Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Politicians of both parties pile on AIG.
YESTERDAY, we were more skeptical than most about the "populist" backlash against the $165 million in bonuses that went to some employees of government-owned AIG. The events of the past 24 hours have only confirmed our view. We don't love the fact that the men and women of this disgraced company are...
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Thursday, March 12, 2009
The administration's latest failed nominee peddles a conspiracy theory
FORMER ambassador Charles W. Freeman Jr. looked like a poor choice to chair the Obama administration's National Intelligence Council. A former envoy to Saudi Arabia and China, he suffered from an extreme case of clientitis on both accounts. In addition to chiding Beijing for not crushing the...
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Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Hillary Clinton undercuts the State Department's own human rights reprting
SECRETARY OF STATE Hillary Rodham Clinton continues to devalue and undermine the U.S. diplomatic tradition of human rights advocacy. On her first foreign trip, to Asia, she was dismissive about raising human rights concerns with China's communist government, saying "those issues can't interfere"...
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Monday, March 2, 2009
Why Obama Is Right About Inequality
Our political system adjusts badly when the familiar landmarks erected during controversies of the past are swept away and prepackaged arguments become obsolete. Starting with this week's congressional budget hearings, it will be imperative to recognize the extent to which President Obama's fiscal...
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Friday, February 27, 2009
The Senate offers the city a vote in the House -- at a cost.
THE SENATE voted yesterday to give the people of Washington, D.C., a voting representative in Congress. It was a historic moment and should have been a moment for pure celebration. But both moment and measure were tarnished by a dangerous amendment that would strip D.C. officials of their rightful...
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Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Mr. Obama lays out a bold agenda. But the economic crisis has to come first
FACING AN economic crisis, a banking crisis, a housing crisis and an auto industry crisis, President Obama used the opportunity of his address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night to load his plate with even more. Mr. Obama said he would press ahead with plans to overhaul the nation's...
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Tuesday, February 24, 2009
The secretary of state underestimates the power of her words.
HILLARY RODHAM Clinton says she was only "stating the obvious" when she played down the importance of U.S. pressure on China about human rights issues during a visit there over the weekend. In fact, her comments understated the significance of what a secretary of state says about such matters, and...
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Friday, February 20, 2009
Is it time for the United States to reach out to Burma?
PRESIDENT OBAMA'S inaugural address made the world's tyrants a proposition. "We will extend a hand," Mr. Obama said, "if you are willing to unclench your fist." It now appears that Burma could be one of the first test cases for this approach. For decades, a small group of military officers has ruled...
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Thursday, February 19, 2009
President Obama's cautious plan to help homeowners.
ANY PLAN to shore up the U.S. housing market and prevent foreclosures confronts a basic dilemma. To maximize a plan's effectiveness, the government must confer significant benefits on a large number of homeowners. To maximize fairness and conserve funds, the government must not confer benefits on...
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Monday, February 16, 2009
Will Barack Obama unconditionally embrace the Middle East's autocrats?
IT'S BEEN nearly five years since Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak visited Washington. The strongman boycotted President George W. Bush's second term because of Mr. Bush's efforts to promote political liberalization in Egypt. Now, with the advent of an administration that seems skeptical of its...
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