Obama Lacks Clarity on Afghan War

“Let me be clear,” President Barack Obama is fond of saying—and his desire was on full display two years ago when he announced a “comprehensive, new strategy” for the war in Afghanistan. Obama laced his speech of March 27, 2009, with nine uses of the words “clear” or...

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Excusing Torture at ‘Justice’

On Sunday, I attended an informal talk given in a parish hall by the Justice Department's Thomas Perez, assistant attorney general for civil rights. His topic: “The way his work for justice is defined by his faith.” During the Q&A after his talk, I had a chance to...

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Obama Should Read WikiLeaks on Afghanistan

Perhaps President Barack Obama should give himself a waiver on the ban prohibiting U.S. government employees from downloading classified cables released by WikiLeaks, so he can get a better grasp on the futility of his Afghan War strategy. For instance, if Secretary...

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Thoughts at the White House Fence

“Show me your company, and I'll tell you who you are,” my grandmother would often say with a light Irish lilt but a heavy emphasis, an admonition about taking care in choosing what company you keep. On Thursday, I could sense her smiling down through the snow as I...

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