OutloudOpinion - Audio of America's Top Conservative Columnists.

The Disemboweling of America 3.11.10

Patrick Buchanan — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:06:52 -0500

Though Bush 41 and Bush 43 often disagreed, one issue did unite them both with Bill Clinton: protectionism. Globalists all, they rejected any federal measure to protect America's industrial base, economic independence or the wages of U.S. workers. Together they rammed through NAFTA, brought America under the World Trade Organization, abolished tariffs and granted Chinese-made goods unrestricted access to the immense U.S. market. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Internet Tax a Bad Idea 3.11.10

David Harsanyi — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:06:50 -0500

Tyranny is afoot. And this evil arrives in the guise of secondhand books and cheap Chinese trinkets. So beware. Actually, if anyone ever needed an obvious illustration of how government overreach can damage an economy, he need look no further than the Colorado Legislature's foolish attempt to wheedle a few extra bucks out of consumers via an Internet sales tax. After legislation forcing online companies to collect sales tax passed, Amazon.com moved to protect its consumers and long-term interests by severing its ties with Colorado. Unfortunately, this meant closing its associates program, which involved an estimated 5,000 jobs. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Deficient Cleaning Service 3.11.10

Michelle Malkin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:06:48 -0500

"Maybe it will take a woman to clean up the House," Nancy Pelosi boasted before the 2006 midterm elections. Looks like those XX chromosomes didn't give her much advantage over the old cleaning crew. The swamp she was supposed to drain is overflowing. And fewer than four years after a sordid sexual predation scandal involving a creepy congressman rocked the Republican Party, a sordid sexual predation scandal involving a creepy congressman is now rocking the Democratic Party. The same questions that dogged House leaders then are dogging House Speaker Pelosi now: What did she and her staff know, and when did they know it? From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

The Democrats Won't Talk About This Provision 3.11.10

Mona Charen — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:06:46 -0500

Pity the Democrats. They just can't get their message out. Not with a charismatic president (who has delivered 52 speeches on the subject), control of both houses of Congress, the gooey enthusiasm of 90 percent of the press, and more than a year of ceaseless agitation. Their efforts have been thwarted, so they imagine, by "misinformation," "distortion" and the "special interests." So influential are these dark forces that the leadership cannot shout over them. Speaker Pelosi must pass the grossly unpopular bill in order to get the peace and quiet she needs to explain its virtues. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Whose Values? 3.11.10

Linda Chavez — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:06:44 -0500

Liz Cheney has stirred up a hornet's nest. The former vice president's daughter now runs a group called Keep America Safe, which last week released a video questioning the "values" of Obama Justice Department lawyers who once represented clients detained at Guantanamo for terrorist activities. Cheney's group claims that Attorney General Holder has hired nine such lawyers, including the principal deputy solicitor general, Neal Katyal, but has refused to identify most of them. "Who are these government officials ... whose values do they share?" the group asks. Now, Cheney is being accused of McCarthyism and even some conservatives are criticizing her. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Heads Liberals Win, Tails We Lose 3.11.10

David Limbaugh — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:44:36 -0500

The left habitually distorts and exaggerates to demonize and discredit its opponents but squeals like a stuck pig when conservatives use colorful language to call the left out. Unfortunately, some on the right encourage the left's squealing. As for the liberals, it's hard to take them seriously when they register their indignation at, say, Sarah Palin for her "death panels" comment, other conservatives for describing Obama as a socialist or liberals as "liberals," or, most recently, Liz Cheney for calling seven Justice Department appointees the "al-Qaida Seven." Liberals are the ones who knowingly lied in saying that "Bush lied; people died," that supply-side tax cuts are "just for the rich" and that Bush left people on the rooftops in New Orleans after Katrina because they were black. These weren't just harmless rhetorical barbs; they had and continue to have serious, substantively damaging consequences. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Enhancing Democracy by Banning Speech 3.10.10

Steve Chapman — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:23:55 -0500

Imagine how life will be now that giant corporations may spend as much as they want on political campaigns, as the Supreme Court recently decreed. All they will have to do to get their way is ask members of Congress: Do you want our money helping you -- or your opponent? Given the sums available to Big Business, most politicians will be desperate to please. So you might think. But consider a state where corporations are already allowed to spend as much as they want on elections: Illinois. Here, companies have established beyond doubt that this prerogative, when combined with $2, will get them a ride on the bus. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Dems Are Stuck With a Mess of Their Own Making 3.10.10

Michael Barone — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:23:52 -0500

There's a lively debate going on in the blogosphere and the press about whether Democrats would be better off passing or not passing a health care bill. Some liberals claim that Democrats would be better off passing a bill, any bill, even if it's unpopular with the general electorate. The idea is to energize the Democratic base, currently demoralized by the prospects of failure. Current polls show Democrats far less enthusiastic and far less likely to vote -- passing a law might change that. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

The Angry Left Joins Talk Radio 3.10.10

Emmett Tyrrell — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:23:50 -0500

There has been yet another eruption of violence from what our liberal friends a year or so ago were wont to call the "Angry Left." However, if you read The Washington Post, you might think this recent outburst of violence came from talk radio. The angry leftist behind the violence was John Patrick Bedell, 36, who, on the evening of March 4, walked up to an entrance of the Pentagon; pulled a gun on two Pentagon guards, Jeffrey Amos and Marvin Carraway; and was shot dead. Both guards were wounded. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Republican Collectivism 3.10.10

Larry Elder — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:40:00 -0500

The most disturbing part of the ObamaCare debate is not about where Republicans and Democrats disagree, but where they agree. Take this issue of those with pre-existing illnesses. Many Republicans actually support government action to prevent insurance companies from refusing to insure them. Ignoring the benefits of cost-lowering free market competition and the role of charity, many Republicans believe it acceptable to force an insurance company -- in business to insure against unknown risks -- to "insure" someone currently experiencing a known risk. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Vanessa Williams: Looking a White Gift House in the Mouth 3.9.10

Ben Shapiro — Tue, 9 Mar 2010 22:39:13 -0500

On Sunday night, Sandra Bullock won Best Actress at the 82nd Academy Awards for her portrayal of gun-toting Republican Leigh Anne Tuohy in "The Blind Side." "The Blind Side" is essentially a high-class, made-for-TV movie based on the true story of the Touhy family's adoption of impoverished and abandoned black teenager Michael Oher, who would go on to play as an offensive lineman in the NFL. The movie is heartwarming, and Bullock is excellent in the part. She clearly deserved her Oscar. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Desperate Dems Cling to Human Kiddie Shield 3.9.10

Michelle Malkin — Tue, 9 Mar 2010 22:37:22 -0500

Have you noticed something about the audiences that President Obama has cherry-picked to cheer his government health care takeover roadshow? They're getting younger and younger. On Wednesday, Obama brings the traveling campaign to St. Charles High School in St. Louis, Mo., for a closed-door, invitation-only speech. If he doesn't end the endless "No More Time For Talk" talks soon, he'll be peddling Democratic reconciliation tactics on "Dora the Explorer" and "SpongeBob SquarePants." From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

The Democrats' Pickett's Charge 3.9.10

Dick Morris and Eileen McGann — Tue, 9 Mar 2010 22:34:59 -0500

And now the House Democrats line up at the instruction of their blind commanders for a final charge into glory as they battle to foist a health care system on a country that neither wants it nor can afford it. The charge may or may not reach its objective. But one thing is certain: The carnage among those who vote for health care will remind Civil War buffs of Pickett's Charge on the final day of the Battle of Gettysburg. As a French general who witnessed the spectacle said, "C'est magnifique, mais ce n'est pas la guerre." (It is magnificent, but it's not war.) The sight of so many Democrats throwing away their political careers may be arresting, but it is not politics. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Insurers Gone Wild! 3.9.10

Jacob Sullum — Tue, 9 Mar 2010 22:33:00 -0500

"We allow the insurance industry to run wild in this country," President Obama declared on Monday. "We can't have a system that works better for the insurance companies than it does for the American people." Yet Obama's plan to tame health insurers would boost their business, protect them from competition and guarantee their profits, all at the expense of consumers and taxpayers. It is therefore not surprising that the insurance companies, while they object to the president's rhetoric and quibble over some of the details, are happy to be domesticated. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

An American Obsession with Freedom 3.9.10

Tony Blankley — Tue, 9 Mar 2010 22:30:20 -0500

The publishing of the Declaration of Independence 233 years ago by our Founders was responded to in London by two of the 18th century's greatest minds: Dr. Samuel Johnson (after whom a literary age was named) and Edmund Burke (the intellectual father of modern Anglo-American conservatism). Dr. Johnson made the harsh assertion that our Declaration was "the delirious dream of republican fanaticism" that, if sincere, would "put the axe to the roots of all government." Moreover, he went on, it was the rankest hypocrisy for owners of slaves to shout for freedom, or, as Johnson put it: "Why is it that we hear the loudest yelps for liberty from the drivers of negroes?" From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Undemocratic Democrats 3.9.10

William Murchison — Tue, 9 Mar 2010 22:28:27 -0500

According to John Harwood in The New York Times, public support for "reining in Wall Street" has Democrats about as exuberant as Democrats ever get any more. Scared Senate Republicans are looking for deals to cut. The public wants this thing, with three-fifths supporting it in a recent poll. Democrats -- who always do the public's bidding -- are ready to close the deal. If there's time, that is, after Congress and the president force the public to take a deal on health care that only a distinct minority seems to want. What the average Democrat thinks of public opinion these days seems to depend on which big government measure is on the table. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Why Democrats Don't Care about $9.7 Trillion Debt 3.8.10

Dennis Prager — Mon, 8 Mar 2010 22:02:42 -0500

As reported by The Washington Post, "President Obama's proposed budget would add more than $9.7 trillion to the national debt over the next decade, congressional budget analysts said Friday." CNN adds, "Of that amount, an estimated $5.6 trillion will be in interest alone." The Post continues: "The CBO (Congressional Budget Office) and the White House (are) ... both predicting a deficit of about $1.5 trillion this year -- a post-World War II record at 10.3 percent of the overall economy. But the CBO is considerably less optimistic about future years, predicting that deficits would never fall below 4 percent of the economy under Obama's policies and would begin to grow rapidly after 2015. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Obama vs. Insurers and the People, Part 2 3.8.10

David Limbaugh — Mon, 8 Mar 2010 22:00:47 -0500

President Barack Obama obviously has no qualms about slandering people or industries that interfere with his agenda. In the same creepy manner he defamed the Cambridge Police Department without benefit of the facts, he is scapegoating the insurance companies based on his distorted version of facts. In the past week, he has ratcheted up his war on insurance companies, who, he apparently figures, must be destroyed if he is to accomplish his Utopian dream of socialized health care. He made them the focus of his wrath again, in his umpteenth health care speech, Monday in Philadelphia. Even the White House blog, in a post titled "Moving Forward to Put the American People Ahead of Insurance Companies," frames this debate as between insurance companies and the people. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Who Should Pay the Piper? 3.8.10

Patrick J. Buchanan — Mon, 8 Mar 2010 21:58:52 -0500

Greece this past weekend saw the worst rioting since the debt crisis began. After Athens had announced new tax hikes and budget cuts to reduce a deficit of 13 percent of gross domestic product, mobs drove guards from Greece's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and attacked police. In our own country, students, teachers and administrators at UC-Berkeley held a "Strike and Day of Action to Defend Education" to demand more money from taxpayers -- for themselves. How badly are they suffering? From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Stimulus or Sedative? 3.8.10

Thomas Sowell — Mon, 8 Mar 2010 21:57:00 -0500

Abraham Lincoln once asked an audience how many legs a dog has, if you called the tail a leg? When the audience said "five," Lincoln corrected them, saying that the answer was four. "The fact that you call a tail a leg does not make it a leg." That same principle applies today. The fact that politicians call something a "stimulus" does not make it a stimulus. The fact that they call something a "jobs bill" does not mean there will be more jobs. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Beware of Democrats Bearing Gifts 3.8.10

Mona Charen — Mon, 8 Mar 2010 21:41:44 -0500

The signs are all around us. Even as Barack Obama and the Democrats lower their heads and prepare to bulldoze a huge new entitlement through Congress, the results of profligate government spending are everywhere apparent. It requires a prodigious degree of ideological blindness to miss this. In Greece, decades of lavish spending on public employees and social programs have led to national bankruptcy. Greece's budget deficit last year was 12.7 percent of GDP. Want to know what an economic dead end looks like? It looks like this: A socialist government is forced to try to adopt austerity measures on an infantilized citizenry gone soft and dependent. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Is Health Care a Right? 3.8.10

Walter Williams — Mon, 8 Mar 2010 21:39:51 -0500

Most politicians, and probably most Americans, see health care as a right. Thus, whether a person has the means to pay for medical services or not, he is nonetheless entitled to them. Let's ask ourselves a few questions about this vision. Say a person, let's call him Harry, suffers from diabetes and he has no means to pay a laboratory for blood work, a doctor for treatment and a pharmacy for medication. Does Harry have a right to XYZ lab's and Dr. Jones' services and a prescription from a pharmacist? And, if those services are not provided without charge, should Harry be able to call for criminal sanctions against those persons for violating his rights to health care? From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Obama Bribes, Threatens, and Rewards Congress to Pass Health Care 3.5.10

Dick Morris — Mon, 8 Mar 2010 10:46:06 -0500

All aspects of President Obama's Chicago-style tactics are on display as he cajoles, bullies and bribes the House to pass his health care proposals despite the overwhelming public rejection with which they have been met. To some, he offers bribes. Rep. Jim Matheson, endangered species -- a Utah Democrat -- succeeded in getting his brother Scott appointed to a federal judgeship. Matheson voted against Obamacare when it first passed the House. With his new-found winnings in his pocket, he now professes to be undecided. He faces a clear conflict between his district and his conscience on the one hand and the bribe to his brother on the other. The conscience will probably lose. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Tea Time in America 2.25.10

Naomi Wolf — Mon, 8 Mar 2010 10:35:43 -0500

Ever since the first “Tea Party” convention was held last month in Nashville, Tennessee, with Sarah Palin as one of the keynote speakers, America’s political and media establishments have been reacting with a combination of apprehension and disdain. The Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, has called the Tea Party adherents Nazis, while the mainstream media tend to portray them as ignorant and provincial, a passive rabble with raw emotion but little analytical skill, stirred up and manipulated by demagogues to advance their own agendas. To be sure, the Tea Party’s brand of aggrieved populism – and its composition of mostly white, angry, middle-class voters – has deep roots in the United States, flaring up during times of change. But observers who have drawn comparisons to the Know-Nothings, the racist, paranoid, anti-Catholic, and anti-immigrant party that surged in the 1850’s, are reading the movement far too superficially.
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How Safe Are Your Dollars? 2.25.10

Martin Felstein — Mon, 8 Mar 2010 10:34:15 -0500

Chinese officials and private investors around the world have been worrying aloud about whether their dollar investments are safe. Since the Chinese government holds a large part of its $2 trillion of foreign exchange in dollars, they have good reason to focus on the future value of the greenback. And investors with smaller dollar holdings, who can shift to other currencies much more easily than the Chinese, are right to ask themselves whether they should be diversifying into non-dollar assets – or even shunning the dollar completely. The fear about the dollar’s future is driven by several different but related concerns. Will the value of the dollar continue its long-term downward trend relative to other currencies? Will the enormous rise of United States government debt that is projected for the coming decade and beyond lead to inflation or even to default? Will the explosive growth of commercial banks’ excess reserves cause rapid inflation as the economy recovers?
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The Illusion of a Chinese Bubble 2.25.10

Gang Fan — Mon, 8 Mar 2010 10:31:35 -0500

On the eve of Chinese New Year, the People’s Bank of China (PBC) surprised the market by announcing – for the second consecutive time in a month – an increase in banks’ mandatory-reserve ratio by 50 basis points, bringing it to 16.5%. Shortly before that, China’s government acted to stop over-borrowing by local governments (through local state investment corporations), and to cool feverish regional housing markets by raising the down-payment ratio for second house buyers and the capital-adequacy ratio for developers.
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Corporate Political Speech is Bad for Shareholders 2.23.10

Lucian Bebchuk — Mon, 8 Mar 2010 10:29:56 -0500

The United States Supreme court recently struck down limits on the freedom of companies to spend money on political elections. Large, publicly traded companies in other countries also often face lax limits on their use of corporate resources to influence political outcomes, fueling fears that the interests of shareholders will trump those of other groups, such as consumers and employees. But corporate spending on politics can also hurt the interests of shareholders. Stock market listed companies control a big share of almost every country’s resources, so the free flow of corporate money into politics can have a profound impact on politicians’ preferences and choices. In particular, the influence of corporations on politicians and political outcomes can be expected to weaken the rules that protect shareholders and ensure that companies are well-governed.
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One Giant Government Leap Backward 3.5.10

Larry Kudlow — Fri, 5 Mar 2010 21:00:42 -0500

Rather than a post-partisan olive branch to congressional Republicans and the American public, President Obama's latest health care speech was a declaration of war. He's more than willing to use a 51-vote reconciliation majority to jam through a roughly $2 trillion health care plan that amounts to a government takeover of nearly one-fifth of the economy. He's prepared to stick Uncle Sam right in the middle of the age-old relationship between patients and doctors, and doctors and hospitals, all while subjugating the private health care insurance system to the status of a government-run utility From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

A Sorry Complaint About Obama 3.5.10

Steve Chapman — Fri, 5 Mar 2010 20:59:52 -0500

Don't you miss the days when we had a Republican president who was not afraid to speak up for America in the face of foreign criticism? The kind of president who didn't feel the United States is always in the wrong? I have fond memories of when George W. Bush ventured abroad to defend his country: "The United States has been one of the greatest sources of progress that the world has ever known. We were born out of revolution against an empire. We were founded upon the ideal that all are created equal, and we have shed blood and struggled for centuries to give meaning to those words -- within our borders, and around the world." Beg your pardon? Oh, my mistake. Those were not the words of President Bush. They were the words of President Barack Obama, in a speech in Cairo last June -- one stop on what Republicans see as his never-ending "apology tour." From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Pitching for America 3.4.10

Pat Buchanan — Thu, 4 Mar 2010 22:15:15 -0500

It was Father's Day, 1964, when the Phillies' Jim Bunning, a father of seven, took the mound against the Mets. Ninety pitches later, Bunning had struck out 10 and allowed not one batter to reach first base. Twenty-seven up, 27 down. The first perfect game in 86 years in the National League, and the finest hour of the Hall of Famer's baseball career. Beginning last week, Jim Bunning took the Senate floor for five straight days to object to Harry Reid's call for unanimous consent to waive through a $10 billion spending bill. First, the Kentucky senator demanded, show me how we're going to pay for it. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Not So Fast 3.4.10

Oliver North — Thu, 4 Mar 2010 22:15:12 -0500

He had to give them something. During his first year in office, Barack Obama made the rounds of his constituents and tried to appease them all. For the pacifists, there were promises to get out of Iraq. Self-loathing Americans were given a global kowtowing presidential apology tour. The Marxist-librarian constituency was assuaged when he accepted communist literature from Hugo Chavez. To satisfy Rodney King "can we all get along?" adherents, Mr. Obama promised to close the terrorist detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. Proponents of global environmental policy, universal health care, nationalized industry and massive government all got something. But the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, which worked so hard to elect Mr. Obama, wasn't feeling the love. The president wouldn't let them out of the closet, they argued, and their patience was wearing thin. POTUS had to give them reason to stay in the fold. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Obama vs. Insurers and the People 3.4.10

David Limbaugh — Thu, 4 Mar 2010 22:15:10 -0500

President Barack Obama's obsessive, opportunistic demonization of insurance companies in his quest to pass his not-yet-written health care proposal is growing tiresome. Aren't you getting sick of a president attacking American citizens and businesses as if they -- not Obama's beloved government -- were the enemy? His repeated implication that insurance companies are the primary reason for rising health care costs is politically expedient, but it's still untrue. Government is the main culprit. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

The Obama Way: Bluster, Bully, Bribe 3.4.10

Michelle Malkin — Thu, 4 Mar 2010 22:15:07 -0500

The White House took great offense this week when conservatives suggested President Obama might be trading a judicial appointment for a wavering Democrat's vote on his health care reform plan. "Absurd," a miffed administration official told Politico.com. Wherever could the American people get such an impression? Let us count the ways. On Wednesday, the very day Obama hosted 10 swing Democrats who had opposed the expansive health care takeover bill in November, the White House issued a press release trumpeting the nomination of Scott M. Matheson Jr. to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Matheson just happens to be the brother of Democratic Rep. Jim Matheson of Utah -- one of the 10 Dems invited to sip wine and nosh on calorically correct appetizers with the arm-twister-in-chief. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Mostly Hope 3.4.10

Mona Charen — Thu, 4 Mar 2010 22:15:05 -0500

After more than a year in office, the Obama foreign policy based on hope has run its course. Time after time, the administration has pursued a policy of pre-emptive concession rather than hard bargaining, with predictable results. In Europe, the U.S. simply walked away from a defensive missile shield in an effort to hit the "restart" button with Russia. Our allies, Poland and the Czech Republic, who had counted on our commitment, were hung out to dry. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Peculiar Be Thy Name 3.4.10

David Harsanyi — Thu, 4 Mar 2010 22:14:05 -0500

Perhaps no finer Christian name has ever been bestowed upon a child than the one Jermaine Jackson, of Jackson 5 fame, came up with for his son: Jermajesty. We can forgive the famous for not being bound by the norms of civil behavior and branding their offspring Kyd or Suri or Trig or Satchel or Apple (or, apparently, any inanimate object that happens to be lying around), but what has happened to the rest of us? From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Sen. Bunning: 'Paygo Means Paygo' 3.3.10

Larry Elder — Wed, 3 Mar 2010 23:05:21 -0500

What on earth did Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., do, and why did he do it? An astonished ABC reporter followed the senator down the hall. The reporter confronted Bunning as the visibly irritated senator boarded an elevator and tried to leave. The reporter stopped the doors from closing and continued the questioning. Why, he repeatedly asked Bunning, why? What did the senator do? Fail to pay taxes? Visit a mistress on taxpayer money? Utter a racial slur? No, Bunning committed an even more egregious sin. In effect, he said to his congressional colleagues, "Before we expand a program, let's make sure we can pay for it." From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Will Senate Say Aloha to Racial Discrimination? 3.3.10

Michael Barone — Wed, 3 Mar 2010 23:04:23 -0500

What's the worst piece of legislation before Congress associated with the letter H? Most conservatives and Republicans, many moderates and independents, and even some liberals and Democrats would answer: one of the health care bills. But there's a robust competitor for this honor, passed by the House last week and currently before the Senate: the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Chicago's Pointless Handgun Ban 3.3.10

Steve Chapman — Wed, 3 Mar 2010 23:03:31 -0500

When Chicago passed a ban on handgun ownership in 1982, it was part of a trend. Washington, D.C. had done it in 1976, and a few Chicago suburbs took up the cause in the following years. They all expected to reduce the number of guns and thus curtail bloodshed. District of Columbia Attorney General Linda Singer told The Washington Post in 2007, "It's a pretty common-sense idea that the more guns there are around, the more gun violence you'll have." Nadine Winters, a member of the Washington city council in 1976, said she assumed at the time that the policy "would spread to other places." From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Two Steps Forward, No Steps Back 3.2.10

David Harsanyi — Tue, 2 Mar 2010 20:46:04 -0500

It's not the size that matters. Today President Barack Obama will unveil health care proposal Part VII. The new House bill, according to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, will be "much smaller" than previous efforts. After surveying the brutal political conditions facing them, Democrats, it seems, believe that if they lay claim to more modest legislation, they lay claim to a less horrid bill. If only that were true. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Andy Stern and Barack Obama: Fiscal Responsibility Fraudsters 3.2.10

Michelle Malkin — Tue, 2 Mar 2010 20:44:00 -0500

Everything you need to know about President Obama's commitment to fiscal responsibility and cost containment can be summed up in two words: Andy Stern. The profligate, corruption-coddling head of the powerful Service Employees International Union was named to the White House debt commission last week. If Obama thinks Stern holds the cure for our government spending woes, you can be certain his latest health care prescription will be fiscal hemlock. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Our Deficit-Enabling Media 3.2.10

L. Brent Bozell III — Tue, 2 Mar 2010 20:42:01 -0500

The deficit for last year was $1.4 trillion. The deficit rose as a share of the gross domestic product from 3.1 percent in 2008 to 9.9 percent in 2009, the highest deficit as a share of GDP since 1945. The projected deficit for the fiscal year that ends in September is another $1.3 trillion. So much for all that fiscal sanity blather from Team Obama in '08. How dishonest. Even worse, there's a good reason to stay pessimistic about deficits as far as the eye can see. It's called the "news" media. Legislators who want to get re-elected will clearly want to avoid any spending decision that will create bad national publicity, and our news media, the manufacturers of bad national publicity, will send crying victims down the assembly line at the slightest thought of a social spending cut or freeze. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Obama's Reapportionment Suicide 3.2.10

Dick Morris and Eileen McGann — Tue, 2 Mar 2010 20:39:48 -0500

In U.S. politics, all elections are not created equal. It's OK to lose the state legislative and gubernatorial elections held on years ending in 2, 4, 6 or 8. But you can't afford to lose those held in years that end in 0. Those are the reapportionment elections. With the governorships evenly divided and almost all of the state legislatures, the party that loses the decadal election stands to lose control over congressional reapportionment -- and, therefore, to lose control of the House of Representatives for a decade. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Does the Second Amendment Apply Outside the Home? 3.2.10

Jacob Sullum — Tue, 2 Mar 2010 20:37:50 -0500

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court considered the question of whether the Second Amendment applies outside of jurisdictions controlled by the federal government. The court will almost certainly say yes, and soon it may consider a question that should be equally easy to answer: whether the Second Amendment applies outside of the home. In 2008, the first time the Supreme Court explicitly declared that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to "keep and bear arms," it ruled that the District of Columbia's handgun ban violated that right. Since the Chicago handgun ban at issue in the case the Court heard this week is virtually identical, it will be overturned if the Court concludes that the Second Amendment binds states and cities as well as the federal government. And since the Court has ruled that almost all of the other guarantees in the Bill of Rights apply to the states by way of the 14th Amendment, it would be very strange if the fundamental right to armed self-defense did not make the cut. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Placing Our Faith in Economic Oracles 3.2.10

Tony Blankley — Tue, 2 Mar 2010 20:35:28 -0500

One of the sadder categories in the history of human misfortunes is the list of those things that are obvious, but wrong. By definition, if something is obvious, most people agree with it, and thus, it is likely to win the day -- but lose the verdict of history. The Earth is flat -- obviously. The sun rotates around the Earth -- obviously. What we need is a financial systemic-risk regulator who can spot an impending systemic financial risk -- and stop it. Obviously? Unfortunately, save for a few Republican senators and outside experts, it is obvious to most of official Washington that, as Sen. Christopher J. Dodd's Banking Committee gets ready to mark up the financial regulation bill, only the form that a financial systemic-risk regulator should take is seriously in dispute. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Who Poses the Greater Threat? 3.1.10

Walter Williams — Mon, 1 Mar 2010 22:33:33 -0500

Bill Gates is the world's richest person, but what kind of power does he have over you? Can he force your kid to go to a school you do not want him to attend? Can he deny you the right to braid hair in your home for a living? It turns out that a local politician, who might deny us the right to earn a living and dictates which school our kid attends, has far greater power over our lives than any rich person. Rich people can gain power over us, but to do so, they must get permission from our elected representatives at the federal, state or local levels. For example, I might wish to purchase sugar from a Caribbean producer, but America's sugar lobby pays congressmen hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions to impose sugar import tariffs and quotas, forcing me and every other American to purchase their more expensive sugar. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Alice in Health Care 3.1.10

Thomas Sowell — Mon, 1 Mar 2010 22:26:35 -0500

Most discussions of health care are like something out of Alice in Wonderland. What is the biggest complaint about the current medical care situation? "It costs too much." Yet one looks in vain for anything in the pending legislation that will lower those costs. One of the biggest reasons for higher medical costs is that somebody else is paying those costs, whether an insurance company or the government. What is the politicians' answer? To have more costs paid by insurance companies and the government. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Obama vs. the 10th Amendment 3.1.10

Chuck Norris — Mon, 1 Mar 2010 22:24:29 -0500

Not surprisingly, a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released last Friday revealed that 56 percent of Americans think the federal government has become so large and powerful that it poses an immediate threat to their rights and freedoms. Particularly apropos here is the feds' health care violation of the 10th Amendment, which is part of our Bill of Rights and was ratified Dec. 15, 1791. The amendment says, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Health Care Summit Charade -- A Clinic in Obama Partisanship 3.1.10

David Limbaugh — Mon, 1 Mar 2010 22:22:25 -0500

For a guy who touts himself as bipartisan and demands bipartisanship from Republicans, President Barack Obama had a funny way of showing his bipartisanship during last week's health care summit. Obama has repeatedly promised an open, honest and bipartisan process on health care reform, but from the beginning, he has quarterbacked a highly partisan, closed-door and dishonest campaign. In his opening remarks at the "summit," he said he wanted to make sure the participants didn't just trade "talking points" or engage in "political theater." He said, "If we've got an open mind, if we're listening to each other, if we're not engaging in sort of the tit for tat trying to score political points during the next several hours ... we might be able to make some progress." From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

John, Chuck, Kathleen, and ... Mr. President 3.1.10

Dennis Prager — Mon, 1 Mar 2010 22:20:43 -0500

There was something particularly annoying -- even harmful to society -- during the health care summit held last week between President Obama and leading members of the House and Senate. It was the president's calling all the congressmen and senators by their first names. It is easy to appreciate just how demeaning this was of each House member and senator: Just imagine if any of them had called President Obama "Barack." From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Voyeurism Dressed As a Public Service 3.1.10

Mona Charen — Mon, 1 Mar 2010 22:18:19 -0500

It's none of my business what Barack Obama's LDL cholesterol level is. And I don't have to know that he is using nicotine therapy to attempt to kick his smoking habit. But all of this and more is dutifully passed along after the president's annual physical. Want to know his resting heart rate? It's available. And we're told that President Obama has been instructed by his physicians to "eat healthier" and "moderate his alcohol intake." What to make of this annual invasion of privacy? We've been privy to similar details about other presidents -- sometimes to an excruciating degree (President Carter revealed his troubles with hemorrhoids). In part, this may be a response to President Eisenhower's 1955 heart attack. Treatment was less sophisticated then, and the president spent seven weeks in the hospital. That was discomfiting enough, but with the advent of nuclear weapons, the Cold War, and the "football," anxiety about a possibly debilitated president led to passage of the 25th amendment to the Constitution, which provided for the smooth transition of power in the event the sitting president should die or become incapacitated. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Dems' Health Strategy Doesn't Add Up to a Win 2.26.10

Michael Barone — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 08:13:52 -0500

"More talk, no deal" was The Wall Street Journal's headline on Thursday's Blair House health care summit. "After summit flop, Democrats prepare to go it alone on Obamacare," proclaimed the headline here at The Washington Examiner. These were appropriate verdicts if you viewed the summit as an attempt to reach bipartisan agreement or even a limited consensus. But that of course was not why Barack Obama convened this unique colloquy. He did so as part of an attempt to pass some Democratic health care bill, somehow, through both houses of Congress -- and to discredit the Republicans who opposed the bills passed by the House in November and the Senate in December. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Safe Toyotas, and Other Surprises 2.26.10

Steve Chapman — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 08:13:00 -0500

Last week, facing a congressional committee acutely dissatisfied with his company's safety record, the head of Toyota, Akio Toyoda, was asked what he would tell President Barack Obama if he had the chance. His surprising reply: "Toyota cars are safe." It was surprising because more than 8 million Toyotas have been recalled for safety flaws that have caused dozens of deaths. It was even more surprising because he was right. No one denies that these defects have caused some horrifying accidents that were preventable. Still, worrying that you are going to be killed while driving a Toyota that suddenly zooms out of control on the road is like worrying that you are going to die of a spider bite while climbing a ladder onto your roof. Though either is possible, the chief dangers are the ones you take for granted. Driving is a hazardous activity, but rarely because of unsafe cars. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

The Toyota Pile-On 2.25.10

David Harsanyi — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 06:51:21 -0500

Toyotas have minds of their own, apparently. But not to worry. The U.S. government will smite the robotic menace -- and the company's profits along with it. As one Lexus-driving victim stated at a recent congressional committee hearing, "Shame on you, Toyota, for being so greedy." Indeed. Greed has reared its ugly head again. Shame on Toyota for consistently selling cars we want to buy. Shame on Toyota for employing thousands of Americans and building those unseemly factories. Shame on the company for perfecting the mass production of environmentally friendly hybrid vehicles. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

The Anti-Obama? 2.25.10

Mona Charen — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 06:50:17 -0500

On the morning of Nov. 5, 2008, the world rocked to news that the United States had elected Barack Obama to the presidency. That same morning, Mitch Daniels, governor of Indiana, joined the list of those most often mentioned as potentially defeating President Obama in 2012. In what may be a sign of unusual mental health and emotional balance, Daniels persistently declined to be considered a candidate. Among his many reasons, he told Brian Lamb, was reluctance to subject his family to the "savagery" of presidential politics. It is great news for the country, if not for him, that he has at last relented and agreed to keep the door open -- if only a crack. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Liberal Paranoia About Christian Conservatives 2.25.10

David Limbaugh — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 06:48:22 -0500

The left's paranoia about the intersection of Christianity and the public square continues unabated. It's amazing how much they fear something that represents such a little threat to them. In his column in the British newspaper The Guardian, Northeastern University associate journalism professor Dan Kennedy rails against Republicans' "intolerance" of secularism and accuses them of representing a threat to the First Amendment. In their penchant for projection, leftists accuse conservatives and Republicans of intolerance, when in fact, their own intolerance dominates the issues of freedom of speech and religion. Liberals accuse conservatives of being theocrats, when they are the ones trying to chill religious freedom and expression. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

The Other War 2.25.10

Oliver North — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 06:45:14 -0500

It's a war the so-called mainstream media apparently have decided to ignore. Though its death toll is higher than Iraq's and Afghanistan's combined, it evidently isn't worth covering; and unless you're reading this in the Southwest, you probably haven't even heard about it. The conflict, a full-blown narco-insurgency, has claimed the lives of more than 17,000 combatants and innocents, threatens to undo several democratically elected governments and poses a real and present danger to the United States. It's not the one being fought in Afghanistan. It's the war being waged from the Andean basin all the way north to the Rio Grande. Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Obama's Problems -- and Ours 2.25.10

Pat Buchanan — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 06:44:17 -0500

We inherited the worst situation since the Great Depression. That is the reflexive response of President Obama to the troubles from which he has been unable to extract his country. Even before the inauguration, he says, there were projections of a $1.2 trillion deficit for 2009. That deficit is not my deficit. Presidents are usually blamed for deficits run while they are in office. But, in fact, presidents do not write budgets. Congress does. Presidents sign them. And the mammoth deficits of 2008 and 2009 came from budgets approved by a Congress run by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. Did Sen. Barack Obama vote against those budgets? Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Oba-Kabuki: A Box-Office Bomb 2.25.10

Michelle Malkin — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 21:32:06 -0500

The Oba-Kabuki health care show at Blair House kicked off with a big lie on Thursday morning -- and it all went downhill from there. The taxpayer-funded infomercial backfired by exposing the president's thin skin, the Democrats' naked disingenuousness and the ruling majority's allergies to political and policy realities. Responding to Sen. Lamar Alexander's opening call for Democrats to renounce parliamentary tactics designed to limit debate, circumvent filibusters and lower the threshold for passage of health care reform to a simple 51-vote majority, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid sputtered indignantly: "No one's talking about reconciliation!" Everybody and their mother has been invoking the "R" word on Capitol Hill, starting with Reid. Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Progressives and Immigration Reform 2.25.10

Linda Chavez — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 21:30:12 -0500

Immigration reform legislation is probably dead this year -- which, no doubt, pleases some conservatives. But the issue isn't going away. And if conservatives hope to become the dominant force in American politics, we need to figure out a way to resolve the problem without alienating the country's fastest growing demographic, Hispanics. I delivered that message last week to some 10,000 conservatives gathered at the annual CPAC meeting in Washington. The message seemed to resonate among many in the audience -- a minority to be sure, but a fairly large one. Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Obama's Nanny Care Insults the American Spirit 2.24.10

Michael Barone — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:42:04 -0500

You are victims. You are helpless against the wiles of big corporations and insurance companies, and you need protection. You need the government to take over and do things you cannot do for yourself. That is the thinking of what David Brooks calls "the educated class" that favors the Democrats' health care bills. Members of this elite spout tales of woe of people denied coverage or care with the implication that there but for the grace of government go you. So sign on, and the government will take care of everything. It's an argument that has often been appealing to Europeans but that has always been unappealing to Americans. That's why these advocates segue to other arguments, like Barack Obama's assertion that the government can expand coverage and save money at the same time. Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Obama Embraces Nixonomics 2.24.10

Steve Chapman — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:41:07 -0500

Barack Obama has often modeled his policies on Franklin Roosevelt. Lately, though, he's been coming across more as Richard Nixon Lite. In 1971, fed up with the steady rise of wages and prices, Nixon had a big idea: Attack inflation by imposing strict controls on wages and prices. A federal board was created to establish guidelines and enforce compliance, on the assumption that government officials were wise enough to decide the correct price for millions of products and the right wage for millions of workers. The main result was to prove the folly of such intervention. Nixon's own chief economist, Herbert Stein, admitted that the administration eventually had to give up because the program was "a total disaster." Among the unwanted side effects: "Cattle were being withheld from market, chickens were drowned, and the food store shelves were being emptied." Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Olbermann's 'Federal Budget Debt' Blunder -- The Countdown 2.24.10

Larry Elder — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:40:04 -0500

MSNBC's "Countdown" show host, Keith Olbermann, recently claimed that today's "federal budget debt" is "far less than it was throughout the Reagan administration." He also said it is "about the same as it was in 1970." Is he right? Tonight's countdown: 10) What is a "federal budget debt"? No researcher, intern or night security guard told him that there is no such thing? No one fact checked him before he went on-air? Add this to the ever-growing catalog of Olbermann's greatest hits kept by the indispensable NewsBusters.org. Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

"Broken" Government: When Liberals Lose 2.23.10

L. Brent Bozell III — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:58:08 -0500

When Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana announced last week he wasn't running for re-election, he didn't state what may have seemed obvious. He couldn't say he wanted to avoid the embarrassment of losing, or that he worried he'd never achieve national office if that happened. Instead, he launched into a lecture about what was wrong with everyone else. The government is "dysfunctional" with "brain-dead partisanship." It's "Groundhog Day." This scenario repeats itself every time the Democrats take control. Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Obama Begins His Assault on Your Life Savings 2.23.10

Terence P. Jeffrey — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:55:57 -0500

The welfare state and your life savings are two cars heading down a one-lane road in opposite directions. One must yield, or there will be a crash. For Americans who believe in the old-fashioned virtues of hard work, self reliance and respect for private property, the solution is obvious. The welfare state must yield. For politicians who believe in the welfare state and redistributing wealth, the solution is equally obvious. Your savings must yield. Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Corruptocrat Eric Holder's National Security Cover-Up 2.23.10

Michelle Malkin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:53:29 -0500

The White House wants to play Transparency Olympics with the Tea Party movement. President Obama's Chief Technology Officer Andrew McLaughlin dared Tea Party activists and conservatives last week to "push the administration to make its policies more open" and make it a "political competition...to see who can be more radical in their openness," The Hill reported. So, let's start by knocking down Attorney General Eric Holder's national security stonewall at the Department of Justice, shall we? Let the sun shine in. Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Fight the Power 2.23.10

Jacob Sullum — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:50:44 -0500

The day before last weekend's Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C., a group of prominent conservatives gathered a few miles away at the Virginia estate of our first president. Their Mount Vernon Statement swears fealty to a "constitutional conservatism" that "applies the principle of limited government based on the rule of law to every proposal" and "honors the central place of individual liberty in American politics and life." If only they meant it. Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

GOP Should Send Doctors to White House 2.23.10

Dick Morris and Eileen McGann — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:49:06 -0500

One out of 10 Republican congressman is a doctor and two GOP senators -- Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and John Barraso of Wyoming -- also practiced medicine before joining Congress. The Republican Party should send its doctors to the White House for the health care summit Barack Obama is staging right before he tries to ram through his Obamacare legislation. Poll show that the public respects doctors when it comes to health care far more than it does politicians or health economists. The House and Senate doctors should say to Obama: "You are the president, and we respect your status. But, Mr. President, when it comes to health care, we are doctors, and we know a lot more than you do." Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Is Our Government Really Broken? 2.23.10

Tony Blankley — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:46:02 -0500

If you want to see broken government, consider the fall of the constitutional Roman Republic and the rise of Julius Caesar: "Fortune turned against us and brought confusion to all we did. Greed destroyed honor, honesty and every other virtue, and taught men to be arrogant and cruel, to neglect the gods. Ambition made men false. Rome changed: A government which had once surpassed all others in justice and excellence now became cruel and unbearable." So said the historian Sallust at the time. Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Obama Doesn't Even Fake Bipartisanship Well 2.22.10

David Limbaugh — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:12:04 -0500

How long will it take for every last American to realize President Barack Obama is not about bipartisanship, reconciliation (other than as a process to cram his health care bill through Congress) and uniting Americans? As his latest gyrations on health care demonstrate, he will not be deterred in his quest to saddle Americans with socialized medicine, even if it greatly increases the likelihood he won't be re-elected. Here we have Obama, frenetically busy with at least three of his hands, pushing different buttons and sending mixed signals. I guess being a self-perceived messiah means you don't have to worry about being flagrantly inconsistent, even on the same day or in the context of one speech. Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Happy 1st Birthday, Tea Party Movement! 2.22.10

Chuck Norris — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:08:21 -0500

It's still difficult to believe that last week, President Barack Obama actually celebrated Feb. 17 as the anniversary of his stimulus plan (aka the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009), in which Washington borrowed $862 billion on American taxpayers' credit. Celebrate the piling of roughly $1 trillion on the backs of our posterity? Call me clueless, but I never have considered easing present circumstances by going into a massive amount of debt as an answer to anyone's economic recovery and longevity. But I bet there's one date the president definitely won't be celebrating: Feb. 27. This Saturday marks the anniversary (or first birthday) of the Tea Party movement. Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Economic Whodunit 2.22.10

Thomas Sowell — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:06:24 -0500

During bad times, the blame game is the biggest game in Washington. Wall Street "greed" or "predatory" lenders seem to be favorite targets to blame for our current economic woes. When government policy is mentioned at all in handing out blame, it is usually blamed for not imposing enough regulation on the private sector. But there is still the question whether any of these explanations can stand up under scrutiny. Take Wall Street "greed." Is there any evidence that people in Wall Street were any less interested in making money during all the decades and generations when investments in housing were among the safest investments around? If their greed did not bring on an economic disaster before, why would it bring it on now? As for lenders, how could they have expected to satisfy their greed by lending to people who were not likely to repay them? Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Amnesty International: Not Much of a Reputation To Lose 2.22.10

Mona Charen — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 20:45:00 -0500

Amnesty International has been a handmaiden of the left for as long as I can remember. Founded in 1961 to support prisoners of conscience, it has managed since then to ignore the most brutal regimes and to aim its fire at the West and particularly at the United States. This week, Amnesty has come in for some (much overdue) criticism -- but not nearly so much as it deserves. During the Cold War, AI joined leftist international groups like the World Council of Churches to denounce America's policy in Central America. Yet human rights in Cuba were described this way in a 1976 report: "the persistence of fear, real or imaginary, was primarily responsible for the early excesses in the treatment of political prisoners." Those priests, human rights advocates, and homosexuals in Castro's prisons were suffering from imaginary evils. And the "excesses" were early -- not a continuing feature of the regime. Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Global Warming Update 2.22.10

Walter Williams — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:58:45 -0500

Private industry and governments around the world have spent trillions of dollars in the name of saving our planet from manmade global warming. Academic institutions, think tanks and schools have altered their curricula and agenda to accommodate what was seen as the global warming "consensus." Mounting evidence suggests that claims of manmade global warming might turn out to be the greatest hoax in mankind's history. Immune and hostile to the evidence, President Barack Obama's administration and most of the U.S. Congress sides with Climate Czar Carol Browner, who says, "I'm sticking with the 2,500 scientists. These people have been studying this issue for a very long time and agree this problem is real." Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Government, Yes! God and Parents, No! 2.22.10

Dennis Prager — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:54:49 -0500

One of the major differences between the right and the left concerns the question of authority: To whom do we owe obedience and who is the ultimate moral authority? For the right, the primary moral authority is God (or, for secular conservatives, Judeo-Christian values), followed by parents. Of course, government must also play a role, but it is ultimately accountable to God and it should do nothing to undermine parental authority. For the left, the state and its government are the supreme authorities, while parental and divine authority are seen as impediments to state authority. Let's begin with God. Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Governator to Governess? 2.19.10

Debra J. Saunders — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 23:27:40 -0500

Earlier this month, former Gov. Pete Wilson sent out a letter calling on good Republicans to "unite" behind former eBay CEO Meg Whitman's bid for governor. A largely Democratic effort had been formed to raise $40 million to defeat the billionaire candidate, which Wilson argued, forced Team Whitman to launch its general election campaign early. It was an arrogant move -- calling the GOP primary before a single voter has cast a ballot in the June 8 election. Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner is still in the race. No wonder Poizner recently told me, "She wants to be ordained." Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Obama Lacks One Crucial Ingredient -- Intuition 2.19.10

Michael Barone — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 23:21:42 -0500

No president enters office knowing everything he needs to know. His experience is limited to some greater or lesser extent; his knowledge of the people from whom he will choose appointees is incomplete; his mastery of the substance of public policy, after years on the campaign trail, is likely to be out of date. And like all of us, he does not know what the future will bring. So presidents must rely on something else, something intangible and unquantifiable, in determining what is within the realm of possibility and what is a bridge too far: intuition. Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

It's All the Tea Party's Fault 2.18.10

Michelle Malkin — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 22:34:05 -0500

Remember "Not Me"? He was the famous invisible cartoon gremlin in the newspaper comic strip "The Family Circus." Whenever toys were left on the floor or other school-age disasters struck, the kids in the comic pointed their fingers at "Not Me." Today, "Tea Party" is the juvenile left's new "Not Me" -- an all-purpose scapegoat for every crime and disaster. On Thursday morning, a disturbed pilot flew a small plane into an Austin, Texas, office complex that contained an Internal Revenue Service office. Several workers in the building were injured, and Joseph Andrew Stack, the pilot, was killed in the crash. Local authorities suspect he set his house on fire -- from which his wife and daughter escaped -- before taking off on his deadly journey. Investigators found a Web posting, identified as Stack's "suicide manifesto," in which he railed against tax laws, inequity, government and crony capitalism. He also targeted "puppet" George W. Bush, murderous health care insurers and the pharmaceutical industry. Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Rethinking Political Virtue 2.18.10

Mona Charen — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 22:00:09 -0500

Asked by a radio host about the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. FCC, Newt Gingrich said something that I imagine many conservatives have always believed -- that political contributions are a form of speech, and as such should be unlimited provided they are immediately disclosed on the Internet. That was my view. But perhaps that was wrong. Not the speech part -- thankfully, even the Supreme Court has come to its senses on that score (the justices were reportedly scandalized to discover that the McCain/Feingold law permitted the banning of books under certain circumstances), but the disclosure part. Perhaps we are paying too high a price in political freedom to avoid the appearance of undue influence. Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Revisionist or Oblivious? 2.18.10

Oliver North — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:55:25 -0500

ALAMOGORDO, N.M. -- Here in America's southwestern desert, young Americans are training to fly Reapers, Predators and other remotely piloted aircraft, or RPAs, capable of attacking our enemies half a world away. Our Fox News' "War Stories" team is here at Holloman Air Force Base documenting how these remarkable high-tech weapons are changing the face of battle in the long war against radical Islamists. One thing that hasn't changed is how incredibly wrong liberal Democrats are about this fight. Since the attempted bombing of a U.S.-bound passenger flight on Christmas Day, the Obama administration has attempted to deflect criticism for its inept handling of counterterrorism. President Barack Obama, the leadoff hitter, tried to convince us that the Nigerian underpants bomber was an "isolated case," that closing Gitmo and sending jihadists to Yemen is proper and that holding show trials in Manhattan for the likes of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is "the right thing to do." Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

When the Facts Don't Help Pound the Table 2.18.10

David Limbaugh — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:50:21 -0500

When you're president of the United States and your primary claim to fame is your economic prowess but your economic record fails by all objective measures, what do you do? You call on your skills as a virtuoso propagandist. With the perceived catastrophic economic crisis of 2008-09, President Barack Obama captured the presidency at the perfect time in America's modern history for him to unleash his grandiose socialist policies -- policies so ambitious that the American people would never have tolerated them under any other circumstances. Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Just Shoot Me: A Conservative Defends Alec Baldwin 2.18.10

Matthew Towery — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:45:59 -0500

Go ahead and throw mud at me. Kick me. Call me a Republican In Name Only. I don't care. This time, I'm siding with Alec Baldwin. The actor and liberal activist (and loud "vocalist") recently was rushed to a New York City hospital. It seems that his 14-year-old daughter, Ireland, phoned 911 and said Baldwin was in bad shape and may have suffered an overdose of some sort. Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Is This How Democracy Ends? 2.18.10

Patrick J. Buchanan — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:33:08 -0500

"I used to think it would take a great financial crisis to get both parties to the table, but we just had one," said G. William Hoagland, a former adviser to the Senate Republican leadership on fiscal policy. "These days, I wonder if this country is even governable." Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

The Real Reason for Obama's Unpopularity 2.17.10

Steve Chapman — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:52:27 -0500

When a president suffers a sharp decline in popularity early in his term, it seems safe to conclude he has badly misjudged the mood of the electorate, pushed the wrong policies and set himself on the path to becoming a one-term president. That, it's widely agreed, is the sad tale of Barack Obama, who has managed to demoralize liberals while inspiring a wave of gloating among conservatives. A new CNN/Opinion Research poll finds that already, most Americans want to vote him out in 2012. Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Biden vs. Cheney 2.17.10

R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr. — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:49:46 -0500

WASHINGTON -- This week, the Drudge Report gave emphasis to its lead headline that a CNN poll found 52 percent of its respondents to be opposed to the re-election of President Barack Obama with this boldface screamer: "Shock." Who is shocked? The American people are a sensible lot. Frankly, I am not shocked. This administration is as inept as you would expect an administration to be when presided over by the most inexperienced and most far-left president in modern American history. Mr. Obama is out of his depth. Moreover, he and his aides are oblivious to political realities. A perfect example of this is their deployment this week of Vice President Joe Biden to rebut former Vice President Richard Cheney's criticism of the Obama administration's approach to the war on terror. Pithily put, Cheney accuses the administration of treating the war on terror as a legal matter rather than a war. He is worried about our national security, and quite properly he fears more attacks within the United States unless we are on the offensive. Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Bayh's Good-Bye: Here's the Real Reason 2.17.10

Larry Elder — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:48:05 -0500

Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., "shocked" President Barack Obama and his party by announcing his plan to retire from the Senate. Appearing on CBS' "The Early Show," Bayh explained: Washington suffers from acute partisanship. Washington doesn't work. It is broken. How noble -- a principled position against "divisiveness." Let us honor a good man standing tall against the lack of "bipartisanship." Pass the barf bag. When has Washington, D.C., not been "divisive" under a president pushing unpopular ideas -- whether the war in Iraq, the Senate "amnesty" bill, partial privatization of Social Security or Bill Clinton's attempt to allow gays to serve openly in the military? Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

With Dems Sinking, GOP Better Come up With a Plan 2.17.10

Michael Barone — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:45:23 -0500

The political numbers tell a grim story. In five decades of closely following American politics, I have never seen the Democratic Party in worse shape. Democrats trail in polls in 11 of the 18 Democratic-held Senate seats up this fall and lead in polls in none of the 18 Republican-held seats. Republicans currently lead Democrats in most generic polls -- which party's candidate will you support for the House of Representatives? -- even though Democrats have almost always held the lead since Gallup began asking the question in 1950. Incumbents usually lead in individual House race polls. But polls have shown Democratic incumbents trailing Republican challengers in Arkansas, Indiana, Massachusetts and North Dakota. Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

The Incredible Shrinking Joe Scarborough 2.16.10

L. Brent Bozell III — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:20:09 -0500

I don't know when or where or even if Joe Scarborough's radio show airs in my area, nor do I care. The other night, a friend caught this clip from his radio show and sent it to me. It's about a blog that is published by the organization I head. "NewsBusters, which just loves writing negative articles about me, I don't know why, a lot of really false ones and I don't know what's actually gotten into Brent Bozell, but he actually goes out of his way to write false articles about me now ...They just distort the news for their own purposes." Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

List Price 2.16.10

Jacob Sullum — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:17:36 -0500

The war on terrorism becomes a war on free speech. The Palestine Liberation Organization and the Irish Republican Army, two of history's most notorious terrorist groups, have never appeared on the State Department's List of Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations. By the time the list was first compiled in 1997, both groups were deemed to be moving away from violence and toward a peaceful resolution of their grievances. Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Obama Defeats FDR (in Spending Other People's Money) 2.16.10

Terence P. Jeffrey — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:13:44 -0500

After he signed a law last week authorizing the U.S. Treasury to borrow an additional $1.9 trillion, President Barack Obama delivered a characteristically sanctimonious speech. It was about his deep commitment to frugality. "After a decade of profligacy, the American people are tired of politicians who talk the talk but don't walk the walk when it comes to fiscal responsibility," he said. "It's easy to get up in front of the cameras and rant against exploding deficits. What's hard is actually getting deficits under control. But that's what we must do. Like families across the country, we have to take responsibility for every dollar we spend." Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

The Other Stupid Things John Brennan Said 2.16.10

Michelle Malkin — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:45:50 -0500

It's bad enough that John Brennan, President Obama's national security deputy, thinks Gitmo jihadi recidivism is "not that bad." But in his talk last week with Islamic law students at New York University, Brennan made even more reckless comments about our counterterrorism programs while pandering to one of the worst Muslim grievance-mongers and sharia peddlers in America. During the question-and-answer session, Brennan welcomed a question from Omar Shahin. He identified himself as the head of the "North American Imams Federation." What he didn't mention was his role as the chief ringleader of the infamous flying imams. You remember them: They were the six Muslim clerics whose suspicious behavior -- provocatively shouting "Allahu Akbar!" before boarding the plane, fanning out in the cabin before take-off, refusing to sit in their assigned seats, requesting seat-belt extenders, which they placed on the floor -- led to their removal by a U.S. Airways crew in 2006. Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Who Doesn't Trust Science Now? 2.16.10

David Harsanyi — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:43:04 -0500

All of you deniers and flat-earthers who are exploiting the glacial temperatures and bizarre snowfall to mock global warming fears are missing the point: Weather isn't the same as climate. Shoddy evidence, bogus fears and a lack of transparency, on the other hand, are worth talking about. Yet the lack of skepticism by those who claim a sacred deference to scientific integrity proves that flat-earthers aren't the only ones susceptible to some faith-based ideology. Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Obama Goes Too Far and Falls Too Short 2.16.10

Dick Morris and Eileen McGann — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:25:11 -0500

One of my favorite quotes about politics comes from Henry Kissinger in his book "Years of Upheaval," his memoir of the Ford presidency: "A statesman's duty is to bridge the gap between his vision and his nation's experience. If his vision gets too far out ahead of his nation's experience, he will lose his mandate. But if he hues too close to the conventional, he will lose control over events." Now, at once, we see both happening to President Obama. Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Climate Science or Climate Evangelism? 2.12.10

Bjorn Lomborg — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 05:54:46 -0500

COPENHAGEN – As George W. Bush and Tony Blair learned the hard way, the public does not take kindly to being misled about the nature of potential threats. The after-the-fact revelation that the reasons for invading Iraq were vastly exaggerated – and in some cases completely fabricated – produced an angry backlash that helped toss the Republicans out of power in the United States in 2008 and may do the same to Britain’s Labour Party later this year. A similar shift in global public opinion is occurring with respect to climate change. The process picked up momentum late last year, after hackers leaked thousands of e-mails from a top British research facility showing that some of the world’s most influential climatologists had been trying to disguise flaws in their work, blocking scrutiny, and plotting together to enforce what amounts to a party line on climate change. More recently, the United Nations’ respected advisory group, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has been deeply embarrassed by the revelation that some alarming predictions contained in an influential report that it released in 2007 have little or no scientific basis.
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The Washington, D.C., Disconnect 2.12.10

Larry Kudlow — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 22:59:23 -0500

The disconnect between Washington and the rest of the country has never been greater. Why can't the political class in the District of Columbia produce a fiscal product that voters, taxpayers and investors are willing to consume? According to The Washington Post, voters want smaller government and fewer government services by a large 58 percent to 38 percent margin. Pollster Scott Rasmussen reveals that 61 percent of voters believe tax cuts help the economy, that 59 percent think tax cuts are a better job-creation tool than increased government spending and that another 59 percent believe higher deficits hurt the economy. Rasmussen also reports that a full 83 percent of Americans blame the deficit on the unwillingness of politicians to cut government spending. And get this: In a whopper of a poll result, The New York Times reports that 75 percent of Americans dislike Congress. Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Obama's P.R. Helps Terrorists 2.12.10

Dick Morris — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 22:59:21 -0500

When President Obama's leading counter-terrorism staff member, John Brennan, says that "politically motivated criticism and unfounded fear-mongering only serve the goals of al-Qaida," he has it exactly backward. It is the president's efforts to crow about how effective he is in fighting terrorism that are helping al-Qaida. What kind of policy is it to announce to the world that Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab, the Nigerian terrorist who attempted to blow up a plane as it approached Detroit this past Christmas, is talking to investigators and giving them much valuable information? Obama's people put the story out to counter accusations that their decision to try Mutallab in a civilian court and to permit him access to an attorney jeopardized efforts to interrogate him. Stung by the charge that they were blowing a chance to learn about subsequent al-Qaida plans, they told the media that Mutallab was being very cooperative, especially after a visit from his family. Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Under Obama, Crony Capitalism Again Rules the Day 2.12.10

Michael Barone — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 22:59:20 -0500

In his bestseller "Inside U.S.A.," the hugely readable journalist John Gunther described America as it was in the last year of World War II. He interviewed hundreds of politicians, businessmen and journalists, but only four men rated a separate chapter -- three politicians and Henry J. Kaiser, the California construction magnate who built dams and ships and manufactured concrete and steel and aluminum. Kaiser was, Gunther wrote, "tough, creative, packed with ideas and energy, above all a man who likes to make things." But he was also, he noted, a "link of enterprise by government, since government was on his side." Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Obama Spurns Gun Control 2.12.10

Steve Chapman — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 22:54:14 -0500

Among the many groups that opposed Barack Obama's presidential race, few were more certain or vehement than gun rights organizations. "Barack Obama would be the most anti-gun president in American history," the National Rifle Association announced. "Obama is a committed anti-gunner," warned Gun Owners of America. So it's no stunner that after a year in office, the president is getting hammered by people who have no use for his policy on firearms. The surprise is that the people attacking him are those who favor gun control, not those who oppose it. Obama's record on this issue has been largely overlooked -- except by the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, which recently issued a report card flunking him on all seven issues it deems important. Said President Paul Helmke, "If I had been told, in the days before Barack Obama's inauguration, that his record on gun violence prevention would be this poor, I would not have believed it." Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Liberals and Scientific Method 2.11.10

Mona Charen — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 05:05:06 -0500

True to their mission as the organs of the liberal establishment, Time magazine and The New York Times ran stories in the midst of the great snowmaggeddon warning us against drawing any politically incorrect conclusions. "Skeptics of global warming," cautioned The Times, "are using the record-setting snows to mock those who warn of dangerous human-driven climate change -- this looks more like global cooling, they taunt. Most climate scientists respond that the ferocious storms are consistent with forecasts that a heating planet will produce more frequent and more intense weather events." Time agrees: "There is some evidence that climate change could in fact make such massive snowstorms more common, even as the world continues to warm." Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Truth and Terror 2.11.10

Oliver North — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 05:05:03 -0500

The Obama administration has a nearly flawless record on the economy. When President Barack Obama or one of his senior minions, such as Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, launches a rhetorical offensive on protecting us from the perils of capitalism, we have learned to expect an instant stock market nose dive followed by higher unemployment rates and talk of greater government spending and debt and higher taxes. That's bad enough, but now the O-Team is talking about protecting us from terrorism. Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

John Murtha: Requiem for a Corruptocrat 2.11.10

Michelle Malkin — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 05:05:02 -0500

We are not supposed to speak ill of the dead. But those whom the deceased viciously smeared and humiliated deserve to be defended. Entrenched Democratic Rep. John Murtha passed away on Feb. 8 after a botched gallbladder surgery. He has been hailed as a "military advocate" (Associated Press) and "one of the greatest patriots ever to serve in Congress" (former Democratic Rep. Harold Ford Jr.). These obsequious obituaries leave out inconvenient truths: John "Jack" Murtha was an unrepentant smear merchant and corruptocrat to the bitter end. Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Bipartisanship Equals Single-Payer-ship 2.11.10

David Limbaugh — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 05:04:00 -0500

It's not a good idea for Republicans to accept President Barack Obama's invitation to a "bipartisan" health care summit, because it would not advance acceptable health care reform. The only thing it likely would advance would be Obama's propaganda message -- and, thus, his socialist agenda. Everyone knows Obama wouldn't be considering such a move if the American people had not so resoundingly rejected Obamacare. Brought to you by Privacy Harbor - The leader in safe and secure email. Go to www.PrivacyHarbor.com/radio and get your free account. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

With Absolute Power, Team Obama Grows Stupid 2.10.10

Michael Barone — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 22:04:32 -0500

How could such smart people do so many stupid things? That question, or variations on it, is being asked in Washington and around the country about the Obama administration. The same people who directed the campaign that defeated Hillary Clinton and routed John McCain, a campaign that raised far more money and attracted far more volunteers than any before it, have within a year come up with a legislative program that is crashing in ruins and that, to judge from recent polls, has left the Democratic Party weaker than I have seen it in almost 50 years of closely following politics. The 2008 campaign was an impressive achievement. So, in a negative way, is the 2009 legislative program that has left the Democrats in such woeful shape in 2010. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Krugman: Bush's Deficit Bad, Obama's Deficit Good 2.10.10

Larry Elder — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 22:03:36 -0500

Left-wing economist, Nobel laureate and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman hates deficits in tough economic times -- when the president of the United States is named George W. Bush. Krugman, in a November 2004 interview, criticized the "enormous" Bush deficit. "We have a world-class budget deficit," he said, "not just as in absolute terms, of course -- it's the biggest budget deficit in the history of the world -- but it's a budget deficit that, as a share of GDP, is right up there." The numbers? The deficit in fiscal year 2004 -- $413 billion, 3.5 percent of the gross domestic product. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Say No to Democracy 2.9.10

David Harsanyi — Tue, 9 Feb 2010 21:14:20 -0500

If you've been paying attention to the left-wing punditry these days, you may be under the impression that the nation's institutions are on the verge of collapse. Or that the rule of law is unraveling. Or maybe that this once-great nation is crippled and nearly beyond repair. You know why? Because the 40 percent (or so) political minority has far too much influence in Washington. Don't you know? This minority, egged on by a howling mob of nitwits, is holding "progress" hostage using its revolting politics and parliamentary trickery. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Palin Delivers Sparkle, Warmth 2.9.10

Tony Blankley — Tue, 9 Feb 2010 19:19:26 -0500

"No new ideas." That was the most prominent of the criticisms of Sarah Palin's speech at MSNBC's too-cool-for-school "Morning Joe" on Monday. The more general critique of former Gov. Palin's future was that while she certainly had star power, she could never speak to more than a fraction of even Republicans. The proof of the latter point was made with the evidence that many important Washington Republicans could never support her for more than cheerleader to her marginal people. They also pointed out that she had kept out of races in Massachusetts and Virginia, where it was thought she might not help. Gosh, a lack of ego paired with shrewd political judgment -- that is surely not wanted in a leader. (In both those incidents, the president himself couldn't resist going in and contributing to his candidates' losses.) From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Obama's Balloon Hits the Dirt 2.9.10

L. Brent Bozell III — Tue, 9 Feb 2010 19:17:42 -0500

It was only a year ago that liberal elites in Washington were shoveling dirt on conservatism. James Carville was writing boastful books about 40 years of Democrat dominance, boasting in his typical way that he could call "time of death" on the Republican Party. Liberals believed their hype that Barack Obama would be that black FDR they pictured on the cover of Time magazine. Now newspaper headlines read otherwise: "Where did the hope for Obama go?" The hot-air balloon has crashed to Earth, and you can tell conservatism is back with a swagger. You can tell because the media's daily output has gone from breathless valentines for Obama to angry denunciations of Tea Party protesters. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Porkulus II: Return of the Phony Jobs Boondoggle 2.9.10

Michelle Malkin — Tue, 9 Feb 2010 19:15:52 -0500

Immutable law of Beltway political physics: The only real jobs that a government stimulus stimulates are government jobs. A year after President Obama signed his first almost trillion-dollar economic stimulus package into law, the federal workforce is at an all-time high. The nation's unemployment rate has swelled to 9.7 percent, but Washington's economy is thriving. More than 2.1 million government workers will be on the federal payroll by the end of 2010. The lobbying industry is booming. USA Today reports that 14 federal agencies have hired 3,000 workers to oversee stimulus spending and have spent nearly $190 million so far on salaries and overhead. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

GOP Needs to Make Case at Health Care Summit 2.9.10

Dick Morris and Eileen McGann — Tue, 9 Feb 2010 19:13:24 -0500

President Obama has so lowered expectations for the Republican Party that if they come to the health care summit he has called at the White House with concrete and well articulated proposals, it will blow the country away. Repeatedly, the president has fashioned the GOP as the party of "no," goading them by saying, "If you have any ideas, bring them on." Well, let them do it. Republicans need to be on their toes and aggressive in the meeting, and not let it devolve into a question and answer session with the president hogging the mike. He asked for a meeting, not a lecture or a media conference, and Republicans need to demand equal time to present their ideas. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Bend It Like Obama 2.9.10

Jacob Sullum — Tue, 9 Feb 2010 19:11:07 -0500

Can the government control health care inflation through subsidies? First President Obama said critics of his health care plan had no ideas worth considering. Then he said he never said that. Now he says he is eager to hear those previously unacknowledged ideas. Taking Obama at his word (always a risky thing to do), is there any realistic prospect that the meeting he plans with legislators from both parties later this month will, as he suggests, produce "some agreements" on how to proceed with health care reform? Not if he continues to ignore the conflict between his approach to expanding medical coverage and the other major goal he says must be addressed by any serious reform proposal: bringing health care spending under control. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Is Justin Bieber in Danger? 2.8.10

Chuck Norris — Mon, 8 Feb 2010 20:57:46 -0500

Justin Bieber is a 15-year-old teen idol and singing sensation. The pop star was one of the presenters at the 2010 Grammy Awards and one of the 74 music superstars who remade the 25-year-old song "We Are the World," and he just helped kick off the weekend events for the Super Bowl. MTV calls Justin one of the two "biggest names in the pop-culture universe at the moment." A couple of weeks ago, I received word that Bieber was posting (or tweeting) on Twitter some Chuck Norris "facts" -- those mythical superhero-type sayings about what people say or think I can do. Then I heard Justin posted a playful photo of me as my character in "Walker, Texas Ranger" with himself Photoshopped into the image, kneeling next to me. The bubble caption coming from his mouth read, "Buy 'Baby' ... Chuck Norris says you should!" From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

The Bankrupt PIGS of Europe 2.8.10

Patrick J. Buchanan — Mon, 8 Feb 2010 20:55:19 -0500

They are called the PIGS -- Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Spain. What they have in common is that all are facing deficits and debts that could bring on national defaults and break up the European Union. What brought the PIGS to the edge of the abyss? All are neo-socialist states that provide welfare for poor people, generous unemployment, universal health care, early retirement and comfortable pensions. Most consume 40 percent to 50 percent of their gross domestic product annually, a crushing burden on the private sector. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

The Fallacy of "Fairness" 2.8.10

Thomas Sowell — Mon, 8 Feb 2010 20:53:21 -0500

If there is ever a contest to pick which word has done the most damage to people's thinking, and to actions to carry out that thinking, my nomination would be the word "fair." It is a word thrown around by far more people than have ever bothered to even try to define it. This mushy vagueness may be a big handicap in logic but it is a big advantage in politics. All sorts of people, with very different notions about what is or is not fair, can be mobilized behind this nice-sounding word, in utter disregard of the fact that they mean very different things when they use that word. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Frank Rich and the State of Liberal Commentary 2.8.10

Dennis Prager — Mon, 8 Feb 2010 20:51:36 -0500

If one had to read one columnist to appreciate the state of contemporary left-wing commentary, my nomination would be Frank Rich of the Sunday New York Times. No well-known leftist columnist better exemplifies the worst aspects of today's left. Virtually every piece is filled with anger, filled with ad hominem responses to arguments, filled with insults of opponents and at the same time devoid of intellectual arguments. A Frank Rich column is essentially a weekly tantrum meant to make his readers nod in agreement and reinforce their contempt for those who differ with them. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Lashing Out Beats Accountability 2.8.10

David Limbaugh — Mon, 8 Feb 2010 20:49:39 -0500

Conservatives understand that liberals often demonize their opponents rather than debate the merits of the issues because the tactic works. But you have to wonder whether another reason they lash out is that they are angry that reality doesn't cooperate with their ideologically driven solutions and it's easier to blame others than to face up to the unpleasant truth of their failed ideas. It's not just the tirades of liberal talk show host Ed Schultz, who said he would cheat to keep Scott Brown from winning his Senate election, or Chris Matthews, who said Republicans indoctrinate their members in the same way Cambodian communists re-educated their subjects, or the nasty outbursts of presidential adviser Rahm Emanuel. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Frontier Suburbanite 2.8.10

Mona Charen — Mon, 8 Feb 2010 20:47:42 -0500

Al Gore is responsible for this. He taunted Mother Nature. Consider this her memo: Don't Presume To Know What I Have in Store. Here in Fairfax County, we thought we were prepared. I had purchased enough milk to last our family of five for a week. We had plenty of food. As the blizzard raged Friday night, we were tucked comfortably in the family room under blankets alternately watching a movie and observing the snow blowing sideways past the windows. The only interruptions to our comfort were the obligatory trips to the (decreasingly visible) driveway for Cali, our 10-week-old puppy. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Public-sector Unions Bleed Taxpayers to Help Dems 2.5.10

Michael Barone — Fri, 5 Feb 2010 21:44:27 -0500

Growing up in Michigan in the heyday of the United Auto Workers, I long assumed that labor unions were part of the natural order of things. That's no longer clear. Last month, the Labor Department reported that private-sector unions lost 834,000 members last year and now represent only 7.2 percent of private-sector employees. That's down from the all-time peak of 36 percent in 1953-54. But union membership is still growing in the public sector. Last year, 37.4 percent of public sector employees were union members. That percentage was down near zero in the 1950s. For the first time in history, a majority of union members are government employees. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Like Toyota, Obama's Accelerator Pedal Is Stuck 2.5.10

Dick Morris and Eileen McGann — Fri, 5 Feb 2010 21:43:04 -0500

As he professes to want to reduce the dangerous budget deficit, Obama brings to mind the hapless engineers at Toyota who find that their vehicles accelerate whether or not the driver wants them to. It appears that no matter how hard Obama jams on the brakes with his new-found commitment to deficit reduction -- having already almost doubled the deficit in one year -- the level of red ink just seems inexorably to rise. Obviously, more fundamental change in the budget's engineering is needed. But, unfortunately, it is easier to recall a car than a president. Obama's announced intention to freeze 13 percent of the budget spending for three years is a relatively minor cut. It will reduce the deficit by only 3 percent over the decade. If Obama really wants to get serious about reducing the deficit, he could do so easily. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

This 'Messiah' Isn't Delivering Peace 2.4.10

David Limbaugh — Thu, 4 Feb 2010 22:48:40 -0500

President Barack Obama's delusional perspective on fiscal issues is only surpassed by his surreal approach to the war on terror, which he doesn't even consistently recognize as a war. The ideological extremism of his policies is only surpassed by his flailing incompetence in administering them. During his presidential campaign, Obama repeatedly denounced President George W. Bush's "unilateralist" and "imperialistic" foreign policy. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

The Super-Sized Census Boondoggle 2.4.10

Michelle Malkin — Thu, 4 Feb 2010 21:15:19 -0500

If only the federal government were as responsible with our money as Pepsi is with theirs. The soda giant has been in the Super Bowl ad business for more than two decades. But this year, Pepsi determined it was economically unwise to pay $3 million for a 30-second spot. So, who's foolish enough to pay for Super Bowl gold-plated airtime? You and me and Washington, D.C. The U.S. Census Bureau will squander $2.5 million on a half-minute Super Bowl ad starring D-list celebrity Ed Begley Jr., plus two pre-game blurbs and 12-second "vignettes" featuring Super Bowl anchor James Brown. It's a drop in the census boondoggle bucket (otherwise known as the tax-subsidized National Democratic Future Voter Outreach Drive). From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Will Obama Play the War Card? 2.4.10

Pat Buchanan — Thu, 4 Feb 2010 21:15:17 -0500

Republicans already counting the seats they will pick up this fall should keep in mind Obama has a big card yet to play. Should the president declare he has gone the last mile for a negotiated end to Iran's nuclear program and impose the "crippling" sanctions he promised in 2008, America would be on an escalator to confrontation that could lead straight to war. And should war come, that would be the end of GOP dreams of adding three-dozen seats in the House and half a dozen in the Senate. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Military Lab Rats 2.4.10

Oliver North — Thu, 4 Feb 2010 21:15:15 -0500

No nation ever has had a better military than today's all-volunteer U.S. armed forces. Though I wouldn't trade anything for the young Americans I served with in Vietnam -- or afterward -- those presently wearing America's uniforms are the brightest, best-educated, best-trained and most combat-experienced military the world ever has seen. Now, in the midst of an unprecedented ninth year of war and nonstop high-stress deployments, their commander in chief intends to put the capabilities of this extraordinary force and our nation's security at risk to carry out a radical social experiment.. The U.S. Census Bureau will squander $2.5 million on a half-minute Super Bowl ad starring D-list celebrity Ed Begley Jr., plus two pre-game blurbs and 12-second "vignettes" featuring Super Bowl anchor James Brown. It's a drop in the census boondoggle bucket (otherwise known as the tax-subsidized National Democratic Future Voter Outreach Drive). From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Abstinence Education Works After All 2.4.10

Linda Chavez — Thu, 4 Feb 2010 21:09:04 -0500

Abstinence-only sex education has been a favorite target of the cultural elite, who argued it was naive at best and dangerous at worst. Now, a new study published in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine suggests that encouraging young teens to just say no to sex may be the most effective method at delaying early sexual activity. The study, the first of its kind to employ rigorous research methods in a controlled setting, showed that programs that encouraged 12- to 14-year-old students to refrain from sexual activity "until they are ready" were more effective than other approaches. The study followed 662 African-American students in urban schools, a group that, on average -- previous research shows -- become sexually active at a young age. The students were randomly assigned to one of four groups. One group was given abstinence-only sex education. Another was given sex education that stressed condom use. A third group was given contraceptive information but was also encouraged to delay sexual activity. And a control group was given only general health information. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

How Climate-Change Fanatics Corrupted Science 2.3.10

Michael Barone — Wed, 3 Feb 2010 22:19:14 -0500

Quick, name the most distrusted occupations. Trial lawyers? Pretty skuzzy, as witness the disgraced John Edwards, kept from the vice presidency in 2004 by the electoral votes of Ohio. Used car dealers? Always near the bottom of the list, as witness the universal understanding of the word "clunker." But over the last three months a new profession has moved smartly up the list and threatens to overtake all. Climate scientist. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Fiscal Stimulus is Buying Trouble 2.3.10

Steve Chapman — Wed, 3 Feb 2010 22:18:22 -0500

This week, President Obama had the dubious pleasure of offering a budget with a deficit of more than a trillion dollars. He could have done something more politically attractive: unveil a plan to curb the runaway spending of the Bush years. But to do that, the president would have had to make a different choice a year ago, by rejecting the $787 billion fiscal stimulus package passed by Congress. Of all the mistakes Obama has made, that now looks like the worst. It's a big reason he's widely regarded as an old-fashioned, big-government liberal. It's a big reason Republicans have been able to make the public forget their horrendous fiscal record. It's a big reason for the tea parties. All these might be a tolerable price to pay if the stimulus had provided a crucial shot of adrenaline. But the evidence indicates otherwise. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

A Liberal Double Standard 2.3.10

Emmett Tyrrell — Wed, 3 Feb 2010 22:17:19 -0500

Irving Kristol, the recently deceased godfather of neoconservatism, once said to me, "Fairness is not a liberal value." I thought about his asseveration while observing the liberals' colossal indignation over conservative activist James O'Keefe's entry under false pretenses into the district offices of Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La. O'Keefe is the merry prankster who entered the offices of the left-wing community action group ACORN under the false pretense of being a pimp. Repeatedly and in ACORN offices across the country, the ACORNiacs counseled this faux pimp on how to be a successful sex entrepreneur. He taped them! The tapes exposed ACORN for the criminal enterprise it has become. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Obama: Bank Bailout 'Necessary,' Iraq War 'Dumb' 2.3.10

Larry Elder — Wed, 3 Feb 2010 22:06:24 -0500

"If there's one thing that has unified Democrats and Republicans -- and everybody in between -- it's that we all hated the bank bailout. I hated it. You hated it." -- President Barack Obama, Jan. 27, 2010 "I don't oppose all wars. ... What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war." -- Illinois state Sen. Barack Obama, Oct. 2, 2002 This week the watchdog of the Troubled Asset Relief Program, Neil Barofsky, submitted his quarterly review and testified before Congress. In England, former Prime Minister Tony Blair also testified -- for six hours under cross-examination -- at a widely anticipated inquiry into the Iraq War. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Presidential Promises and Pretenses 2.2.10

Jacob Sullum — Tue, 2 Feb 2010 23:10:04 -0500

The day before President Obama delivered his State of the Union Address last week, The New York Times reported that "aides said he would accept responsibility, though not necessarily blame" for failing to deliver on promises he made during his campaign. If you accept responsibility for something bad, aren't you accepting blame by definition? Not if you're Barack Obama, who has a talent for accepting responsibility while minimizing and deflecting it. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Obama's Christmas Day Cover-Up 2.2.10

Terence P. Jeffrey — Tue, 2 Feb 2010 21:11:58 -0500

On Jan. 20, John Brennan, counterterrorism adviser to President Barack Obama, briefed senators on what the administration knew about the attempted Christmas Day attack on Northwest Flight 253. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky asked Brennan three times who in the administration made the decision to treat would-be suicide bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab as a criminal defendant rather than as an unlawful enemy combatant. That decision had been made only about 10 hours after Abdulmutallab's arrest, when FBI agents who otherwise would have continued interrogating Abdulmutallab were authorized to advise the terrorist he had the "right" to remain silent. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Obama's Philosophically Fascist State of the Union Address 2.2.10

Ben Shapiro — Tue, 2 Feb 2010 21:09:53 -0500

There sure is something different about President Obama. Usually, the State of the Union address is a laundry list of proposals spiced with sycophantic applause and dipped in an admixture of boredom and bravado. It is rarely a statement of basic philosophy. Not for President Obama. President Obama's State of the Union address was the greatest American rhetorical embrace of fascist trope since the days of Woodrow Wilson. I am not suggesting Obama is a Nazi; he isn't. I am not suggesting that he is a jackbooted thug; he isn't (even if we could be forgiven for mistaking Rahm Emanuel for one). From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Obama's Quagmire of Ambiguity 2.2.10

Tony Blankley — Tue, 2 Feb 2010 18:56:32 -0500

Last week, New York Times columnist Bob Herbert wrote: "Who is Barack Obama? Americans are still looking for the answer, and if they don't get it soon -- or if they don't like the answer -- the president's current political problems will look like a walk in the park. ... Mr. Obama is in danger of being perceived as someone whose rhetoric, however skillful, cannot always be trusted. He is creating a credibility gap for himself, and if it widens much more he won't be able to close it." A president knows he is going through a hard patch when even his strongest supporters write such things. But, curiously, no commentator has more shrewdly foreshadowed this quagmire of ambiguity in which President Obama finds himself in this cold February 2010 than Mr. Obama himself in his book published in 2006: "Furthermore, I am a prisoner of my own biography: I can't help but view the American experience through the lens of a black man of mixed heritage, forever mindful of how generations of people who looked like me were subjugated and stigmatized, and the subtle and not so subtle ways that race and class continue to shape our lives. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Behind Obama's Phony Deficit Numbers 2.2.10

Dick Morris and Eileen McGann — Tue, 2 Feb 2010 18:52:33 -0500

President Obama was disingenuous when he said that the budget deficit he faced "when I walked in the door" of the White House was $1.3 trillion. He went on to say that he only increased it to $1.4 trillion in 2009 and was raising it to $1.6 trillion in 2010. As Joe Wilson said, "You lie." Here are the facts: In 2008, George W. Bush ran a deficit of $485 billion. By the time the fiscal year started on Oct.1, 2008, it had gone up by another $100 billion due to increased recession-related spending and depressed revenues. So it was $600 billion. That was the real Bush deficit. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

SEIU Fat Cats Behind First Lady's Anti-Obesity Campaign 2.2.10

Michelle Malkin — Tue, 2 Feb 2010 18:50:09 -0500

Behind every seemingly good deed in the Obama White House, there's a deep-pocketed, left-wing special interest. Take first lady Michelle Obama's crusade against childhood obesity. Who really benefits from the ostensible push for improved nutrition in the schools? Think purple -- as in the purple-shirted army of the Service Employees International Union. Big Labor bigwigs don't care about slimming your kids' waistlines. They care about beefing up their membership rolls and fattening their coffers. Mrs. Obama earned a State of the Union address shout-out from her hubby for taking on the weighty public policy issue of students' physical fitness. The East Wing is now in full campaign mode -- leaning on the nation's mayors, traveling with the surgeon general and meeting with Congress and cabinet members to reauthorize the Lyndon Johnson-era Child Nutrition Act, which provides government-subsidized meals to more than 30 million children. It's part of the Obama administration's self-proclaimed "cradle-to-career" agenda for America's youth. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

A New Abortion Scandal 2.2.10

L. Brent Bozell III — Tue, 2 Feb 2010 18:48:09 -0500

In his book "The Courage to Be Catholic," author George Weigel surprised readers by insisting that the very secular and liberal Boston Globe and The New York Times had done the Lord's work in rooting out the story of child sexual abuse by priests in the Catholic Church. Weigel is correct, and never mind that the newsies at the Globe and The Times were relishing making the Church cringe. But these secular liberal media outlets will not tell the story when the American bishops allow the donations of Catholics to be diverted to fund abortion-rights activism, even if most Catholics view abortion as the most horrific form of child abuse. The media almost unanimously celebrate abortion as the summit of women's "liberation," and so the treatment is just the opposite. The press is refusing to cover this scandal. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

An Unusually Bad Prevaricator, Unusually Bad 2.1.10

David Limbaugh — Mon, 1 Feb 2010 22:38:49 -0500

Former Sen. Bob Kerrey famously said that Bill Clinton was "an unusually good liar. Unusually good." Well, then, President Barack Obama is an unusually bad liar. Unusually bad. Obama said in his State of the Union speech (and similar statements several times since): "By the time I took office, we had a one-year deficit of over $1 trillion and projected deficits of $8 trillion over the next decade. Most of this was the result of not paying for two wars, two tax cuts, and an expensive prescription drug program. On top of that, the effects of the recession put a $3 trillion hole in our budget. All this was before I walked in the door." From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

What I Said to the Republican Members of Congress 2.1.10

Dennis Prager — Mon, 1 Feb 2010 22:36:35 -0500

This past weekend, after President Obama addressed the annual retreat of Republican Members of the House, I, along with my Salem Radio colleague Hugh Hewitt, and John Fund of the Wall Street Journal, were also invited to address them. This is an abridged and edited version of my remarks. Thank you for this honor. I have never been as proud to be a Republican as I have this past year with your unanimity in opposing Obamacare and the other bills that would transform America. Please know -- you need this feedback -- that your having been able to stand together and do this has been a luminous moment in Republican Party history. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

God Save the US and Our Courts 2.1.10

Chuck Norris — Mon, 1 Feb 2010 22:34:32 -0500

While the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts are preparing to go head-to-head in Super Bowl XLIV at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, U.S. justices and even our president are squaring off in arenas of jurisprudence from sea to shining sea. Here are just a few recent examples: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito shook his head in dismay and mouthed the words "not true" when President Barack Obama rebutted the entire Supreme Court in the justices' presence and before the whole nation during his State of the Union speech. The president alleged that the court "reversed a century of law ... (to) open the floodgates for special interests -- including foreign corporations -- to spend without limit in our elections" (when, in fact, there are at least three accounts in the 183-page ruling that forbid its application to foreign nationals, groups or corporations). From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Has Obama Moved Center on Nuclear Power? 2.1.10

Mona Charen — Mon, 1 Feb 2010 22:32:41 -0500

The perennially optimistic strained to find evidence of a new centrism in President Obama's State of the Union address. Well, the Hyde Park liberal embraced nuclear power, they say. And he did seem to. " ... To create more ... clean energy jobs," the president intoned, "we need more production, more efficiency, more incentives. And that means building a new generation of safe, clean nuclear power plants in this country." It's a nice sentiment. The Nuclear Energy Institute pronounced itself "delighted." But hold the champagne. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Politicians in Wonderland 2.1.10

Thomas Sowell — Mon, 1 Feb 2010 22:30:23 -0500

There was a recent flap because three different members of the Obama administration, on three different Sunday television talk shows, gave three widely differing estimates of how many jobs the president has created. That should not have been surprising, except as a sign of political sloppiness in not getting their stories together beforehand. They were simply doing what Barack Obama himself does -- namely, just pulling numbers out of thin air. However, being more skilled at creating illusions, the president does it with more of an air of certainty, as if he has gone around and counted the new jobs himself. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

A Results-Free Cell Phone Law 2.1.10

Debra J. Saunders — Mon, 1 Feb 2010 22:28:29 -0500

Last week, an insurance industry report found that bans on using hand-held cell-phones while driving in California, New York, Washington, D.C. and Connecticut did not reduce the number of car crashes. To the contrary, crashes went up in Connecticut and New York, and slightly in California, after the bans took effect. Think about it: Insurers are the most risk-averse, nag-happy, fun-killing folks in the private sector. If ever there was an industry that loved nanny-state laws and had nothing to gain in raising information that does not support them, that would be the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

The State of the Union: a Hollow Speech 1.29.10

Dick Morris — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:33:19 -0500

When President Bill Clinton faced Congress in 1995, after first losing any hope of health care reform and then control of Congress, he used his State of the Union speech to declare, "The era of big government is over." President Obama's State of the Union speech last night only served to remind us that the era of big speeches is over. As America struggles with a 10 percent unemployment rate, stubbornly refusing to go down even as other economic numbers seem to rise, the public will no longer believe in speeches -- only in results. As Cuba Gooding Jr. says to Tom Cruise in "Jerry Maguire," Americans are saying, "Show me the money." In this sense, the Obama administration is remarkably similar to that of George W. Bush: There's no hope of overcoming the president's political problems by speeches, spin or posturing. It'll take results. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Fiscal Fraud -- or Frugality? 1.29.10

Steve Chapman — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:32:04 -0500

For the past year, Republicans have been criticizing Barack Obama for out of control spending. So they must be pleased that they have forced him, in his State of the Union address, to concede the point by proposing a freeze on outlays of the kind Republicans generally don’t like. Well, not exactly. After the administration floated a plan to cap non-defense, non-security discretionary spending for the next three years, the opposition party erupted in jeers. The complaints were many: It affected only one-eighth of the budget, it came on top of big increases, and the savings would be trivial next to the deficits that are in the pipeline. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Obama impresses 'educated class' but not terrorists 1.29.10

Michael Barone — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:30:58 -0500

Just whom are we trying to impress? That's a question that occurred to me when, on his second full day in the presidency, Barack Obama announced we would close the Guantanamo detainee facility within one year. It's a question that has kept occurring to me over the last year and nine days, even though Obama and his administration have proven unable to keep that promise. Whom are we trying to impress by ruling out enhanced interrogation techniques on unlawful combatants, techniques that produced valuable intelligence that saved American lives? Whom are we trying to impress by limiting questioning to the Army Field Manual? From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Our 'So-Called' Leader 1.28.10

David Harsanyi — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 09:40:22 -0500

Of the many tall tales spun by President Barack Obama during the State of the Union address this week, there is one -- and perhaps only one -- that most Americans believe to be true. The old yarn goes something like this: A long time ago, the United States was an economic powerhouse. We built things with our hands and worked in factories, and we loved it. Our recent prosperity, on the other hand, was built on a house of cards -- intellectual innovation, risk, freewheeling markets and international trade -- and was nothing more than an illusion. "We can't afford another so-called economic 'expansion' like the one from the last decade -- what some call the 'lost decade,'" Obama explained. The president went on to promise he will do all he can to stop any pesky so-called "expansions" in the future. And I believe him. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

There Was the President's Speech, and There Is Reality 1.28.10

David Limbaugh — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 09:38:57 -0500

Watching President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech makes me wonder whether the reason he tells so many fibs is that he believes them himself. Either that or he is an even better actor than he is a teleprompter reader. Obama not only wasn't contrite about his broken promises and disastrous record; he was on the attack, daring anyone to oppose his agenda -- even in the face of the Massachusetts rebuke. But let's see how some of his statements match up with reality. On health care, he taunted congressmen to "let me know" if any of them have "a better approach that will bring down premiums, bring down the deficit, cover the uninsured, strengthen Medicare for seniors and stop insurance company abuses," as if his own plan would do those things. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Courtroom Cirque du Jihad 1.28.10

Michelle Malkin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 23:10:20 -0500

Imagine this nightmare courtroom scenario: Unhinged Jew-bashing, open mockery of American soldiers, juror intimidation and coldly calculated exploitation of U.S. constitutional protections by a suspected al-Qaida defendant. Well, there’s no need to wait for the Gitmo terror trial circuses. New York City is already getting a glimpse of the future. Jihadi scientist Aafia Siddiqui is on trial right now in a federal Manhattan court for the attempted murder and assault of U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province two years ago. She’s an accomplished Karachi-born scientist who studied microbiology at MIT and did graduate work in neurology at Brandeis University before disappearing in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Carteresque 1.28.10

Mona Charen — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 23:08:14 -0500

In 1960, Fidel Castro addressed the U.N. General Assembly for four-and-a-half hours. President Obama didn't hit that target last night -- it only felt like it. The president had some things to get off this chest -- and if it took 70-plus minutes, well, lucky us, we got to listen. The speech answered the question that began to form when Republicans took the governorships of Virginia and New Jersey and came into sharp focus after Scott Brown delivered his haymaker Jan. 21: Would Obama pivot like Clinton in 1994 or not? He will not. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Failing Leadership 1.28.10

Linda Chavez — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:20:05 -0500

President Obama failed a major test of leadership in his State of the Union address this week. He offered only platitudes and failed policies on job creation and little more on controlling spending. Although the president talked about deficit reduction -- a major concern not just to the American people but to our debt-holders, especially China -- he offered no real plan to accomplish it. His much-touted government spending freeze turns out to be thawing before it begins. The freeze exempts not only defense and homeland security spending, it doesn't even attempt to tackle entitlements -- and it won't begin until next year. If the president were serious about controlling the deficit, he'd order cuts, not an illusionary freeze, and they would begin immediately. President Obama just isn't much of a chief executive. Having spent some 15 years serving on corporate boards of directors, I've seen the way successful CEOs manage falling revenues and escalating costs: They make necessary cuts or else the company goes broke. They do it by asking their subordinates to come up with plans for reducing costs in their own departments or divisions, often by requiring all divisions to trim their budgets by some percentage. It's bitter medicine, but it's the only one that works. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Obama: The Era of Big Government Is ... Eternal 1.27.10

Larry Elder — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:18:50 -0500

The Massachusetts "Miracle on Ice" hit Democrats like an avalanche crashing in on a downhill skier. Gone is their 60-vote, filibuster-proof Senate supermajority. Likely dead is the Senate version of health care "reform," if not ObamaCare altogether. Stunned and confused, Democrats now scramble around trying to decipher "what it means." From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

The Type of Al-Qaida Operative We Allow on Planes 1.26.10

Terence P. Jeffrey — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 22:17:53 -0500

In virtually unnoticed testimony before the Senate Homeland Security Committee last week, National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) Director Michael Leiter explained that U.S. policy leading up to the attempted Christmas Day suicide attack on Northwest Flight 253 was calculated to draw a line between two types of al-Qaida operatives: Those we allow on planes and those we do not. The policy, Leiter said, requires an analyst to decide which category the terrorist belongs in depending on "what kind of operative he was and what his intention was." From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Can Obama Triangulate? 1.26.10

Dick Morris and Eileen McGann — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 22:11:12 -0500

Q: How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb? A: One, but only if it really wants to change. Any president, at any time, can choose to embody the consensus his nation has reached after it has engaged in a period of extended debate. That process, called triangulation, involves the embrace of the elements advanced by the right and by the left that Americans have found valid and the rejection of those from which they have turned away. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Repeal the 17th Amendment 1.26.10

Tony Blankley — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 22:09:06 -0500

As I was preparing to write a column on the ludicrous maligning of the Tea Party movement by liberals, Democrats and the mainstream media (which I hope to write next week, instead), I started thinking about one of the key objectives of the Tea Party people -- the strict enforcement of the 10th Amendment ("The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people"). As an early 1960s vintage member of the then-new conservative movement, I remember us focusing on the 10th amendment during the 1964 Goldwater campaign. It has been a staple of conservative thought, and the continued dormancy of 10th amendment enforcement has been one of the failures of our now half-century-old movement. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Cover Your Ears 1.26.10

Jacob Sullum — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 22:07:29 -0500

"This ruling strikes at our democracy itself," President Obama declared on Saturday. "This ruling opens the floodgates for an unlimited amount of special interest money. ... I can't think of anything more devastating to the public interest." The president was referring, of course, to the Supreme Court decision that last week overturned restrictions on political speech by corporations. Like most of the criticism provoked by the ruling, his reaction was long on outrage and short on constitutional interpretation. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

The "Ellie Light" Scandal 1.26.10

L. Brent Bozell III — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 22:05:46 -0500

The declining (or is it dying?) newspaper industry has suffered another blow to its image as punctilious skeptic with the motto "If your mother says she loves you, check it out." It turns out, a pile of American newspapers can't manage to check out the most basic information about people who are flat-out using their pages to push political agendas. A person with the name of "Ellie Light" has been successfully published with the same letter in at least 68 newspapers defending President Obama -- defrauding the editors by using local addresses. Reports have "her" published in two papers overseas. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

The Spender-in-Chief’s Fiscal Freeze Follies 1.26.10

Michelle Malkin — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 22:03:27 -0500

There are more loopholes in President Obama’s proposed "spending freeze" than in an Olympic volleyball net. Gargantuan government entitlements (Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid) are exempt. A half-trillion in unspent stimulus money is exempt. Foreign aid is exempt. The Democrats’ proposed $154 billion jobs bill (Stimulus II) is exempt. Pet federal education programs will be exempt (including $4 billion for the White House "Race to the Top" standards initiative and an additional $1.35 billion he just requested in the 2011 budget). Green jobs spending will be exempt. (Obama proposed $10 billion in new clean energy spending earlier this month.) Electorally driven tax-credit expansions will be exempt. The health care takeover plan is not included. As even The New York Times reported, the "estimated $250 billion in savings over 10 years would be less than 3 percent of the roughly $9 trillion in additional deficits the government is expected to accumulate over that time." From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

President Obama's Lexicon of Rhetorical Devices 1.26.10

Ben Shapiro — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 22:01:17 -0500

President Obama's friends call him the smartest man ever to occupy the White House (a dubious claim in light of the fact that John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Quincy Adams, Abraham Lincoln and Woodrow Wilson all had better intellectual credentials or were far superior writers, or both). According to his supporters, his command of the English language is supposedly unparalleled (when using a teleprompter, presumably). From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Pentagon Clueless on Fort Hood Shootings 1.25.10

Debra J. Saunders — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 22:39:35 -0500

Political correctness is alive in the Pentagon. Witness "Protecting the Force: Lessons from Fort Hood," a Department of Defense report released last week on the Nov. 5 shootings that left 13 people dead. Granted, drafters of the report had to be careful not to say anything that would help the defense of accused shooter Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, who has pleaded not guilty. Even so, if the report's purpose was to craft lessons to prevent future attacks, how could they leave out radical Islam? "Our concern is with actions and effects, not necessarily with motivations," former Army Secretary Togo West explained to Time magazine. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

An Open Letter to Charles Johnson 1.25.10

Dennis Prager — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 22:37:24 -0500

On Sunday, The New York Times Magazine featured an article on Charles Johnson, whose website -- littlegreenfootballs -- had for years been very popular among conservatives and among all those who believed that Islamic terror and Islamic religious totalitarianism were the greatest expressions of contemporary evil. The reason for the article was that Mr. Johnson has made a 180-degree turn and is now profoundly, even stridently, anti-right. This is my letter to him. Dear Charles: As you know, over the years, I was so impressed with your near-daily documentation of developments in the Islamist world that I twice had you on my national radio show -- both times face to face in my studio. And you, in turn, periodically cited my radio show and would tell your many readers when they could hear you on my show. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Saving Professor Bernanke 1.25.10

Patrick J. Buchanan — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 22:35:37 -0500

"Elections don't matter!" conservatives have long groused. "No matter who you vote for, things never change." Well, we may have an exception here. Scott Brown told Massachusetts' voters if they elected him to what David Gergen calls "the Kennedy seat" in the Senate, he would go to Washington and run a sword through Obamacare. Thirty-six hours after Brown's triumph, a disconsolate Nancy Pelosi emerged from the House Democratic caucus to announce that the votes were not there to pass a bill that had, on Christmas Eve, gotten 60 votes in the Senate. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

State of the Union Grade: F 1.25.10

Chuck Norris — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 22:33:09 -0500

Mr. President, it's time to face the music and help America to do the same. This Wednesday evening, you will give your State of the Union speech. And millions upon millions of us are wondering whether you will sugarcoat the truth again -- whether you will pad your performance over this past year or confess that the plans and path Washington is taking are plummeting our country deeper into the abyss. If you convey the real status of the union, then you must confess that we are truly no better off (and much worse off in many respects) than we were when you first took seat in the Oval Office. About this I'll give you credit: You have indeed fulfilled your promise to "fundamentally transform the United States of America." And you've done so in record-breaking speed -- one year, to be exact. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

You Named Your Dog for Coolidge? 1.25.10

Mona Charen — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 22:31:19 -0500

Since the world appears to be self-correcting -- Massachusetts voters have matters in hand, the Supreme Court has come to its senses on the First Amendment, each day brings new revelations that the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report was a fraud, and President Obama acknowledges that his agenda has hit a "buzz saw" -- it's safe to detour into the personal. We have a new puppy -- an 8-week-old Golden Retriever who looks (I hope you won't think me immodest) like the pups they pose in catalogues to make you buy down jackets and lawn furniture. She's the kind of puppy pictured in saccharine wall calendars, toilet tissue commercials, and anywhere else that melting adorableness is required. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

We Need Diversity 1.25.10

Walter Williams — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 22:28:40 -0500

It's not at all uncommon to watch a college basketball game and see that 90 to 100 percent of the players are black. According to the University of Central Florida's Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport report titled "The 2008 Racial and Gender Report Card"- the percentage of black male basketball players in Division I was an all-time high at 60.4 percent. It was 45.9 percent in football and 6.0 percent in baseball. Diversity is worse in professional sports. In the National Basketball Association, almost 82 percent of the players are people of color, higher than last year's 80 percent. This is the highest percentage of players of color since the 1994-1995 season. The percentage of black players increased to 77 percent from last year's 76 percent mark. The percentage of Latinos remained constant at 3 percent. Football diversity is not much better. During the 2008 NFL season, the percentage of white players remained constant at 31 percent while the percentage of black players increased slightly from 66 to 67 percent. Casual observation shows that most sports lack sex diversity. Segregation by sex is the rule rather than the exception. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

'It's Not About Me' -- Wink, Wink 1.25.10

David Limabugh — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 22:26:33 -0500

The more painful exposure we have to Barack Obama -- and we're talking hyper-exposure at this point -- the more we realize how narcissistic he is. Indeed, we are treated to this overexposure precisely because of his narcissistic impulses. He can't keep himself out of the spotlight. So it was that on the heels of his crushing personal defeat in the Massachusetts senatorial election last week, Obama's principal reaction was, "This isn't about me." When someone says that one time or a few times, you might believe him. But when he says it repeatedly (see below), you have to conclude he is protesting too much and means just the opposite. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Great Scott! 1.25.10

Thomas Sowell — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 22:24:21 -0500

Some of the most melancholy letters and e-mails that are sent to me are from people who lament that there is nothing they can do about the bad policies that they see ruining this country. They don't have any media outlet for their opinions and the letters they send to their Congressmen are either ignored or are answered by form letters with weasel words. They feel powerless. Sometimes I remind them that the whole political establishment -- both Democrats and Republicans, as well as the mainstream media -- were behind amnesty for illegal immigrants, until the public opinion polls showed that the voters were not buying it. If politicians can't do anything else right, they can count votes. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Voters Spurn the 'Boob Bait' of the Educated Class 1.22.10

Michael Barone — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 22:08:36 -0500

When the New York Times columnist David Brooks first sat down with Barack Obama, they talked a lot about Burke. That's Edmund Burke, the 18th century conservative British politician and philosopher. Not Jimmy Burke, the 20th century Massachusetts pol, who said that all you had to know to serve in Congress was "Social Security and shoes." The cold hard numbers in the Massachusetts special Senate election this week tell you something important about the appeal of Barack Obama and his policies on his 365th day in office. Democrat Martha Coakley did fine among the voters that would be impressed by your knowledge of Edmund Burke. But she got a thumbs-down and Republican Scott Brown got a thumbs-up from the children and grandchildren of the people Jimmy Burke represented 40 or 50 years ago. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Free Speech for Corporations 1.22.10

Steve Chapman — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 22:07:00 -0500

During the 2008 campaign, a group called Citizens United put together a documentary, “Hillary: The Movie.” Remember seeing it on cable TV? No, you don’t, because the organization decided it couldn’t show the film without the risk of felony prosecution. It had every reason to be afraid. The problem was that the movie was not only about Clinton but made the case that she should not be president. Worse, it was supposed to be shown during -- get this -- an election campaign. That, under the federal law, made it verboten. You might think the point of a campaign is to air facts and opinions about the people running, so that voters will have a wealth of information upon which to choose. But in the judgment of Congress, some facts and opinions are not welcome. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Defeating Obamacare: The Nail in the Coffin 1.22.10

Dick Morris — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 22:06:11 -0500

Now is the time to finish off the prospects of Obamacare with the Democrats reeling from the defeat in Massachusetts. We must not trust them. The apparent reluctance of the House Democrats to pass the Senate version will evaporate once Obama puts his weight behind the bill and Pelosi starts to twist arms. Moderate Democrats cannot be counted upon. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Are Republicans Listening to the Scott Brown Message? 1.21.10

Lawrence Kudlow — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 21:45:08 -0500

Sen. Scott Brown's epic victory in Massachusetts on Tuesday night dealt a crushing blow to Obamacare, cap-and-trade, card check (and other union favors) and, most importantly, all the tax hikes that are lingering on the table. But does Washington really understand the Scott Brown message? President Obama thinks his "remoteness and detachment" are the problems. This is nonsense. Obama's tax hikes and spending explosion are what caused the populist tea-party revolt that was punctuated by Brown's extraordinary victory. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

At War or Not At War? That Is the Question 1.21.10

Oliver North — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 21:45:06 -0500

"We are at war." So said the 44th president of the United States on Jan. 7. Those four words, a profound statement of the obvious, were uttered belatedly as our commander in chief transitioned from tropical sunsets on his "Hawaiian holiday" to klieg lights at the White House in the aftermath of the Christmas Day "near-miss" terror attack aboard Northwest Airlines Flight 253 en route from Amsterdam to Detroit. The phrase was startling because it wasn't an affirmation of a mindset President Barack Obama brought to office. Rather, it was the reluctant admission of facts Mr. Obama has spent a year in office diligently trying to deny. A year into this presidency, the so-called mainstream media and those who sample American public opinion are assessing what has changed and trying to explain the remarkable plunge in the president's approval rating. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Fine Tuning the Message 1.21.10

Linda Chavez — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 21:45:04 -0500

President Obama needs to give a few more speeches, maybe get his face on TV more often, give a few more interviews to friendly journalists and everything will be all right, despite Democrats' stunning defeat in the Massachusetts Senate race this week. "(W)e were so busy just getting stuff done and dealing with the immediate crises that were in front of us that I think we lost some of that sense of speaking directly to the American people about what their core values are and why we have to make sure those institutions are matching up with those values," the president explained to ABC's George Stephanopoulos. Yeah, that's the ticket. The president gave only 411 speeches during his first 365 days in office; that's barely more than one a day. Maybe if he'd given two a day, the American people would have gotten through their thick skulls that he knows what's good for them, even if they don't like it. Maybe he should have talked more about health care; he made only 52 speeches or statements urging health care reform during his first year. Surely, if he'd talked about it more often or explained it a little better, Americans would be clamoring to turn their health care over to the government. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Obama's 180 Degrees Out of Phase With the People 1.21.10

David Limbaugh — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 21:45:02 -0500

Reading excerpts of President Barack Obama's interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos underscores how tone-deaf and self-absorbed Obama is -- and that his tone-deafness is a function of his self-absorption and rigid ideology. Obama said: "One thing that I regret this year is that we were so busy just getting stuff done and dealing with the immediate crises that were in front of us that I think we lost some of that sense of speaking directly to the American people about what their core values are and why we have to make sure those institutions are matching up with those values. And that I do think is a mistake of mine. I think the assumption was, if I just focus on policy, if I just focus on this provision or that law or are we making a good, rational decision here ... people will get it." From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Conservatives: Beware of McCain Regression Syndrome 1.21.10

Michelle Malkin — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 21:40:36 -0500

Pay attention: In the afterglow of the Massachusetts Miracle, there are flickers of peril for the right. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but like Paul Revere’s midnight message, consider this warning “a cry of defiance, and not of fear.” Conservatives have worked hard to rebuild after Big Government Republican John McCain’s defeat. But McCain isn’t going gently into that good night. Red Flag No. One: A reader from Arizona informed me the day after the Bay State Bombshell that he had received a robo-call from Massachusetts GOP Sen.-elect Scott Brown. “He basically wanted me to vote for John McCain in November,” the reader said in his description of the automated campaign call supporting the four-term Sen. McCain’s re-election bid. “No wonder [Brown] said he hadn't had any sleep. … He was busy recording phone messages!” From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Little Guy Sends Message to Washington: Drop dead 1.20.10

Michael Barone — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:56:30 -0500

The final percentages aren't in as this is written, but it's plain that Republican Scott Brown defeated Democrat Martha Coakley by a substantial margin in the race for the remainder of the late Edward Kennedy's Senate term. In Massachusetts. The state that in the last four presidential elections has voted on average 61 percent Democratic and 33 percent Republican. That's a bigger margin than in any other state. If a Republican can win there, he (or she) can win anywhere. That's a message that is not lost on anyone whose name is on the ballot later this year. A lot of attention over the next several days will be focused on health care legislation. Liberal bloggers and think tank denizens have been demanding that Congress pass a health care bill, by slow-walking Brown's swearing-in and slamming a compromise through the Senate, or by having the House pass the Senate bill, or by using the reconciliation process that would require only 51 Senate votes. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Health Insurance by Command 1.20.10

Steve Chapman — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:54:50 -0500

The nice thing about elections is that they give you a choice not only of people but of policies. In the 2008 primaries, for instance, Hillary Clinton offered a health care plan that required everyone to get insurance, while Barack Obama’s blueprint had no such mandate. That was about the only difference in their suggested solutions. It was a big one, to hear Obama tell it. He aired a TV ad attacking Clinton because her scheme “forces everyone to buy insurance, even if you can’t afford it, and you pay a penalty if you don’t.” He, by contrast, stressed that he would encourage more coverage by offering federal help in paying for it, while trusting in the ultimate wisdom of individual Americans to make their own decisions. On Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010, Brown defeated Coakley by 5 points. This astonishing Republican win in Massachusetts is a flat-out repudiation of President Barack Obama. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Massachusetts to Obama: 'No, You Can't!' 1.20.10

Larry Elder — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:53:48 -0500

"Let me be as clear as I can. There is no way in hell we're going to elect a Republican to Ted Kennedy's seat. Period." So said the man who finished second in the Democratic Massachusetts primary held to fill the seat occupied for 47 years by the late Sen. Ted Kennedy. State Attorney General Martha Coakley won the primary. Republican state Sen. Scott Brown once trailed her by 30 points in the polls. On Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010, Brown defeated Coakley by 5 points. This astonishing Republican win in Massachusetts is a flat-out repudiation of President Barack Obama. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

The Shot Heard Round the World 1.19.10

Dick Morris and Eileen McGann — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 21:03:10 -0500

On the rude arch that spanned the flood In the April breeze their flag unfurled Here the embattled farmer stood And fired the shot heard round the world -- Ralph Waldo Emerson From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Kangaroo Court for the Banks 1.19.10

Tony Blankley — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:59:06 -0500

As a general rule, diagnosis should precede treatment. But last week, we saw in both the legislative and executive branches examples of the "treatment before diagnosis" mentality. In Congress, the first hearings of the congressionally created Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission was held under the chairmanship of Phil Angelides, former California treasurer and former chairman of the California Democratic Party. The commission was "mandated" by law with reporting back to Congress by December 2010, "with a series of conclusions about what occurred, and recommendations as to how to avoid future market breakdowns. (Disclosure: I provide professional advice to some financial institutions.) From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

The Democrats’ Massachusetts Meltdown 1.19.10

Michelle Malkin — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:58:14 -0500

By early afternoon on Tuesday, several hours before the polls closed on the special Senate election in Massachusetts, the Democrats had already thrown in the towel and started throwing punches. At each other. There was more finger-pointing among Bay State and Beltway Democrats than in a "Three Stooges" marathon. More backstabbing than all of the "Real Housewives" combined. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

The Meanness of Martha Coakley 1.19.10

L. Brent Bozell III — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:54:23 -0500

In recent years, the network news shows have raced by any political campaigns below the level of president, stopping only if the candidate is named "Clinton" or "Schwarzenegger." That principle held true for the U.S. Senate race in Massachusetts. By the time the networks arrived with just a handful of days remaining, Martha Coakley, the Democrat, had fairly well sunk, and there was nothing more to do than the tiresome "bad candidate, not faulty ideology" spin control. In liberal-media offices, the last narrative they want for this year is "1994: the Sequel." From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

A Promise Worth Breaking 1.19.10

Jacob Sullum — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:52:37 -0500

Obama's health insurance tax doesn't go far enough. President Obama's proposed tax on especially expensive medical benefits, which he last week agreed to modify in response to complaints from labor unions, breaks at least three of his promises. It still may be the best aspect of a health care plan that otherwise does little to control costs, ostensibly one of Obama's main goals. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Health Care Bill Is a Frankenstein's Monster 1.19.10

Debra J. Saunders — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:50:41 -0500

President Obama, congressional Democrats and labor leaders cut a sweetheart deal last week. They agreed to create a loophole for a new 40 percent tax on "Cadillac" health care plans. In their holy bid to take care of their own, this new triumvirate agreed to exempt from the excise tax union-bargained health care plans and state and local government employees until 2018. Obamaland's continual deal-cutting to deliver a bill -- any bill -- surely will kill the beast. Now Big Labor is on board, but the administration has just told the vast majority of American workers (who are not union members) that they will pay extra if their annual premiums exceed $8,900 for individuals or $24,000 for families. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com

Dems' Lock on Senate Is Mixed Blessing for Obama 1.15.10

Michael Barone — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 20:38:25 -0500

Year One of the Obama administration ends Wednesday. Another era may come to an end the day before, when Massachusetts voters -- or at least those of them motivated enough to vote -- choose a senator to fill the three years remaining in the term of Edward Kennedy, who held the seat for 47 years. If Republican Scott Brown wins that election -- and at this writing he seems to have an excellent chance to do so -- that election will mean the end, after just seven months, of the Democrats' 60-seat supermajority in the Senate. From OutloudOpinion - For Podcasts of IBDeditorials, The New Republic, and Over 30 Syndicated Columnists, go to www.outloudopinion.com