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July 24, 2009

The Virginia Gubernatorial Election: Clues from the Past By Rhodes Cook

It is often said that the past is prologue. In that regard, this year's gubernatorial candidates in Virginia--Democrat Creigh Deeds and Republican Bob McDonnell--share a bit of common history. They ran against each other for state attorney general in 2005, a race that ended as one of the closest statewide elections in Virginia history. Following a recount, McDonnell emerged the winner by a margin of just 360 votes out of nearly 2 million cast.

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July 23, 2009

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Health Reform By Froma Harrop

It's high noon on health care reform. Time to identify the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

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July 23, 2009

A Month of Gloomy Thursdays for Health Care Plan By Michael Barone

Thursday is the day things tend to come to a boil on Capitol Hill. Members of Congress have been in town for three or four days; they're planning their exits on Friday to meet other commitments; they've had a chance to talk and meet with one another and sample the moods of their colleagues.

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July 23, 2009

Is Bernanke Wise Enough to Exit? By Lawrence Kudlow

Fed head Ben Bernanke went before Congress this week with his midyear update on monetary policy and the economy.

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July 22, 2009

Mother Knows Best By Susan Estrich

The president is "not familiar" with the bill. No one can explain how it will work yet, as Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., told a contentious town meeting. There are various plans, and negotiations are still in the early stages.

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July 22, 2009

Beware of Comprehensive Health Care Reform By Tony Blankley

I was listening to National Public Radio's morning "news" Monday on the way to work, during which the newsperson read the apparently "factual" statement that the United States is the only developed country that does not provide "comprehensive" health care coverage.

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July 21, 2009

Truly Greasing the State Budget By Debra J. Saunders

Sacramento is so desperate to erase the state budget's $26.3 billion shortfall that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Democratic Legislature seem poised to end decades of prohibition so that they can tap new revenue from a widely occurring natural resource -- one dear to many Californians and known for its unmistakable aroma.

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July 21, 2009

The Logic of a Locavore By Froma Harrop

"Spoiled: Organic and Local Is So 2008," read the headline in Mother Jones magazine. You can imagine the snark that followed.

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July 20, 2009

Britain and United States Go in Different Directions By Michael Barone

Once upon a time, British and American politics seemed to operate in tandem. Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan came to office, both supposedly little experienced and out of the mainstream, at about the same time.

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July 19, 2009

The Gang That Couldn't Shoot -- Period By Debra J. Saunders

Last weekend, the New York Times reported that after 9/11, the CIA developed a "secret counterterrorism program" to train hit squads to kill top al-Qaida leaders. It seemed like good news to me. After all, why bankroll an intelligence agency if you can't use it to kill an enemy against whom America has declared war?

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July 17, 2009

Summer in Washington By Susan Estrich

The stimulus program must really be succeeding in Washington, D.C. Government is hiring; people are working. In fact, if news reports are to be believed, they're working night and day. So maybe there's some sleep deprivation thrown in for good measure. And don't forget the legendary heat and humidity that made service in the nation's Capitol hazardous before the advent of air conditioning.

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July 17, 2009

The Price of Leaving the Details to Congress By Michael Barone

"Never let a crisis go to waste," Barack Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said last November. The crisis he referred to was economic: the financial collapse and the rapidly deepening recession. The opportunity it presented, for Obama and Emanuel, was to vastly expand the size and scope of the federal government through cap-and-trade and health-care legislation.

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July 16, 2009

Pelosi's Toothless "Commission" By Joe Conason

Very soon, Congressional leaders are expected to announce the creation of a new commission to investigate the real causes of America's crippling financial disaster.

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July 16, 2009

The Audacity of Self-defense By Debra J. Saunders

Two schools of thought on the Senate's power of advice and consent on Supreme Court nominees: One -- which I support, but then-Sen. Barack Obama did not -- holds that barring extraordinary circumstances, senators should go along with a president's judicial choices.

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July 16, 2009

Mature Women Want Their Stories on Screen By Froma Harrop

Back when the boomers were babes, the girls would strut and preen around a stylish health food restaurant in Manhattan. No one took much note of a 70ish woman in comfy shoes who would sit quietly along the wall at lunch. She was Greta Garbo.

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July 15, 2009

Stock Markets Are Up Again By Lawrence Kudlow

I agree with publisher Mort Zuckerman who recently wrote in the Wall Street Journal that subprime jobs numbers in the U.S. foreshadow continued economic weakness. But the stock market seems to disagree with both of us. Stocks are roaring ahead again today — up over 150 points — after holding the high ground yesterday and following Monday’s huge rally. Even a sub-par retail sales report didn’t stop retail stocks from posting a 1.6 percent gain.

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July 15, 2009

Smile By Susan Estrich

Sonia Sotomayor makes me smile. Maybe I should have a more highfalutin response to the back-and-forth between the judge and the senators. But why?

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July 15, 2009

'Freeing Tibet' By Tony Blankley

As I cruise around the Greek Isles for a few weeks, I want to recommend a truly remarkable book for your summer reading, "Freeing Tibet:50 Years of Struggle, Resilience, and Hope," by my great friend John Roberts and his wife, Elizabeth Roberts.

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July 14, 2009

BAM's Slipping Grip On The Public By Dick Morris & Eileen McGann

In the polling hierarchy, the least signif icant data measure is a president's per sonal popularity. Here, President Obama excels, with most polls showing him in the high 60s. Next comes his job approval, significant but not necessarily predictive.

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July 14, 2009

The State Budget Mess -- Continued By Debra J. Saunders

When California voters rejected five measures on the May 19 special election ballot, but passed a sixth measure that barred legislative pay raises in budget deficit years, the message to Sacramento was clear: Voters did not like what Sacramento had to offer.

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