Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category
On the criticisms of Obama and BP over the Gulf oil spill
In a press conference today, President Obama defended the federal government’s handling of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, including his own response. He also announced a suspension of drilling in the Gulf, Virginia and the Arctic. Clearly, the oil spill in the Gulf has proved to be much more difficult to stop […]
1,200 troops sent to Mexican border to… do what exactly?
President Obama has ordered 1,200 National Guard troops to the border in the Southwest. The New York Times reports that Obama’s decision came after Obama met with Republican senators who had demanded more troops. But Republicans were generally not placated. Senator John McCain of Arizona said it was not enough, and called for 6,000 in […]
Racism reduced to a liberal smear
Last week Rand Paul made some comments about his support for the 1964 Civil Rights Act during an interview with Rachel Maddow on MSNBC, and the media commentary has continued to run since. Paul suggested that Act should not have covered discriminatory policies of private businesses. It’s hard to see the relevance of having a debate about […]
Why Mrs Europe is bashing the bankers
Angela Merkel’s unilateral decision to ban “short selling” shows how deluded and divided the political class is. Read my spiked article in full here.
Observations on Tuesday’s votes
Some quick observations about the results of the various elections that took place on Tuesday: Neither party can be said to have come out of it better than the other. The Democrats’ victory in John Murtha’s old House seat in western Pennsylvania, in particular, showed that it wasn’t an entirely Republican day, as some had […]
Who is Elena Kagan?
Yes, like you, I’ve read the profiles in the New York Times and Washington Post. But I’m still no wiser: I still don’t have a clue as to what she thinks. My question and concern is not because Kagan has never been a judge before; although judicial experience has been customary in recent decades, it’s […]
Deal with Fannie and Freddie now
A Financial Times’ editorial announces that “financial reform is coming to the US”. But the Obama administration is trying to ensure that reform of the so-called “toxic twins” – the mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac – doesn’t come to the US anytime soon. Fannie and Freddie were taken under federal government “conservatorship” in […]
Gulf oil spill: don’t run away from risks
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico from the accident on the BP-owned drilling rig known as Deepwater Horizon occurred almost three weeks ago, and it has incurred a terrible toll. Eleven died, hundreds have had their economic livelihoods disrupted, and there is significant damage to the environment. BP, assisted by the US government […]
Times Square and the resilient response to terrorism
All the buzz in New York today is about the arrest of Faisal Shahzad, who is accused of attempting to set off a car bomb in Times Square. Before Shahzad’s arrest was announced, James Fallows wrote an interesting piece in The Atlantic on the Times Square bomb threat. Fallows says that “we have seen a New […]
Don’t boycott Arizona!
In response to the Arizona immigration law introduced about 10 days ago, various pro-immigration groups condemned Arizonans for being bigots, and have called for a boycott of the state. But name-calling and boycotting are the wrong ways to oppose Arizona’s law, and will only make matters worse. I say this as someone who opposes the law. […]