Column

Washington -- How could a comic figure from the world of politics such as President Joe Biden suddenly become such a tragic figure on the American scene? One minute he is bringing all civilized observers to laughter by telling Katie Couric that former President Franklin Roosevelt dealt with the 1929 stock market crash by getting "on television" and reassuring his fellow Americans as only FDR…

Are you a racist? All white people are, says "White Fragility" author Robin DiAngelo. Race explains everything, says bestselling "How to Be an Antiracist" author Ibram X. Kendi. "Every policy is either racist or anti-racist." Kendi's and DiAngelo's books are now recommended reading at schools, corporations and in the military. Both authors command high speaking fees. Isn't that good?…

The American media tends to consist of highly educated individuals, many of whom went to elite academic institutions. They tend to congregate in large urban environments surrounded by like-minded people who have similar interests and worldviews. The result is a media that is urban, coastal, secular and progressive. Good reporters tend to be mindful of their biases. Most reporters do not. In…

Washington — Donald Rumsfeld, the two-time secretary of Defense, adviser to presidents and three-term member of Congress, was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on Aug. 23 after a stately ceremony in the cemetery's large chapel. His friends and associates filled the chapel, and I wish I could report on what luminaries were present, but I cannot. Everyone was wearing a mask. The media…

There once were summertimes when the living was easy, as the song from the Broadway musical “Porgy and Bess” melodically reminds us. But not this summer, not with COVID-19 still spreading dangerously across the land and uncertainty over what happens next after the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan. Before the entire world became glued to the internet, social media, and summer TV re-…

In his address to Congress on Dec. 8, 1941, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin Roosevelt said: “… we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us. Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger. With…

As a global pandemic raged and governments began locking down and sheltering citizens in place, the United States Congress allocated $46.5 billion in rental assistance. With a moratorium in place to prevent evictions, Congress was mindful landlords would need help paying the mortgages on their rental properties. Renters would need help paying rent. Over the last year, only $1.7 billion of the…

When I was in public school, a TV ad asked: “It’s 10 o’clock Do you know where your children are?” Here’s a better question for today: Do you know what your children are being taught and exposed to in their schools?” This summer’s controversy over the teaching of critical race theory and whether to wear masks is only part of the problem. When kids claim to be a different sex than what they…

Georgia (the ex-Soviet Republic, not the U.S. state) is now a remarkable success story. Its economy is growing at 5% per year, and the country ranks ahead of the United States in economic freedom. Yet, 20 years ago, Georgia was even more miserably poor than the rest of the former Soviet Union. So, what can America and the rest of the world learn from Georgia's progress? A lot, says my…

This week, as President Joe Biden attempted desperately to distract from his ongoing surrender in Afghanistan and the attendant chaos in its wake, the White House turned its eyes once again to the issue of COVID-19. On Monday, Biden pressed private industry to mandate vaccination, stating, “Do what I did last month, require your employees to get vaccinated or face strict requirements.”…

What has happened in Afghanistan will not stay in Afghanistan but will have a ripple effect throughout the region and beyond. In remarks Friday at the White House, President Biden again proved he is out of touch with reality. Responding to criticism that America’s credibility has been damaged due to his precipitous withdrawal of U.S. troops, Biden said, “I have seen no question of our…

Looking back on the contradictory pronunciamentos uttered by President Joe Biden so solemnly over the last few months on the subject of Afghanistan, what has struck me is how inane they show him to be. When he was affirming that everything in Kabul, Afghanistan, was hunky-dory or when he was sounding the alarm, he was inane. His statements were vacuous. How did this man become president of the…

YouTube just froze Sen. Rand Paul's YouTube channel. That's just wrong. Small-minded. Counterproductive. YouTube says Paul violated their COVID-19 misinformation policy when he told an interviewer, “Most of the masks you get over the counter don't work ... virus particles are too small and go right through.” Paul didn't make that up. Properly worn N95 masks are effective, but two peer-reviewed…

In November 2009, the late Charles Krauthammer gave a seminal speech, titled “Decline Is a Choice.” In it, Krauthammer stated, “The question of whether America is in decline cannot be answered yes or no. There is no yes or no ... Nothing is inevitable. Nothing is written. For America today, decline is not a condition. Decline is a choice.” This week, President Joe Biden chose decline.