Rand Paul and the Political Limits of Libertarianism
It’s official: Rand Paul, the libertarian conservative Republican senator from Kentucky, is running for president. He doesn’t have a chance. Rand’s lack of prospects says a great deal about the political limitations of his libertarian creed and its relationship to ...
Read MoreThe TPP: “Free Trade” Protectionism
On one side of the issue are the Sierra Club and most environmental organizations, the left-leaning consumer group Public Citizen, organized labor and the majority of Democrats in Congress. On the other side are the Chamber of Commerce, most of ...
Read MoreUnfair to Bibi?
The lead story in today’s New York Times is actually a news analysis, and a rather tendentious one, in the guise of a news story. The reporter, Jodi Rudoren, would have us believe that President Obama has carried his Bibi-bashing ...
Read MoreA Clarifying Election
The Israeli election results have put to rest any faint hope for a settlement of the Israel/Palestinian conflict in the foreseeable future. No one should be fooled by Netanyahu’s post-election “clarification”: his behavior as well as his words, not only ...
Read MoreHillary’s Troubles
Regular readers of this blog know that I am not a great fan of Hillary Clinton’s, and certainly not one to leap mechanically to her defense over e-mailgate. But really, this affair is much ado about very little. Yes, Hillary ...
Read MoreThe Iranian Threat to Israel: “Existential”?
Among many letters to the editor printed in today’s NY Times was one which refers to the Iranian regime’s “genocidal ambitions” aimed at Israel. The writer of course was reflecting the widespread belief that Iran’s rulers are dedicated to the ...
Read MoreL’Affaire Bibi-Boehner
John Boehner’s invitation to Bibi Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress, without any consultation with the Obama administration, is an outrageous breech of protocol. But it’s worse than that: it’s an unprecedented intrusion into American domestic politics by ...
Read MoreTorture: Effectiveness vs. Morality
In my post following the Senate Intelligence Committee’s report on torture, I raised some doubts about the committee’s finding that torture had never been effective since 9/11. I suggested that the majority Democrats on the committee may have overstated their ...
Read MoreThe Right on Obama and the Terrorists
President Obama has come under fire from the right lately for his failure to use phrases like “Islamic radicalism” in characterizing the terrorist threats facing the West. Obama knows what he’s doing. To characterize the threats as “Islamic” would play ...
Read MoreBittman’s Wisdom
I’ve never paid any attention to Mark Bittman–not out of hostility, just that I don’t normally read about food. But I couldn’t help noticing his op-ed in today’s NY Times, and I was impressed. I especially want to point to ...
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