It appears that president-elect Donald Trump is very interested in the prospect of having retired Marine General James “Mad Dog” Mattis serve as Secretary of Defense. There is one small hitch in the process though, a law preventing former military members of serving as Secretary of Defense within seven years after they have left active […]
This Man Could be Trump’s Best Cabinet Appointment of All
Two people familiar with Donald Trump’s cabinet appointee selection process have told Bloomberg that John Allison, former CEO of BB&T Corp., is under consideration for the position of Treasury Secretary. I’m a friend of John’s from his time as president and CEO of the Cato Institute. Appointing John Allison to the position of Treasury Secretary […]
Gen. Mattis: America Doesn’t Lose Wars, it Loses Interest
Jon Basil Utley, a friend of mine and publisher of The American Conservative, highlights the thoughts and ideas he gleaned from a speech by General James “Mad Dog” Mattis to the Jamestown Foundation. Mattis is likely to be America’s next defense secretary. Jon’s comments are in italics. –America doesn’t lose wars, it loses interest. –We […]
Buchanan: Trump Presidency Under Seige
It appears the media wants to stoke the fire of disunity, but voters didn’t elect Trump to back down from a fight. Pat Buchanan lays out how the Trump presidency will be besieged by the media. Among the reasons the hysteria over the Trump election has not abated is that the media continue to stoke it, […]
Jeff Sessions Attorney General an A
The National Interest tells readers the Sessions appointment could be a historic appointment moving away from a PC straight judicial jacket. Jeff Sessions has compiled a record that suggests he will be a decisive and constructive leader of the Justice Department. Sessions is potentially a historic appointment, sending encouragement to law enforcement agencies not to […]
Mike Pence: Cheers and Boos—the Sound of Liberty
Here the National Review staff summarizes Vice President-elect Mike Pence’s response to the cast of Hamilton addressing him directly after he attended their show. Mike Pence’s response to the controversy surrounding the cast of “Hamilton” addressing him was spot on: “I nudged my kids and reminded them, that’s what freedom sounds like…I wasn’t offended by […]
My Report Card on Trump’s Advisor and Cabinet Choices
I am assembling a running catalog on names being considered, and my company will evaluate each finalist in terms of what Donald Trump said he was going to do for Americans. I do not want to get into specific names here, but rather kick off this lengthy task by saying that my initial impressions are […]
Trump Era: No Middle Ground?
The Wednesday yoga class I attended after the election was a group think exercise of weeping and gnashing of teeth. The outcome of the presidential election was exactly as Peggy Noonan described—enraged mourning. The enlightened Zen-like qualities of yoga—at peace with most things, a sense of natural serenity—were swamped by venomous spilling of well-worn liberal […]
Reince Priebus, Part II, America’s Irrational Takers
As President Obama walks through the ruins in Greece on his European farewell tour, President-elect Donald Trump is figuring out how to clean up the mess he’s been left with. It’s a fitting narrative, because what has been happening in Greece could certainly happen here. Back in 2012 during the riots in Greece, Reince Priebus […]
Trump’s Chief of Staff Pick: Reince Priebus
Reince Priebus was in Newport four years ago for the Romney campaign. I liked everything he had to say. Here’s what I wrote to you then about his speech that evening. “Reince said you get a name like his when a German and a Greek get married. But not to worry—his kids have normal names. […]