Granite State Pundit

• HAPPY THANKSGIVING

  Here is Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1863 which established the Thanksgiving holiday as we know it today.
  
  President Obama will commit the U.S. to emissions reductions. Politically, that is an easy thing for him to do. It makes him look good to the environmentalists and to [...]
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  Posted: November 26, 2009, 9:23am EST
  

• Someone needed to say it...John Bolton ...

  Someone needed to say it...John Bolton was right about Iran, after all.
  
  The Democrats find themselves way behind on the generic ballot among Independents. The tsunami is coming.
  
  President Obama has decided on a strategy in Afghanistan, which he will announce next week. This story [...]
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  Posted: November 25, 2009, 10:01am EST
  

• Some Conservatives, Libertarians and Liberals find ...

  Some Conservatives, Libertarians and Liberals find common ground on the issue of the criminalization of just about everything. I have long been concerned with the expansion of government power, and this is just another aspect of the phenomenon. I'm heartened by the fact that more and more people across' [...]
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  Posted: November 24, 2009, 8:03am EST
  

• More happy news from the debt ...

  More happy news from the debt and deficit front as Treasury officials are warning about the wave of debt payments that are coming due, and the probability of an increase in interest rates that will make financing our debt even more difficult.
  
  Meanwhile, Paul Krugman is disappointed [...]
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  Posted: November 23, 2009, 7:53am EST
  

• At last we are getting somewhere on ...

  At last we are getting somewhere on the issue of climate change. It seems some scientists, looking at real data, are puzzled that the global warming trend has come to a screeching halt in the last ten years. But wait...there's more! It seems the global warming proponents have [...]
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  Posted: November 21, 2009, 9:17am EST
  

• Charles Krauthammer writes about the perverse ...

  Charles Krauthammer writes about the perverse logic put forward by the Attorney General as a justification for trying KSM in a civilian court, but trying other terrorists in front of military tribunals. I pity anyone who has to serve on the jury for this trial.
  
  Despite the fact [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2009, 7:41am EST
  

• Ralph Peters is unhappy with the ...

  Ralph Peters is unhappy with the generals, who he says are not giving the President all of the options for Afghanistan.
  
  Tony Blankley says if we are not in it to win it, we should bring the troops home.
  
  Nicholas Kristof says the Republicans are [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 7:52am EST
  

• A new poll shows the only ...

  A new poll shows the only way Americans want to pay for health care reforms is to tax the wealthy. "We won't tax you, we won't tax me, we'll tax the man behind that tree".
  
  Speaking of taxes, John Stossel says the out-of-control spending is worse than' [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 7:46am EST
  

• Liberals continue to obsess about female ...

  Liberals continue to obsess about female Conservative firebrands. I hope this continues, because the more energy they spend examining these women and their more provocative comments and political positions, the less energy they will have to recognize the real danger they face, which is the tsunami of Independents which [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 8:06am EST
  

• Dear Coach Belichick...the Greeks called it ...

  Dear Coach Belichick...the Greeks called it Hubris. I wish I had gone to bed at halftime.
  
  Why Chimerica was a Chimera, and how it could make the world economic situation even worse. I expect the Chinese to continue on their 'beggar thy neighbor' course, and I [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 7:54am EST
  

• In a dramatic example of the major ...

  In a dramatic example of the major philosophical difference between Liberals and Conservatives on the issue of Islamist terrorism the Attorney General of the United States has announced that Khalid Sheik Muhammed and some other Al Qaeda types who planned the 9/11 attacks will be tried in a Federal [...]
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  Posted: November 14, 2009, 8:50am EST
  

• The Boston Globe editorial staff is ...

  The Boston Globe editorial staff is happy to see Lou Dobbs out at CNN. They also praise the decision by the folks at CNN to emphasize 'straight news'. I'm tempted to laugh at that one, but the real problem is that CNN will continue to fall in the ratings' [...]
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  Posted: November 13, 2009, 7:55am EST
  

• James Pethokoukis believes, based on work ...

  James Pethokoukis believes, based on work done by some notable economists, that unemployment may well reach 12 or 13 percent. If it does, the Democrats can kiss their majorities in Congress goodbye.
  
  Of course, if an asteroid hits us, as one almost did on Friday, it may [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 7:51am EST
  

• According to a new Gallup poll ...

  According to a new Gallup poll Republicans have now moved ahead of Democrats in the generic Congressional ballot. The only good news for the Democrats is that they have 12 months to reverse the trend before people go to the real polls and cast real ballots.
  
  David [...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2009, 10:19am EST
  

• Ralph Peters doubts we will hear ...

  Ralph Peters doubts we will hear the words "terrorism" or "Islam" when President Obama visits Fort Hood.
  
  The FBI and the military knew that Major Hasan was in communication with a U.S.-born, radical Islamist cleric now living in Yemen. They ignored it.
  
  We just, as [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 7:50am EST
  

• As investigators look into Major Nidal's past, ...

  As investigators look into Major Nidal's past, including the fact that he worshipped at the same Washington-area mosque at the same time as two of the 9/11 hijackers, and may have known a radical imam at that mosque who preaches jihad against the West, Mark Steyn examines the' [...]
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  Posted: November 09, 2009, 7:55am EST
  

• POLITICAL CORRECTNESS KILLS

  As the Army continues to investigate the Fort Hood shooting spree, and they refuse (properly) to rule out a conspiracy, and new details emerge about the courageous woman police officer who brought Major Nidal down in an exchange of gunfire, Ralph Peter hits the nail on the [...]
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  Posted: November 07, 2009, 10:05am EST
  

• There will be a great deal of ...

  There will be a great deal of speculation about why a career Army doctor who had risen to the rank of Major would take a pair of handguns and blast away at his fellow soldiers, killing a dozen and wounding over 30 others. Was it because he was a [...]
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  Posted: November 06, 2009, 8:05am EST
  

• MORE ELECTION FALLOUT

  Here are some links to articles about the election results...
  
  Their poor performance in the suburbs is a very bad sign for Democrats. I agree.
  
  The "Permanent Democratic Majority" seems to be unravelling. I never believed in the 'permanent' majority, anyway. Of course, I never [...]
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  Posted: November 05, 2009, 7:43am EST
  

• ABOUT LAST NIGHT...

  One can expect quite a lot of ink and hot air to be expended over the coming weeks as highly paid political pundits and analysts (as well as a few slobs like me) pore over the results of last night's major political contests and try to determine what, if' [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2009, 8:59am EST
  

• It is election day in many places, ...

  It is election day in many places, like a congressional district in upstate New York that could elect a Conservative to Congress. The results in NY-23 could say something about the national electorate, especially the conservative and Republican part of the electorate.
  
  It seems that some [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2009, 7:35am EST
  

• Some real interesting polling data as we ...

  Some real interesting polling data as we approach the elections for governor in New Jersey and Virginia. In Virginia, it seems McDonnell (the Republican) is well ahead. In New Jersey, which should be a good state for the Democrats, the race is neck-and-neck. Meanwhile, in the special [...]
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  Posted: November 02, 2009, 9:03am EST
  

• THE CLOCK IS TICKING

  Iran rejects deal to ship out their enriched uranium to Russia for further enriching is the big news of the day, as far as I am concerned.
  
  Western negotiators and government leaders had hoped that this could be an artful solution to the fact that the Iranians had [...]
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  Posted: October 30, 2009, 7:59am EDT
  

• Ralph Peters says we are wasting ...

  Ralph Peters says we are wasting our blood and treasure trying to build a nation in Afghanistan.
  
  Thomas Friedman agrees, saying that we need to focus on Iraq.
  
  I think the main thing to understand is that Iraq is more important because it is at the [...]
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  Posted: October 28, 2009, 8:24am EDT
  

• Things are going from bad to worse ...

  Things are going from bad to worse for the owners of America's newspapers as circulation declines dramatically. Here are the figures for the top 25 newspapers. Interestingly, only The Wall Street Journal, which is the number one newspaper in terms of circulation, saw a slight increase. Could it be' [...]
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  Posted: October 27, 2009, 8:34am EDT
  

• HEALTH REFORM FOLLIES

  Paul Krugman believes some version of health reform will pass, and it will prove popular with the people, just as (he believes) it is popular in Massachusetts.
  
  Robert J. Samuelson has it right when he points out, as he has in the past, that the debate [...]
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  Posted: October 26, 2009, 8:14am EDT
  

• Sen. Joe Lieberman, in an address ...

  Sen. Joe Lieberman, in an address memorializing slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, defines the battle against Islamist extremism.
  
  NATO defense ministers express agreement with General McChrystal's plan to fight the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, this will not push the politicians in their' [...]
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  Posted: October 24, 2009, 9:21am EDT
  

• An analysis of recent polling data. ...

  An analysis of recent polling data. Yes, things don't look so good for Obama and the Democrats at the moment. I will be especially interested to see what happens in the gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey. If the GOP wins in Virginia, the Democrats will be able' [...]
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  Posted: October 23, 2009, 7:30am EDT
  

• A new Gallup poll shows President ...

  A new Gallup poll shows President Obama's job approval rate dropping at a rate not seen in decades, while a Rasmussen poll shows even worse news for the President as a whopping 40 percent now strongly disapprove of his job performance.
  
  In an effort to tap into' [...]
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  Posted: October 22, 2009, 7:51am EDT
  

• Jeff Jacoby looks back on the ...

  Jeff Jacoby looks back on the year the dominoes fell. I remember it all very clearly and, sometimes, I still shake my head that it really happened the way it happened.
  
  Michael Goodwin believes the Islamists, whether Taliban or Al Qaeda, are still the enemy. It pays [...]
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  Posted: October 21, 2009, 8:13am EDT
  

• Pakistan, a nation at war with ...

  Pakistan, a nation at war with Islamist militants, but still focused on India.
  
  Christopher Hitchens wonders why we would want to wait to disarm Iran.
  
  Anne Applebaum wonders where the alliance is that is supposed to be fighting in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, President Karzai, under pressure [...]
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  Posted: October 20, 2009, 7:49am EDT
  

• As I thought, the boy in ...

  As I thought, the boy in the balloon story was a hoax from jump...and now the parents will be charged.
  
  Paul Krugman says that while the banks that move money around are making money, the banks that actually lend money to businesses and consumers are not doing [...]
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  Posted: October 19, 2009, 8:04am EDT
  

• Charles Krauthammer takes a look at ...

  Charles Krauthammer takes a look at the foreign policy performance of President Obama and his people, and finds them wanting.
  
  Islamic militant groups, some of them created and/or strengthened by the government of Pakistan, now pose a threat to that government. "Ye shall reap what ye hath" [...]
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  Posted: October 16, 2009, 10:42am EDT
  

• Say goodbye to Al Martino, who ...

  Say goodbye to Al Martino, who sang many a hit song, but is best known for playing the role of Johnny Fontane in The Godfather, and Captain Lou Albano, who made his living as a professional wrestler and manager, but is best known for playing the role of [...]
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  Posted: October 15, 2009, 8:16am EDT
  

• I'm not going to write much about ...

  I'm not going to write much about the passage of a health reform bill out of committee in the Senate, and the media frenzy about the lone Republican, Olympia Snowe of Maine, who voted for it. The reason? There is still a long way to go. Joe' [...]
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  Posted: October 14, 2009, 7:48am EDT
  

• Concern about the weakness of the ...

  Concern about the weakness of the dollar grows as banks shift their currency reserves into yen and euros. This will strengthen American exports and weaken European and Japanese exports in the short run, but what about the long run?
  
  State employees here in New Hampshire reject a [...]
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  Posted: October 13, 2009, 8:11am EDT
  

• President Obama wins the Nobel Peace ...

  President Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize. This guy is going to be remembered as the most loved, most honored, and least deserving of love and honors President we've ever had.
  
  Michael Binyon of The Times of London says this makes a mockery of the award.
  [...]
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  Posted: October 09, 2009, 10:54am EDT
  

• Victor Davis Hanson gives us some ...

  Victor Davis Hanson gives us some perspective about the cost of the war in Afghanistan.
  
  Top officials inside the White House are now leaning toward a policy that would deemphasize the fight against the Taliban.
  
  A CBO analysis of the Baucus health reform bill says [...]
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  Posted: October 08, 2009, 7:47am EDT
  

• Deroy Murdock says our lawmakers should ...

  Deroy Murdock says our lawmakers should consider how government run health care actually works in places like Canada and Great Britain before voting on a health reform plan.
  
  The President tells members of Congress that he will not slash troop levels in Afghanistan, but has not decided [...]
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  Posted: October 07, 2009, 8:12am EDT
  

• The State Department cuts off funds ...

  The State Department cuts off funds to an organization that is gathering and publishing information about human rights abuses inside Iran. A signal to the tyrants in Iran that we want to play ball with them? Could it lead to a scenario in which the U.S. lines up [...]
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  Posted: October 06, 2009, 7:53am EDT
  

• John Bolton says the Iranian government ...

  John Bolton says the Iranian government won a big victory in Geneva the other day. In my estimation, the Iranians are going to stretch out negotiations as long as possible in order to buy time as they continue to work on their nuclear weapons program. If they seem amenable [...]
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  Posted: October 05, 2009, 8:18am EDT
  

• PRESIDENTIAL RESUMES

  To expand on my thoughts from yesterday...is Barack Obama the least experienced man ever to serve as President of the United States, at least when it comes to executive experience (running any kind of large organization) or national political experience (understanding how Washington and international politics works). Let's see what [...]
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  Posted: October 01, 2009, 8:23am EDT
  

• Michael Goodwin believes President Obama is ...

  Michael Goodwin believes President Obama is enabling a nuclear Iran.
  
  Richard Cohen is disgusted with Obama generally, but especially about Iran, and he hits on the reason, which is that Obama continues to act like a candidate for President, rather than the Commander-in-Chief.
  
  President Sarkozy [...]
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  Posted: September 30, 2009, 7:49am EDT
  

• For months I have been annoying my ...

  For months I have been annoying my wife by declaring that it will be a tough winter (usually by saying we'll have snow in October). Now, some weather experts are confirming my opinion that we could have the toughest winter in a decade here in the Northeast.
  
  Socialists' [...]
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  Posted: September 29, 2009, 8:02am EDT
  

• The Kennedys usually get what they want ...

  The Kennedys usually get what they want in Massachusetts, so it is no surprise that they got the state legislature to pass a law allowing the governor to make an interim appointment, and that the governor then chose the man they wanted to fill the seat.
  
  If [...]
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  Posted: September 25, 2009, 8:05am EDT
  

• The oil industry keeps finding more ...

  The oil industry keeps finding more of the black gold. People have been talking about the oil supply drying up for more than 30 years, and they just keep on finding more of the stuff.
  
  Tony Blankley says the Democrats are playing with fire when they say [...]
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  Posted: September 24, 2009, 7:20am EDT
  

• As I predicted, the Massachusetts legislature ...

  As I predicted, the Massachusetts legislature has now passed a bill giving the governor the power to appoint a temporary successor to fill Ted Kennedy's U.S. Senate seat, which is what the late Senator asked for before his death. Since the Kennedy family wants the head of the Kennedy [...]
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  Posted: September 23, 2009, 7:50am EDT
  

• After yesterday's Washington Post story about ...

  After yesterday's Washington Post story about a memo from the American General in charge in Afghanistan, essentially telling the President he needs more troops or the mission will fail, there was a great deal of reaction.
  
  Ralph Peters says we need to abandon the 'nation building' mission, [...]
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  Posted: September 22, 2009, 7:44am EDT
  

• Here is another story about the ...

  Here is another story about the low level of sunspot activity, which might be the reason we have had a cool Summer.
  
  Frank Luntz has a new poll and a new book out, and he knows the real reason the American people are "mad as hell" and [...]
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  Posted: September 21, 2009, 7:51am EDT
  

• Charlie Cook hits the nail on ...

  Charlie Cook hits the nail on the head with this piece about the political trends in the country today. He concludes that the Democrats are in trouble if the trends continue, especially in the upcoming 2010 mid-term elections, as so many House Democrats represent districts that voted for Bush [...]
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  Posted: September 18, 2009, 7:53am EDT
  

• President Obama has decided to shelve ...

  President Obama has decided to shelve plans for a missile defense shield for our Eastern European allies. Nile Gardiner believes the decision is a big mistake. But the Secretary General of NATO believes it is a 'positive step'. I feel confident that this move will continue to [...]
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  Posted: September 17, 2009, 8:09am EDT
  

• George Will writes about why no ...

  George Will writes about why no one believes President Obama anymore. I agree, and I think the President is losing credibility not only with those who did not vote for him, but also with Independents, as is pointed out in this article from a supporter expressing his frustration [...]
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  Posted: September 16, 2009, 8:18am EDT
  

• Jeremy Lott says President Obama is ...

  Jeremy Lott says President Obama is failing miserably. Politically, that would seem to be the case, as his poll numbers continue to fall, the GOP's numbers continue to rise, and he seems to be using up all of his political ammunition and credibility in an effort to get his [...]
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  Posted: September 15, 2009, 8:30am EDT
  

• James Carroll makes a comparison between ...

  James Carroll makes a comparison between Obama and LBJ, whose domestic aspirations were blunted by the trauma of the Vietnam War.
  
  Speaking of historical comparisons, here is one of the political situation today as it compares to the situation in 1994.
  
  David Warren writes also [...]
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  Posted: September 14, 2009, 7:48am EDT
  

• Here is an analysis of the ...

  Here is an analysis of the competitive House seats with more than a year to go before the 2010 elections. At the moment, it looks as if the GOP will pick up between 20 and 30 seats. Of course, a lot can happen in a year. Still, history shows [...]
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  Posted: September 12, 2009, 8:22am EDT
  

• REMEMBER

  It was a brilliantly sunny day, remember?
  
  The sky was blue and cloudless, and the promise of Fall was in the air.
  
  The kids were back at school, and in New York and New Jersey it was the first day for many.
  
  People went to work, as [...]
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  Posted: September 11, 2009, 7:38am EDT
  

• HEALTH CARE AND THE POLITICS OF FEAR

  As you may have seen, the President addressed a joint session of Congress last night on the issue of health care reform.
  
  There are lots of places to go to get reaction to the speech, including Instapundit, RealClearPolitics, the National Review or Weekly [...]
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  Posted: September 10, 2009, 8:20am EDT
  

• Thomas Friedman of The New York Times ...

  Thomas Friedman of The New York Times thinks the enlightened despots who rule China are getting it right, while the people we elect to lead us are getting it wrong. Friedman is not the first intellectual to admire the ability of totalitarian regimes to get things done from his [...]
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  Posted: September 09, 2009, 8:10am EDT
  

• Joe Kennedy says he won't run ...

  Joe Kennedy says he won't run for his uncle's Senate seat, which means Massachusetts will not be represented by a Kennedy in Congress for the first time since 1946.
  
  Martin Feldstein says Obama's health care plans will create ruinous deficits.
  
  Political turmoil in Germany as' [...]
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  Posted: September 08, 2009, 8:09am EDT
  

• Barack Obama is accused by two ...

  Barack Obama is accused by two economists of making the same mistakes that led to the Great Depression. The two men would prefer a return to good, old-fashioned market style capitalism.
  
  Harold Meyerson, on the other hand, thinks a return to the policies of the New [...]
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  Posted: September 07, 2009, 9:03am EDT
  

• Victor Davis Hanson has some thoughts ...

  Victor Davis Hanson has some thoughts on World War II and the revisionist views of that conflict.
  
  A new study says that human caused global warming may very well be preventing the start of another Ice Age.
  
  George Will, who has already said he wants [...]
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  Posted: September 04, 2009, 7:25am EDT
  

• Cardinal O'Malley is taking some heat ...

  Cardinal O'Malley is taking some heat for his decision to participate in Senator Kennedy's funeral.
  
  A historian reminds us that FDR was a divider, not a uniter.
  
  This piece reminds us that Ike fought against the allure of fanaticism.
  
  Why do football coaches' [...]
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  Posted: September 03, 2009, 7:33am EDT
  

• Yesterday was the 70th anniversary of the ...

  Yesterday was the 70th anniversary of the German invasion of Poland in 1939 that is seen as the start of World War II, and leaders of Germany, Poland and Russia, among others, joined together to commemorate the event at the place where the first shots were fired.
  
  [...]
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  Posted: September 02, 2009, 8:45am EDT
  

• The U.S. commander in Afghanistan calls ...

  The U.S. commander in Afghanistan calls the situation there 'serious', and is looking for more of everything.
  
  George Will says it is time to get out of Afghanistan.
  
  Anthony Cordesman, who served on the panel that is advising the new U.S. commander in Afghanistan, says [...]
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  Posted: September 01, 2009, 8:13am EDT
  

• Will Joe Kennedy run for his ...

  Will Joe Kennedy run for his uncle's Senate Seat?
  
  I guess enhanced interrogation techniques use on terrorists did work, after all.
  
  My representative in Congress doesn't like the heat at her most recent town hall meeting, so much so that the police removed a man' [...]
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  Posted: August 31, 2009, 7:51am EDT
  

• Tension on the rise between Russia ...

  Tension on the rise between Russia and Ukraine.
  
  Ted Kennedy was a big part of the so-called "War on Cancer" started by President Nixon in 1971, but after forty years and billions of dollars the Senator was done in by a type of brain cancer that is [...]
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  Posted: August 28, 2009, 8:36am EDT
  

• Senator Kennedy will be buried at ...

  Senator Kennedy will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery near the graves of his brothers. Senator Kennedy is eligible for burial there because of his service in the U.S. Army and in the United States Senate. George Will believes Ted Kennedy was the most important brother.
  
  [...]
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  Posted: August 27, 2009, 7:47am EDT
  

• Senator Ted Kennedy, dead at 77. ...

  Senator Ted Kennedy, dead at 77. It truly marks the end of an era.
  
  The Federal deficit is growing at an eye popping rate under the Obama Administration, with revenue performance worse than anything seen since the Great Depression and spending at a rate not seen since [...]
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  Posted: August 26, 2009, 8:29am EDT
  

• Ralph Peters says this was a ...

  Ralph Peters says this was a good week for terrorists everywhere, and a bad week for the West.
  
  The Attorney General appoints a special prosecutor to investigate alleged abuse of prisoners by CIA interrogators. If I were a CIA officer, and I watched as some of my [...]
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  Posted: August 25, 2009, 7:56am EDT
  

• Mark Steyn has some thoughts on ...

  Mark Steyn has some thoughts on why the stimulus flopped.
  
  Nouriel Roubini believes the recession may be a double-dipper.
  
  Michael Barone thinks some on the left are AWOL.
  
  The Attorney General is thinking about prosecuting CIA officers for abusing prisoners. Here are [...]
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  Posted: August 24, 2009, 7:41am EDT
  

• The threat of violence works. Submitted as ...

  The threat of violence works. Submitted as evidence...the case of the a book called "The Cartoons that Shook the World", which omits the cartoons that shook the world, that is, the ones that insulted Mohammed and caused riots. The publisher insisted that those cartoons not appear in the book, [...]
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  Posted: August 22, 2009, 8:58am EDT
  

• Charlie Cook has some chilling news ...

  Charlie Cook has some chilling news for Democrats. Essentially, the political climate is such that the Democrats may be looking at big losses in 2010. Why? First and foremost, the elderly are being scared out of their wits by the health insurance reform plans which are being hashed out [...]
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  Posted: August 21, 2009, 7:39am EDT
  

• Sen. Ted Kennedy sends a letter ...

  Sen. Ted Kennedy sends a letter to Massachusetts leaders calling for a change in the the state's senatorial succession law. He wants the law to allow the Governor to appoint an interim Senator to fill the seat before a special election. I will be shocked if they do not [...]
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  Posted: August 20, 2009, 7:42am EDT
  

• Bob Novak, dead at 78. I ...

  Bob Novak, dead at 78. I was a fan, of course, having watched him often over the years on cable TV shows like Crossfire, but I was a reader even before then when he co-wrote one of the best and most influential political columns of the time with his [...]
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  Posted: August 19, 2009, 8:39am EDT
  

• New survey data shows that people ...

  New survey data shows that people who identify themselves as conservatives outnumber people who identify themselves as liberals in all fifty states, despite the fact that registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans in thirty states. Having followed national politics closely for thirty years, this does not surprise me. Reagan won [...]
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  Posted: August 18, 2009, 7:54am EDT
  

• HEALTH REFORM FOLLIES

  The President has abandoned the so-called 'public option' for health insurance reform in a last ditch effort to get something passed. Why is it so difficult to get something done?
  
  First, despite the soothing words of people like Paul Krugman, who assert that the government guaranteed plans [...]
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  Posted: August 17, 2009, 8:22am EDT
  

• Some suggestions for a more cost ...

  Some suggestions for a more cost effective health care system.
  
  Some perspective on the grandiose claims for the influence of Twitter when dealing with repressive regimes. Someone once said the pen is mightier than the sword. That may be true in some sense when looking at the [...]
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  Posted: August 13, 2009, 7:12am EDT
  

• Molly Ringwald has this well written ...

  Molly Ringwald has this well written and poignant op-ed piece about John Hughes in today's New York Times.
  
  Edward Luttwak believes President Obama's strategy regarding Iran will fail.
  
  Charlie Arlinghaus explains why President Obama chose to speak about health care in New Hampshire rather than [...]
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  Posted: August 12, 2009, 9:19am EDT
  

• Some computer problems this week, which is ...

  Some computer problems this week, which is why I have not been posting as regularly as I would like.
  
  Is it possible to compare Sarah Palin with Ronald Reagan? I am skeptical.
  
  The health care debate is really a debate about the role of government [...]
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  Posted: August 11, 2009, 7:58am EDT
  

• Some news about President Obama, his ...

  Some news about President Obama, his home state of Hawaii, and that state's problem with certificates (no, not birth certificates).
  
  The GOP in Massachusetts gets feisty.
  
  Paul Krugman thinks the people who are protesting at congressional town hall meetings against the President's health reform plans [...]
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  Posted: August 07, 2009, 11:14am EDT
  

• Russian subs are patrolling off the ...

  Russian subs are patrolling off the East Coast. Just another example of Czar Vladimir's efforts to regain his country's Cold War Superpower status.
  
  The GOP is looking stronger in the upcoming 2010 Senate races.
  
  Republican political fortunes are being driven by growing disillusionment with President [...]
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  Posted: August 05, 2009, 8:17am EDT
  

• While Paul Krugman points a finger ...

  While Paul Krugman points a finger of blame at Wall Street (with some justification) for the financial meltdown and continuing to engage in dangerous practices, Ross Douthat points out that they're having more economic trouble in the high-tax Blue States than in the low-tax Red States.
  
  [...]
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  Posted: August 03, 2009, 12:15pm EDT
  

• A tough day for small businesses ...

  A tough day for small businesses in Massachusetts as their sales tax goes up 25%. Of course, here in New Hampshire, where there is no sales tax, it is a good day.
  
  Amir Taheri has this analysis of the upcoming elections in Afghanistan, and why it stands [...]
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  Posted: August 01, 2009, 9:11am EDT
  

• New information indicates the recession is ...

  New information indicates the recession is worse than we thought.
  
  The British Ambassador says the British public still supports their military presence in Afghanistan. Still, with casualties on the rise, so much so that British medical teams were overwhelmed and had to call on the U.S. [...]
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  Posted: July 31, 2009, 12:17pm EDT
  

• MORE HEALTH CARE FOLLIES

  The President concedes that there will be no final vote on a health insurance reform bill until the Fall. The process is slowing down because, according to this piece, the President has failed to bring in more Conservative Democrats and Moderate Republicans. It is also slowing because [...]
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  Posted: July 30, 2009, 8:11am EDT
  

• So, perhaps it was a hot ...

  So, perhaps it was a hot Irish temper that caused the ruckus on the Gates porch, but not from the Irish cop.
  
  Could computers generate another financial panic?
  
  They might not have a vote on the health reform bill in the House before the August [...]
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  Posted: July 29, 2009, 7:41am EDT
  

• HEALTH CARE FOLLIES

  Robert J. Samuelson continues to hammer President Obama (justifiably, in my opinion) for his failure to speak truthfully about the costs of his health care reform proposals.
  
  What is most frustrating about the debate is the unwillingness of so many people to recognize that we already ration health [...]
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  Posted: July 27, 2009, 10:39am EDT
  

• As the Black Cambridge police officer ...

  As the Black Cambridge police officer who was at the scene defends his White colleague, President Obama seeks to make amends for his clumsy foray into the situation by inviting the White officer and the Black professor to the White House for a beer. "I'm OK, you're OK".
  [...]
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  Posted: July 25, 2009, 9:18am EDT
  

• The Cambridge Police Commissioner defends his ...

  The Cambridge Police Commissioner defends his officers and his department against the criticism directed against them in the wake of the arrest of an African-American Harvard Professor, including criticisms from the Governor of Massachusetts and the President of the United States. He also promised to create a board of [...]
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  Posted: July 24, 2009, 8:36am EDT
  

• GLOBAL WARMING TALK IS A LOT OF HOT AIR

  A believer in man-made global warming says the Al Gore solution, cutting CO2 emissions by some sort of cap-and-trade system, is the wrong way to go.
  
  George Will, who is a global warming skeptic, believes, as I do, that the international conferences being held on the issue [...]
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  Posted: July 23, 2009, 8:04am EDT
  

• For once I'm surprised by a vote ...

  For once I'm surprised by a vote in Congress, as the Senate votes to strip funding for additional F-22 fighter jets. The President and the Defense Secretary don't want them, but they provide jobs in many congressional districts, so I expected Congress to fund them. Of course, when it [...]
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  Posted: July 22, 2009, 7:37am EDT
  

• NO RETURN TO THE MOON IN OUR LIFETIME

  Healthy skepticism about the possibility of man's return to the Moon is the theme of this story in The Boston Globe.
  
  Simply put, great exploration is driven by the quest for knowledge, sure, but it is funded by the drive for wealth and power. The great exploratory expeditions [...]
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  Posted: July 21, 2009, 7:43am EDT
  

• Young people aren't listening to the ...

  Young people aren't listening to the radio anymore to hear new music.
  
  Obama's foreign policy is taking some hits. India tells Obama to buzz off on limiting greenhouse gas emissions and Israel tells him to buzz off on the issue of building more settlements. If this' [...]
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  Posted: July 20, 2009, 8:20am EDT
  

• Wealthy New Yorkers will feel the ...

  Wealthy New Yorkers will feel the pain if the House health insurance reform bill becomes law.
  
  Meanwhile, a Massachusetts hospital is suing the state over its health reform law.
  
  Here is a cogent argument for health insurance reform that includes rationing of health care [...]
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  Posted: July 16, 2009, 9:48am EDT
  

• President Obama is willing to sign ...

  President Obama is willing to sign health insurance reform legislation that passes without any Republican votes. I don't have a problem with that, since I believe that elections, and party affiliations, should have consequences.
  
  House Democrats want to fund an expansion of health insurance by raising taxes' [...]
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  Posted: July 15, 2009, 8:39am EDT
  

• Ralph Peters warns President Obama about ...

  Ralph Peters warns President Obama about the foreign policy trap. I fear we will learn once again the lesson we should have learned with Johnson, Carter and, to a lesser extent, Clinton. Liberal Democrats, due to their flawed view of human nature, are not well equipped to deal with [...]
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  Posted: July 14, 2009, 8:55am EDT
  

• George Will says we should be ...

  George Will says we should be prepared for higher taxes.
  
  Ben Stein says perhaps the President would be better served if he just treated the bad economy, rather than try to do everything else all at once.
  
  Robert J. Samuelson says we face a huge [...]
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  Posted: July 13, 2009, 10:07am EDT
  

• The unseasonably cold, wet weather here in ...

  The unseasonably cold, wet weather here in the Northeast saves money for some folks, and loses money for others.
  
  Nouriel Roubini analyzes the recent unemployment data and concludes that the recession will continue into next year and unemployment will rise to at least 10.5% by the [...]
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  Posted: July 11, 2009, 8:35am EDT
  

• Health insurance reform is a difficult proposition ...

  Health insurance reform is a difficult proposition when you are unable to face the intrinsic facts. So, it is not surprising to me that the Democrats are at odds with each other over the health insurance reform bill.
  
  David Brooks bemoans the fact that the politicians [...]
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  Posted: July 10, 2009, 7:44am EDT
  

• Ralph Peters explains why it has ...

  Ralph Peters explains why it has been so difficult to build effective security forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
  
  The reason all this talk about capping emissions to slow the rate of "Global Warming" is really just so much hot air (pardon the pun) is because nations that [...]
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  Posted: July 09, 2009, 8:34am EDT