Peace and Security
Risky War Business
From the Islamic State to the streets of Paris, Americans get bombarded daily with fresh reminders of conflicts around the world. What's harder to figure out is what to do about it. What would actually make us safer? Some politicians urge knee-jerk reactions. Spend...
Mortgaging the Pentagon
Say you really want a sports car, a vacation, a big new house, or some other fancy thing you can’t really afford. You know that if you buy it, you’ll bust your budget. It would mean a ramen noodle diet and a threadbare closet from now to eternity for you and your...
The Bibi-GOP Clown Show
That Bibi is such a piece of work. On March 3, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu walked into our Capitol as though he owned the place, stuck a thumb in President Barack Obama’s eye, and walked out to multitudes of cheering Republicans. Is that a mensch or...
Bibi Love Fest
When Bibi Came to Town
When Benjamin Netanyahu looked out over the joint session of Congress that had assembled to hear him speak on March 3, the Israeli prime minister almost caught a glimpse of something unusual: empty seats. That would've been a rarity in Washington, where bipartisan...
Some Good News from the Middle East
There's not much good news coming out of the Middle East these days. But one reason to take heart is the progress of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the West. Even as new conflicts sprout up elsewhere, a three-decade standoff between Tehran and Washington could...
When Your Armed Neighbor Comes Knocking
A North Carolina grand jury has indicted an atheist with a history of virulently anti-religious statements in the murder of three Muslim American students in Chapel Hill — a young couple and the wife’s sister. The victims’ family and friends say the killings were the...
Caught in the Crosshairs
Who’s the Boss?
Here’s a quiz: Your boss gives you a budget. You ignore it and ask for more money than anyone in your position has ever spent. How long would you expect to keep your job? That’s basically the scenario that played out with the Obama administration’s recent budget...
Will the Real ‘Low-Life Scum’ Please Stand Up?
As you may have heard, security guards recently tossed me and my fellow activists out of a Senate hearing where former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger was about to testify. It became a hot story when Senator John McCain denounced us as "low-life scum." Why was...
