Away with the Clowns

Away with the Clowns

Is it me or are the GOP presidential debates getting more circus-like each time? The recent CNBC “Your Money, Your Vote” debate began with this beauty pageant question: “What’s your greatest weakness?” Who asks a bunch of narcissists that...
The CIA Is an Ethics-Free Zone

The CIA Is an Ethics-Free Zone

I joined the CIA in January 1990. The CIA was vastly different back then from the agency that emerged in the days after the 9/11 attacks. And it was a far cry from the flawed and confused organization it is today. One reason for those flaws — and for the convulsions...
Is It Time to Put Down the Bacon?

Is It Time to Put Down the Bacon?

By now you’ve probably heard the sobering news: Red meat may cause cancer. And bacon and other popular processed meats definitely do, the World Health Organization says. Does that mean we all need to quit eating processed meats — no pun intended — cold turkey?...
Can Jeb Bush Even Spell Integrity?

Can Jeb Bush Even Spell Integrity?

If you’re a presidential aspirant and you have to tell people you’re a person of integrity, chances are you’re not. Those odds get worse if you have to hire someone else to attest to your honor. How intriguing, then, that Kristy Campbell — a spokeswoman...
How Rabid Extremists Exiled a 14-Year-Old

How Rabid Extremists Exiled a 14-Year-Old

Our country’s pack of foam-at-the-mouth, mad-dog, right-wing extremists just scored another win. For weeks, a crazed pack of these howlers had stalked, snarled, and snapped at a 14-year-old boy from Texas. Why was he under such a furious assault? Because his...