The New Republic

Joe Biden appeared at the West Virginia mining funeral the other day, and drew wild applause by taking a shot at departed coach Rich Rodriguez (around 2:20): READ MORE >>

Imagine for a moment that it is late 2010, perhaps a few weeks after the midterm elections. Barack Obama has scheduled a surprise prime-time televised statement from the Oval Office. Looking grave, even shaken, behind the presidential desk, Obama fixes his gaze into the camera and speaks: READ MORE >>

Call me a cynic, but I had always assumed those emails sent out from people like "Barack Obama" were actually written by one of their underlings. But now I see there's an email from "Vice President Joe Biden" and it's entitled "Literally Putting Money Back In Your Pocket." READ MORE >>

I don't really know how the meeting between President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu went. But a grim early story in the New York Times tells us that it was "tense." READ MORE >>

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They are not unconnected. They are not unconnected at all. Now, presumably the president didn't want to provoke the rage of the Palestinians. (Although, then again, he might just have anticipated it.) But Palestinian rage is very easy to provoke. Snap your fingers and, there, you have it. You don't even have to rent a mob. It comes free will, so to speak. READ MORE >>

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There were moments--long moments--during the Iraq war when I had my doubts. Even deep doubts. Frankly, I couldn’t quite imagine any venture like this in the Arab world turning out especially well. This is, you will say, my prejudice. But some prejudices are built on real facts, and history generally proves me right. Go ahead, prove me wrong. Of course, Iraq hasn’t turned out that well. Sunni jihadniks are still routinely murdering pious Shi’a on pilgrimage to Karbala. Still... READ MORE >>

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