Daniel Larison, in the American Conservative, writes “We have the benefit of that experience [George W. Bush’s foreign policy], so there is no excuse for falling for the same con twice.” Larison continues: Choosing someone “heavily involved” in carrying out George W. Bush’s policy in Iraq to be a “top foreign policy aide” is practically […]
Jeb Bush VS. Rand Paul
How can the GOP broaden its base? I like what David Boaz, Executive Vice President at the Cato Institute, writes comparing Jeb Bush to Rand Paul: Both Jeb Bush and Rand Paul are talking about broadening the appeal of the Republican Party as they move toward presidential candidacies. Both say Republicans must be able to […]
Tucker Carlson at Cato/Naples
The Daily Caller’s editor and chief was the featured speaker at the Cato Institute’s annual Naples, Florida policy conclave. A packed house of 450 Libertarians listened with great interest as Tucker Carlson explained how the demographics in America had radically shifted since the financial crisis. The striking shift, he believes, will have a significant bearing […]
The Koch Brothers and Paul, Rubio and Cruz
NPR reports that the recent private Palm Spring Koch conclave featured presentations by presidential aspirants Rand Paul, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz. NPR writes, “The political network led by industrialists Charles and David Koch plans to spend $889 million for the 2016 elections.” Before the pledging session at the Palm Springs conference, donors watched three […]
Scott Walker and the “Buzz”
Voters in Iowa are buzzing about a Scott Walker presidential run. Here in the American Conservative James Antle III gives you a look at what all the buzz is about. From my perspective, Walker is a wishy-washy fallback prospect of unpleasant dimensions. For a hardball competitor, Hillary (Benghazi disgrace) Clinton is low-hanging fruit. She can […]
Larison: Romney a Consistent Hawk
Daniel Larison at The American Conservative explains Mitt Romney’s consistently hawkish foreign policy stance. If Americans see a Mitt Romney reboot for a third presidential run, they shouldn’t expect a change in his foreign policy views. It is always a vain effort to try to figure out what Romney “really” believes on any subject, but […]
Jeb Bush For President?
I guess if you were a fan of the thinking of the former Project For a New American Century, Jeb Bush would be a perfect fit. But count me out. It would be instructive to hear Jeb’s views on his allegiance to PNAC as well as on his brother’s Iraq/Afghanistan strategy and the outcomes. Bloomberg […]
Leaders for Liberty: Sen. Rand Paul and Rep. Justin Amash
The American Conservative’s Daniel McCarthy explains how liberty-minded Republicans, exemplified by Rand Paul and Justin Amash, represent “a qualitative change in tone and policy emphasis for the GOP, particularly on national security and foreign policy.” McCarthy also explains that the public “has shown to have no appetite for the decades-long wars that Tom Cotton’s [Arkansas’s […]
Republican Brand Still Sucks…
….as Rand Paul indelicately put it, writes Michael Tanner of the Cato Institute. Here is a short, top-down look at Mr. Tanner’s take away from the midterm elections. Republicans were not so much the winners as Democrats were the losers. Voters held their collective nose as they pulled the lever repudiating Obama’s agenda. Opposition to […]
Tall Tales from Bill Clinton
The political spin is on for the White House. Mary Anastasia O’Grady writes in the WSJ about Bill Clinton and Haiti, where Mr. Clinton is persona non grata in much of this country. After Hillary spoke recently at an Iowa “steak fry,” Mr. Clinton bragged about his Haiti record. Why? As Ms. O’Grady points out, […]