On Tuesday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wanted to reach her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, to discuss the upcoming U.N. Security Council vote on Syria, but there was nobody on the other end of the line. Apparently, it took Secretary Clinton more than 24 hours to get ahold of Lavrov to discuss the United Nations resolution that would force Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad to step down within two weeks. Is this what the real “reset” with Russia looks like? If so, the “reset” button needs to be …
According to (confirmed) reports this morning, President Obama will send a bipartisan delegation led by former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush to assist recovery efforts in Haiti. The United States has already launched a robust aid operation including Coast Guard and Naval ships and deployed Marines. The U.S. also has floating military hospitals, doctors and medical supplies on the way. President Obama has ordered a “swift, coordinated and aggressive effort to save lives” and by all accounts, that is what is occurring. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary …
The Obama Administration’s claims that General Motors — the federally-owned auto manufacturer — is independent from political entanglements is once again being tested, this time with an international twist. The issue is what to do with Opel, GM’s German-based European subsidiary (as well as the smaller, British-based Vauxhal). Last week, GM CEO Fritz Henderson presented to the GM board a plan to sell the two firms to a Canadian-Russian consortium. Surprisingly, however, GM’s board rejected the plan, asking Henderson to consider other options. Those option include GM keeping Opel, or …
The media and pundits alike have skewered the Clinton State Department for giving Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov a prop “reset button” when Secretary Clinton met with him in Geneva earlier in the month. Obviously it is a bad idea to reset relations with Russia only weeks into a new presidential term, especially given the number of outstanding sensitive issues that the United States should maintain some level of leadership on, rather than ceding all ground to Russia. But this episode also demonstrated a clear lack of leadership at the …
The National Taxpayers Union released its 2007 “Taxpayer Score” yesterday. The annual NTU rating reflects a congressperson’s commitment to reducing federal spending, taxes, debt and regulation by analyzing every roll call vote affecting fiscal policy (including appropriations, authorization, and tax bills; budget target resolutions; amendments; and certain procedural votes that could affect the burden on taxpayers). Comparing 2006 scores to 2007, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) fell furthest, dropping below 30 of her colleagues to a 3% score. On the House side, indicted Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) steered the furthest to …
Reporting on yesterday’s events on Capitol Hill, the New York Times notes: “It is not easy to draw a straight line from the slumping economy to the war in Iraq and a trade deal with Colombia, but Democrats are trying to connect those dots.” For liberals, the connection between Iraq and the economy is actually very clear — but not in the way they hope to communicate to the American people: on both issues the two remaining liberal presidential candidates are not being honest with the American people. On trade, …
A bipartisan effort to put a one-year freeze on earmarks has attracted the support of at least 14 senators, including each party’s presidential contenders, setting the stage for a showdown Thursday over wasteful government spending. Despite the surge in support over the past 24 hours, however, Senate Democrat leaders are threatening to derail the plan. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Budget Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) have vowed to stand in the way of the amendment, sponsored by Sens. Jim DeMint (R.-S.C.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.). …
Democrats in New York want to raise taxes. Democrats in California want to raise taxes. Democrats in Congress want to raise taxes. Is there a pattern here? Apparently liberals still seem to believe the best way to fight off an economic slowdown is to raise taxes. When pressed to explain how increasing the amount of money the government takes out of the economy could possibly lead to better economic outcomes, many liberals point to the 1993 tax increases as proof that higher taxes can strengthen the economy. The claim is …
According to the Los Angeles Times, “After Backlash, Berkeley Welcomes Marines,” and according to the Associated Press, “Berkeley Eases Anti-Marines Stance.” Nothing could be further from the truth. The San Jose Mercury News got it right: “Berkeley Council Becomes Home to Intolerance.” In order to arrive at their misleading headlines, here are just some of the facts the AP and LAT left out of their stories: The Berkeley City Council passed a resolution applauding residents and organizations that “volunteer to impede, passively or actively, by nonviolent means, the work of …
The Heritage Foundation has many able analysts who have done great work on energy and the environment. But since the absolute farce that is the cap-and-trade “solution” to global warming is now the preferred plan of all three major presidential candidates, the need to highlight succinct analysis from others has never been greater. Bryan Leyland, who is chairman of the economic panel of the New Zealand Climate Science Coalition, summed up not only why the European Union’s carbon cap-and-trade program is a failure, but also why all carbon cap and …
