The slogan of Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign is "change we can believe in." It's clear that Obama believes we need to change course with regard to Iraq. In January 2007, he introduced legislation calling for removing combat brigades from Iraq by...
Having Your Cake and
Eating It Too
"To have your cake and eat it too" is a popular figure of speech meaning to try to have two incompatible things. Of course, comedian George Carlin pointed out that the phrase doesn't make complete sense: "When people say, 'Oh you just want to have your cake and eat it...
Things to Remember on Memorial Day
Arlington National Cemetery could almost be my backyard. I live right down the road from the new Air Force Memorial and not far from the Iwo Jima Memorial. The other memorials to those who served and fought in our nation's wars – the Navy Memorial (interestingly,...
Mission Accursed
Last week was the five year anniversary of President Bush landing on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, striding along the flight deck in flight suit and stating triumphantly that "major combat operations in Iraq have ended" while standing under a...
Whither the Price of Oil?
According to Department of Energy statistics, the price of oil rose from about $20 per barrel to about $30 per barrel over the course of 2000 to 2001. And oil prices were actually falling in 2001 and declined sharply after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. But since early...
McCain’s Foreign Policy Vision: Style Over Substance
In a speech to the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, John McCain outlined his vision for U.S. foreign policy if he were elected president. As portrayed by much of the so-called mainstream media, one might be led to believe the McCain's vision is fundamentally...
Hard to See the Benefits Through the Bills and the Blood
Last week marked five years since President Bush's decision to engage in preemptive war against Iraq (or more accurately, preventive war, since there was no imminent threat to thwart; rather its purpose was to prevent a potential threat that had not yet emerged from...
The Golden Rule
As children, most of us learned the so-called golden rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Or in more plain language: "Treat others as you would like to be treated." Also known as the ethic of reciprocity, the golden rule...
More Amtrak Security,
More Safety?
This month, Amtrak officials announced that they were stepping up security, including random searches of passenger carry-on bags, more officers patrolling platforms and trains, and bomb-sniffing dogs. That Amtrak would want to increase security should come as no...
Hobbled in Kabul
Speaking to a friendly crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) last week, President Bush declared: "The Taliban, al-Qaeda, and their allies are on the run." Although he wasn't declaring victory ("Afghanistan has a long road...