Elizabeth Warren makes a powerful case
Sen. Elizabeth Warren says she isn’t running for president. At this rate, however, she may have to. The Massachusetts Democrat has become the brightest ideological and rhetorical light in a party whose prospects are dimmed by — to use a word Jimmy Carter never uttered — malaise. Her weekend swing through Colorado, Minnesota and Iowa to rally the faithful displayed something no other potential contender for the 2016 presidential nomination, including Hillary Clinton, seems able to present: a message. Read full article >> …read more Read more here:: Elizabeth Warren makes a powerful case
We’ve reached the inevitable tipping point on gay marriage
By deciding not to decide, the Supreme Court may have decided: If history is a guide, same-sex marriage will soon be the law of the land. The court’s refusal to take up cases brought by five states seeking to overturn appellate court rulings in favor of gay marriage — Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin — was a surprise. It does not mean that Chief Justice John Roberts and the conservative majority have gone all “Kumbaya.” But it can be seen as a surrender to the inevitable. Read full article >> …read more Read more here:: We’ve reached the inevitable tipping point on gay marriage
Secure the people’s house, but don’t obscure it
Put a taller fence around the White House complex and lock the doors. Then get rid of the dry rot in the Secret Service bureaucracy, restore staffing to reasonable levels, adopt the latest technology and develop new protocols to replace the ones that didn’t work. But don’t use the recent shocking lapses in presidential security as an excuse to further separate Americans from the symbols of their government. Read full article >> …read more Read more here:: Secure the people’s house, but don’t obscure it
Call back Congress. Get the authorization.
President Obama should call Congress back to Washington for a special session to vote on authorizing war against the Islamic State. If he does not, Congress should return on its own to conduct this vital debate. Read full article >> …read more Read more here:: Call back Congress. Get the authorization.
Bookend speeches of Obama’s presidency
President Obama began his presidency with a call for a “new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world.” He will end it as a reluctant but unapologetic warrior, using U.S. military force to smash Islamic extremists and the “network of death” they have planted at the heart of the Middle East. Read full article >> …read more Read more here:: Bookend speeches of Obama’s presidency
A climate summit with a worthy purpose
We are taking a huge gamble with the world’s future. Individual nations — and citizens — must choose to do the right thing to reduce carbon emissions and limit climate change, even if it means paying an economic cost. Counting on altruism is risky. Read full article >> …read more Read more here:: A climate summit with a worthy purpose
Hillary Clinton, tell us your vision
Judging by her weekend appearance in Iowa, it looks as if Hillary Clinton is indeed running for president. Now she has to answer one simple question: Why? “It is true, I am thinking about it,” she said Sunday at the final Harkin Steak Fry, an annual cholesterol-boosting fundraiser that Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), who is retiring, has hosted for 37 years. Given the context, this was pretty close to an announcement of the Clinton 2016 campaign. Read full article >> …read more Read more here:: Hillary Clinton, tell us your vision
The wave has failed to materialize
Meanwhile, back at the ranch — as foreign events hog the spotlight — why haven’t Republicans sealed the deal on the coming election? When summer began, the conventional wisdom was that the GOP sorta kinda probably maybe would take control of the Senate in November. As summer ends — and it hasn’t been great for President Obama, which means it also hasn’t been anything for the Democratic Party to write home about — that same equivocal assessment still holds. Read full article >> …read more Read more here:: The wave has failed to materialize
When youthful mistakes turn deadly
To be young, male and black in America means not being allowed to make mistakes. Forgetting this, as we’ve seen so many times, can be fatal. The case of Michael Brown, who was laid to rest Monday, is anomalous only in that it is so extreme: an unarmed black teenager riddled with bullets by a white police officer in a community plagued by racial tension. Read full article >> …read more Read more here:: When youthful mistakes turn deadly
Robert McDonnell throws his wife under the bus at trial
How far would you go to stay out of jail? Would you publicly humiliate your wife of 38 years, portraying her as some kind of shrieking harridan? Would you put the innermost secrets of your marriage on display, inviting voyeurs to rummage at will? Read full article >> …read more Read more here:: Robert McDonnell throws his wife under the bus at trial