After the Syrian gas attack, President Trump had a choice: do nothing or do something. It’s a choice all presidents face, because sooner or later they will be tested—usually sooner, and not just once but many times and in many … Continue reading →
I’ve said before that Trump and his advisors should have ironed out a lot of things and clarified them before releasing his immigration executive order. Sloppiness is wrong on two scores: it leads to bad outcomes for many people, and … Continue reading →
First of all, let’s get the legalism out of the way: Obama didn’t pardon Manning. The verdict stands. Obama shortened Manning’s sentence by a huge amount, commuting the original 35 years (of which Manning has served 6) to time served … Continue reading →
A week or so ago a friend of mine joked that Obama would be pardoning Bowe Bergdhal before he leaves office. And then a little while later we learn that Bergdahl has in fact requested a pardon: The pardon would … Continue reading →
I find George Bush’s continuing dedication to painting to be quite fascinating. I like his paintings and think he’s improved since he began. Now he seems to be concentrating on portraiture; this is what an art critic has to say: … Continue reading →
I haven’t yet written about Trump’s reaction to the speech of Khazir Khan, the father of Humayun Khan, a Muslim soldier killed in the service of the US, although it’s been dominating the news for several days. I ignored it … Continue reading →
I was watching Fox News about an hour ago and most of the commentators seemed to be guessing that the coup in Turkey has failed and Erdogan is in control. If true, this would not be a good outcome. The … Continue reading →
Hillary Clinton’s decision to use an alternate and insecure email system has never been adequately or convincingly explained. Her initial excuse was nonsensical and/or mendacious (wanting to use one device), and people have speculated ever since on the real reasons. … Continue reading →
[Hat tip: commenter “sdferr.”] I actually have come to the point of such skepticism about the press that I take nearly everything I read there with a grain of salt. But with that caveat, here’s an extremely lengthy article (and … Continue reading →
Many things happened during last night’s GOP debate. The level of debate discourse (can I use highfalutin words like “discourse” without being called a snobbishly out-of-touch member of the “elites”?) has fallen even further and we are now reduced to … Continue reading →
Here’s Kirsten Powers writing about the movie “13 Hours”: In an interview, three of the former elite military officers portrayed in the movie ”” Mark “Oz” Geist, Kris “Tanto” Paronto and John “Tig” Tiegen ”” told me the movie was … Continue reading →
The NY Post editorial board wonders: Gen. John Kelly, USMC, is retiring after more than four decades as an active-duty Marine. His “greatest fear,” he says, is that the vast “equal opportunity” pressure for women in combat roles will lead … Continue reading →