Petraeus Finds an Arena in Langley
Posted in Main Blog (All Posts) on June 3rd, 2012 11:08 pm by HL
Petraeus Finds an Arena in Langley
David Ignatius, Washington Post
WASHINGTON — CIA Director David Petraeus spoke first at an April 19 memorial dinner for agency officers killed in action. He delivered well-scripted remarks and an evocation of the agency's heroes. Then came Leon Panetta, his predecessor at the CIA and the evening's main honoree, who delivered a stem-winding emotional speech to fervent applause.The freewheeling Panetta, now secretary of defense, has been a tough act to follow at the CIA, especially for a former four-star Army general who thrived in the disciplined, resource-rich world of the military. And in his first year at the…
The E.U. Is in Total Denial
Janet Daley, The Telegraph
I’ve never actually heard the term “total emergency” before, at least not in the context of global economics. It sounds like the title of a disaster movie. When it is uttered in sober tones by the elder statesman of an advanced democracy to describe his country’s financial condition, the effect is rather startling.The man who delivered this apocalyptic judgment, former Spanish prime minister Felipe González, being a socialist, might be expected to detest austerity programmes that require cuts to government spending. But there seemed to be few…
Liberals’ Impossible Promises
Charles Kesler, Claremont Review of Books
Out of the mouths of babes, and pirates, can come wisdom. The pirate in this case is the Pirate Captain, as he's called, brilliantly voiced by Hugh Grant in the new stop-motion animation film, The Pirates! Band of Misfits. His quest to win the Pirate of the Year award brings him in contact with Charles Darwin and his servant monkey Bobo, who resembles his master or perhaps the other way around, and an evil Queen Victoria, whose royal crest proclaims, “I Hate Pirates.” Her majesty resembles an angry Hillary Clinton. (A certain former president and his Secret Service detail may…
How Will DOMA Fare in Front of the Court?
Scott Lemieux, The Guardian
On 31 May, a three-judge panel of the first circuit court of appeals held a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act (Doma) unconstitutional. It is nearly certain, however, that the case will be headed to the supreme court, and because the decision was stayed pending appeal, it will not even apply in the New England states covered by the first circuit.So, the key question is: what will the supreme court will do when it hears the case?
The Perils of Bill Clinton
Michelle Cottle, The Daily Beast
You knew Bill Clinton wouldn’t be able to stay quiet for long.As if Team Obama weren’t already struggling in its attempts to hang Bain Capital around Mitt Romney’s neck, Clinton popped up on Piers Morgan Thursday night criticizing the attacks on Bain and praising Romney’s business savvy.“I don’t think we ought to get into the position where we say this is bad work; this is good work,” said Clinton. “There’s no question that, in terms of getting up, going to the office, and basically performing the…
