The Sports Cable Rip-off By Froma Harrop
Not long ago, an important New England Patriots game failed to appear on my cable lineup. There was a way to pay extra for it, but the heck with that.
Political Commentary
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October 1, 2013
September 27, 2013
New Report Undercuts Global Warming Alarmists By Michael Barone
Events have failed to fulfill the prophecy. Preachers have suddenly been struck dumb by uncertainty. Believers are understandably nervous and some, under their breath, are abandoning the dogma.
September 27, 2013
In Media Coverage of Clintons, Anonymous Gossip and Fact-Free Cynicism Still Rule By Joe Conason
For the American media -- and especially for "the liberal media" -- even the possibility of a Hillary Clinton presidential nomination, however distant, seems to invite a reversion to bad old habits. During the presidency of Hillary's husband, all too many Washington journalists lived by "the Clinton rules," which meant applying the most cynical interpretation to everything Bill and Hillary Clinton (and anybody associated with them) did or had ever done.
September 26, 2013
What Makes Art Valuable, Really? By Froma Harrop
The amazing story of Pei-Shen Qian has given the art world pause. A struggling Chinese immigrant, Qian painted fake works attributed to the stars of abstract expressionism -- Jackson Pollock, Barnett Newman, Robert Motherwell.
September 25, 2013
Innovation or Stagnation By John Stossel
Invent something and the first thing that goes through some people's minds -- especially politicians' minds -- is what might go wrong.
3D printers now allow you to mold objects right in your living room, using patterns you find online. It's a revolutionary invention that will save time, reduce shipping costs and be kind to the earth.
But what critics see is: guns! People will print guns at home! Well, sure.
September 24, 2013
Game Soon Over on Obamacare By Froma Harrop
Voices from right field are explaining why they're justified in threatening the United States with default if Congress does not defund Obamacare. The Wall Street Journal's Kimberley Strassel said on Sunday chat TV, "There isn't one poll that shows that Americans approve, as a majority, of this health care law."
September 24, 2013
America's new Isolationism By Michael Barone
America has gone back to isolationism, many commentators are saying. Not just the dovish Democrats, but also Republicans who were so hawkish a decade ago are turning away from the world.
September 20, 2013
Democrats no Longer Following Obama's Agenda By Michael Barone
Presidents tend to set the agenda for their parties. Most of the party's members of Congress tend to go along.
September 19, 2013
Violence in Our Air By Froma Harrop
To the rising pile of shooting rampages, Americans can now add the rapid-fire murder of 12 people at the Washington Navy Yard. It is a sign of our remarkable times that this horrid deed seems to pale next to the massacre of 20 schoolchildren in suburban Connecticut last December.
September 19, 2013
Make Trade, Not War By John Stossel
What's up with so many Democrats wanting missile strikes on Syria, while Republicans balk? I'm told Republicans are the war party.
September 18, 2013
Saved From Larry Summers at Fed By Froma Harrop
The week opened nicely with news that Lawrence Summers had taken his name out of the running for the Federal Reserve chairman job. We won't be subjected to the notoriously unpleasant Summers denigrating those who would distinguish between Wall Street's interests and the country's. Still more gratifying is that Democrats, and not just the liberal ones, put the kibosh on President Obama's mystifying desire to put this Wall Street-Washington hybrid in charge of our central banking system.
September 17, 2013
Republicans Need Future-Looking Policies, not old Bromides By Michael Barone
Republicans have been getting a lot of advice on how they should change their party ever since Mitt Romney's defeat in November 2012. They need it.
They are in more than the usual disarray that afflicts parties out of the White House. Many members of their majority in the House of Representatives are out of step with the Republican leadership on issues ranging from Syria to defunding Obamacare.
September 13, 2013
Obama's Wing-it Diplomacy Undermines U.S. Credibility By Michael Barone
Here's how the Obama folks have been starting to spin Syria. The president made a credible threat to use military force in Syria. At the same time, he worked behind the scenes to get Russia's Vladimir Putin to push Bashir al-Assad to give up chemical weapons.
September 13, 2013
Online Privacy Is Gone. Live With It By Froma Harrop
Feeling aggrieved over reports of widespread government surveillance? Feeling guilty about not feeling aggrieved? Relax. There's little you can do about the revelations.
September 12, 2013
Striking Syria: Is Obama too Much Like Bush -- or not Enough? By Joe Conason
For a president who distinguished himself from his predecessor by promising to extricate the United States from Iraq and Afghanistan, Barack Obama suddenly appears determined to maroon his own presidency in Syria. But critics who worry that Obama is imitating George W. Bush are missing the central irony in his predicament -- which stems from his failure to mimic Bush closely enough.
September 11, 2013
Road to Damascus By John Stossel
Some things you just have to do, in spite of great uncertainty.
Launching missiles at Syria isn't one of them.
September 10, 2013
Oldster Passions, Hipster Fans, Long Lives By Froma Harrop
The weekend obits toasted two American originals who died in their 90s. Both dedicated their many hours to preserving bygone technologies -- in one case typewriters and in the other vinyl records. Both would have closed shop sooner were it not for young hipsters, raised on the digital, seeing novelty and beauty in the great inventions of the mechanical age.
September 10, 2013
Specter of Iraq Hovers over Syria Deliberation By Michael Barone
Hovering over the congressional debate on whether to authorize the use of military force in Syria is the specter of Iraq.
September 6, 2013
Obama's 'Red Line' Undermines U.S. Power By Michael Barone
Blunder after blunder. That's been the story of President Barack Obama's policy toward Syria.
In April 2011, Obama said dictator Bashir al-Assad "had to go." But he did little or nothing to speed him on his way.
September 5, 2013
China's Rich, Yearning to Breath Free By Froma Harrop
Thousands of Chinese are fleeing to the United States. We are not talking about impoverished peasants hiding in cargo containers. We're talking about millionaires flying first class and buying condos in the choicest ZIP codes. A big reason for this relocation, real estate agents say, is a desire for America's clean air, as opposed to China's suffocating smog.
