Pope Benedict XVI stepped down today in an announcement that surprised the Catholic world. There is no modern precedent for a papal resignation–the last pope to resign was Gregory XII in 1415. Pope “B16,” as he is affectionately …
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Ten Years Since Colin Powell Presented Case for Iraq War
On February 5, 2003, Secretary of State Colin Powell went to the U.N. to present the American case to go to war with Iraq.
Religious Groups Remain Concerned About Contraception Mandate
Religious nonprofits won’t have to pay for contraception coverage under ObamaCare, but their employees must be offered the benefit, the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed Friday in a rule-making proposal.
The Israel Lobby and Hagel
Jeff Goldberg has an interesting post about the mixed feelings that the America Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) may have about launching a major lobbying campaign against Chuck Hagel.
The Weird Resonance of #Mintthecoin
Here is a thought exercise. It’s 3013. You’re a historian, and you want to teach your students about the temporary dementia that gripped the political-media complex a millennium ago. I submit that you could do worse than to give …
Condi’s Middle East
Condoleezza Rice has a scarifying op-ed in the Washington Post today in which she argues correctly that the Middle East may be on the brink of a rejiggering of borders — and, incorrectly, that if we don’t become more active diplomatically, Iran will be the big winner.
The Benghazi Circus
Well, I’ve been on a desert island since the election–and I return to find the tawdry sadness of David Petraeus‘ resignation after a lifetime of service to our country. And the even more tawdry attempts by various Republicans to create a scandal over the tragic deaths of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others in the Benghazi terror attack.
The Petraeus Affair: Why Was Obama Kept in the Dark?
A 2007 memo by former attorney general Michael Mukasey suggests the Justice Department may have been remiss in shielding the spy chief’s extramarital affair from the President.
Senate Intelligence Committee to Probe Petraeus Affair
The committee’s top Republican says it will hold hearings during the lame duck session into whether Petraeus’s biographer, Paula Broadwell, was given classified information
Where Does Cuban Voters’ Support for Obama Leave Rubio?
The idea that Florida Senator Marco Rubio would help Mitt Romney salvage some of the Latino electorate was always one of the Republican Party’s more half-baked strategies in 2012. Obama won 71% of the Hispanic vote; Romney got an abysmal 27%. Despite his best efforts, Rubio is a Cuban-American, which counts for a lot on his humid home …
Reality Wins
It’s always fun to check in with Rush Limbaugh after a big Republican loss–and today was no exception. He was whiny apoplectic, especially when it came to the difficulty of appealing to non-white voters. Isn’t Condoleezza Rice enough? He screamed. Isn’t Marco Rubio enough?
Closing Arguments
This week’s print column is a look back at the frustrating election that was, and a peek into the future, no matter who wins.
NeoCon Job
Over at Politico, Dylan Byers is reporting that a extremist Israelophile political action committee, led by Bill Kristol, is sending out robo-calls that feature a phony debate between Barack Obama and Bibi Netanyahu.