

The failure of the Obamacare exchanges–two-thirds of which, according to CNN, are not working after launch–is more than just a fulfillment of conservative skepticism of government in general. It also highlights a key feature of Barack Obama’s personality: his absolute

Obamacare Crash Highlights Obama's Narcissicm

Tom Friedman: Save Our Democracy from the Tea Party!

Tom Friedman of the New York Times, who never misses an opportunity to praise Chinese autocracy, has articulated a new argument that Democrats are using against the Republicans’ insistence on changes to Obamacare: “Our Democracy Is at Stake,” he warns,

Tom Friedman: Save Our Democracy from the Tea Party!

Israel's Danon: 'We Will Count Only on Ourselves'

Israel’s Deputy Minister of Defense, Danny Danon, told Breitbart News on Tuesday that Israel was prepared to act alone in preventing Iran from becoming a nuclear power. His message echoed that of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who addressed the United

Israel's Danon: 'We Will Count Only on Ourselves'

LA Phil Review: Dudamel Converts a Skeptic

I’ll admit nursing a grudge against Los Angeles Philharmonic music director Gustavo Dudamel ever since he traveled back to his native Venezuela to play for Hugo Chávez’s funeral. Chávez was a thug, though some in Hollywood might prefer to pretend

LA Phil Review: Dudamel Converts a Skeptic

NPR Eagerly Excuses Obama's Failure on Inequality

Steve Inskeep of National Public Radio interviewed President Barack Obama on Monday, as a government shutdown loomed. To his credit, Inskeep asked an interesting question about why President Obama has seen economic inequality grow rapidly on his watch. But to

NPR Eagerly Excuses Obama's Failure on Inequality

Israel vs. Iran: War of Words at UN

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday and sent a clear message that Israel was prepared to attack Iran, alone if necessary, to prevent the Iranian regime from emerging as a nuclear-armed power. His

Israel vs. Iran: War of Words at UN

Obama's Missed Opportunity in Shutdown

President Barack Obama told National Public Radio recently: “I shouldn’t have to offer anything.” That sounds tough, but those are words the president and his party may live to regret. As Republicans scrambled to find a way to pass funding

Obama's Missed Opportunity in Shutdown

Get Settled: Shutdown Likely to Last

Though the media and the Democrats are describing the hours-old partial federal government shutdown as if Republicans can be expected to cave on their positions at any moment, it is far more likely that the shutdown will continue through the

Get Settled: Shutdown Likely to Last

Hitler's 'Fatwa' Against War, 1940

President Barack Obama’s telephone call with Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani took place on the 75th anniversary of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s appeal to Adolf Hitler for peace in Europe. Roosevelt urged that “negotiations [between Germany and Czechoslovakia] be continued until

Hitler's 'Fatwa' Against War, 1940

The Lame 'Congress Must Pay Its Bills' Line

Former President Bill Clinton recently parroted a line that President Barack Obama likes to drag out whenever the debt ceiling deadline looms–that Congress must “pay its bills.” It is one of the most cynical and insidious lies in American politics

Who Gets Credit for a Government Shutdown?

The End is Nigh. So say the media, counting down the seconds to a partial shutdown of the U.S. government. Certainly Americans will miss some federal functions, and the media will focus eagerly on victims–real and imaginary–of the impasse (though,

Who Gets Credit for a Government Shutdown?

Report: Israel Warned Jews About Kenya Massacre Suspect

South Africa’s City Press reported over the weekend that Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency had warned the local Jewish community in South Africa that Samantha Lewthwaite (a.k.a. the “White Widow”) had entered the country and was a known threat, having been recorded

Cruz vs. Gregory: 5 Lessons

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) put on a masterclass in his appearance on NBC News’ Meet the Press with David Gregory on Sunday. In less than twenty minutes, Cruz not only demolished Democrat arguments–as transmitted by the ever-eager Gregory–but also showed a keen

Cruz vs. Gregory: 5 Lessons

GOP’s NY Mayor Candidate Blasts Republicans over Shutdown

Democrats have provided New Yorkers with a shockingly poor choice for mayor in Bill de Blasio, whose left-wing resumé not only includes helping the Sandinista communists in Nicaragua but also welcoming butcher Robert Mugabe to City Hall in 2002. Yet

De Blasio 2008: I Was 'Ashamed' of Welcoming Robert Mugabe

By the time Robert Mugabe visited New York’s City Hall in 2002, he was already well into his campaign of terror and murder in Zimbabwe. His regime was torturing its opponents brutally–with the help of a recently-deceased man who embraced

Three Conditions for an Israeli Strike on Iran

When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with President Barack Obama today, he will do so against the backdrop of vastly changed circumstances. President Obama’s bungling of the Syria crisis has established that the U.S. is no longer a deterrent force

Three Conditions for an Israeli Strike on Iran

Obama Falls for Iranian 'Fatwa' Hoax on Nuclear Weapons

Last week, President Barack Obama assured the United Nations General Assembly that Iran did not actually seek nuclear weapons. However, the basis for Obama’s defense of Iranian intentions is an elaborate hoax. Obama said that a “fatwa,” or religious ruling, by

Obama Falls for Iranian 'Fatwa' Hoax on Nuclear Weapons

Review: The Consumer Reports Guide to Obamacare

Recognizing that Americans are going to have to deal with Obamacare on Tuesday, even though most don’t want to, Consumer Reports magazine has published a helpful 11-page article explaining the legislation. It’s no surprise that a private company has produced a

Bill Maher's California: Nice State! (If You Have a Job)

There’s a word missing from Bill Maher’s recent ode to liberal governance in California: unemployment. The state has the fourth-highest jobless rate in the country. So while the budget might be balanced–thanks to Gov. Jerry Brown’s accounting tricks, taking $500

Bill Maher's California: Nice State! (If You Have a Job)

Obama-Rouhani Phone Call: Another Victory for Iran

After being snubbed by Iranian leader Hassan Rouhani at the UN last week, President Barack Obama clawed back some respect–in the eyes of the American media, if not the world–with a 15-minute telephone call. It was the first time presidents

Obama-Rouhani Phone Call: Another Victory for Iran