Obama’s Europe Neglect Could Bring Bush Nostalgia

My first piece for ForeignPolicy.com, "Europe's Obama Fatigue," is online. Despite George W. Bush's defiant "you're with us or you're against us" public stance, he actively solicited advice and input from his NATO partners. Obama, by contrast, is saying all the right things in public about transatlantic relations and NATO but adopting a high-handed policy and paying little attention to Europe. [...] It would ...

Tony Blankley: Bring Back the Draft

Tony Blankley, former press secretary to Newt Gingrich and editorial page editor of the Washington Times, has a new book out that, among other things, argues for reinstatement of the military draft.  Unlike liberals like Charlie Rangel or even centrist Phil Carter, he doesn't do so on the basis of "fairness" or spreading the burden but rather on the sheer ...

Gasoline Prices for 2009

Right now oil and gasoline prices are low, but are they likely to stay that way? This article says yes for most of 2009. As we close the doors on the strange and tumultuous year that was 2008, analysts are looking ahead to what 2009 will bring. So far, signs are mixed. The Energy Information Administration projects crude oil will ...

Pulling Out: Debating Middle East Disengagement (Closing)

Having already devoted several thousand words to the topic of American involvement in the Middle East, I will make my closing comments brief. First, I’d like to thank Dave for a vigorous debate, James for hosting this discussion, and all the readers who have taken the time to follow the back-and-forth and comment on the posts.  This has been a useful ...

Pulling Out: Debating Middle East Disengagement (Neg. Rebuttal)

Since this is my last entry in the debate, I'd like to thank Bernard Finel for what I think has been an excellent, interesting, and informative debate. I've accomplished what I set out to do when I was moved to propose this debate: I've established that complete disengagement with the Middle East (the resolution of the debate) would ...

Pulling Out: Debating Middle East Disengagement (Rebuttal)

Dave Schuler's arguments and his responses to my cross-examination questions highlight three critical failings in his argument. These flaws are his preference for inertia over strategic assessment, overweighing ambiguous evidence that marginally supports his case while ignoring compelling evidence that refutes it, and a failure to account for what might be called "conditions on the ground." I will address each ...

Pulling Out: Debating Middle East Disengagement (Aff. Cross)

Question 1 (Finel): You write: “I believe the evidence speaks clearly: the increased U. S. engagement in the region has overall been a stabilizing force.” What is the precise benefit to the United States of this increased stability? Are American interests in the region more or less secure today as a result? Or is this purely ...

Pulling Out: Debating Middle East Disengagement (Neg. Cross)

Question 1: What evidence do you have that reducing our “footprint” and “fingerprint” will result in a reduction of radicalism in the Middle East? BERNARD FINEL: Obviously, it is impossible to prove a hypothetical, so there is no direct evidence to support my contention that reducing our visibility will reduce radicalism. Indeed, I don't think it is likely ...

Pulling Out: Debating Middle East Disengagement (Affirmative)

On January 23, 1980 President Jimmy Carter enunciated what became known as the Carter Doctrine. He stated, "An attempt by any outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the United States of America, and such an assault will be repelled by any means necessary, including ...

Oil Hits a 4 Year Low

Just out of curiosity...why? I thought those evil oil companies could control the price of oil and gasoline. Maybe we should bail these guys out too.

Sarah Palin in Demand

Sarah Palin is a big star now. [caption id="attachment_27761" align="alignright" width="212" caption="In this Nov. 4, 2008 file photo, Gov. Sarah Palin, R-Alaska, acknowledges the crowd during an election night rally in Phoenix. Oprah wants her, and so do Letterman and Leno. Fresh from her political defeat, Sarah Palin is juggling offers to write books, appear in films and sit on dozens ...

More on the Threat of Piracy to the Oil Trade

There are a couple of interesting snippets this morning in the coverage of the seizing of a Saudi oil tanker by Somali pirates I commented on yesterday. First, the Financial Times echoes my observations about the potential impact of this on the oil trade: While most other seizures have been of vessels heading into or out of the Suez Canal, ...

The Future of Piracy (Updated)

We're beginning to see the future of piracy unfold in the seas south of the Horn of Africa. Somali pirates have captured an oil tanker belonging to Saudi ARAMCO: JIDDA, Saudi Arabia: Pirates captured a Saudi-owned supertanker loaded with more than $100 million worth of crude oil off the coast of Kenya, seizing the largest ship ever hijacked, United States ...

Obama’s Acceptance Speech: The More Things CHANGE, The More They Remain the Same

I wrote a quick post before bed last night giving my off-the-cuff reaction to Barack Obama's nomination acceptance speech, arguing that, despite all the talk of "change," it was basically a speech that Jimmy Carter, Walter Mondale, Michael Dukakis, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, or John Kerry could have given. The NYT has a six-page transcript of the speech as delivered.  Let's ...

McCain ‘Broken’ ‘Family’

The McCain campaign has launched two new ad videos in consecutive days under the titles "Broken" and "Family." I find the juxtaposition amusing.  The spots themselves strike me as weak but, as I keep reminding myself, I'm not the target audience. "Broken" Washington's broken. John McCain knows it. We're worse off than we were four years ago. Only McCain has taken on big ...