If the President's infamous promise that you can keep the coverage you already have was lie numero uno, then the Democrats' claim that the thousands of policy cancellations we've witnessed so far are an unforeseen consequence runs a close second. Not only were they foreseen, but were absolutely essential if the already dubious ObamaCare math is to come close to adding up. Too many policies independent of the exchanges is as deadly to the ACA as not having enough young and healthy subscribers ponying up. So Mary Landrieu and the rest of the Democrat parents of this monster can save their surprise and outrage. Anyone who can add knows that this was precisely what was supposed to happen. Unlike the website, this part of the plan is working perfectly.
The Tea Party movement, which uses the "don't tread on me" symbol of the Revolution as its own, can learn a lesson or two from the way George Washington conducted military operations during the War of Independence. He sought battle on his terms, on the most favorable terrain, and with an avenue of escape. At all times, preservation of his army --- living to fight another day ---was of prime importance. Tea Partiers need to internalize those principles in the political battles to come.
But "establishment" types also need to learn a few lessons for the future. The biggest one is that no political consultant ever founded a movement, or created any groundswell of public support. They need to recognize the energy and enthusiasm the Tea Party brought to conservatism, and that to win a fight, one must first be willing to engage in a fight.
So let's drop the "suicide mission" and "traitor" talk on both sides, and like Gen. Washington, preserve our forces for the long struggles ahead.
Another object lesson in how pan-Islamic Jew-hatred trumps the normal national desires for safety and security. How can it possibly profit Turkey to help Iran achieve nuclear weapons capability? It's almost as important to the Turks as to the Israelis to prevent that from happening. But of course, that's only the rational analysis, devoid of its special ingredient: rabid anti-Semitism. Add that to the mix and all bets are off; there are no "rational actors" where destruction of Jews is concerned. That's why the historic deterrence argument that took us through the Cold War doesn't work in Iran's case.
Engagement? A better description is diplomatic Three Card Monte.
If the end result of Cruz's unpopular maneuverings is that the fate of Obamacare is the motivating issue driving people to the polls in 2014, then they will all have been worth the trouble, even if they continue to expose the disunity in Republican ranks. However, what I'd like to see more of is a discussion of the many ways Obamacare damages our economy, retarding a sustained recovery, and less emphasis on parliamentary tactics. Conservatives tend to take it for granted that because polls show clear opposition to the ACA, most voters are as outraged and eager to fix the problem as they are. If that was the case, Barack Obama would never have won re-election. That was Romney's main failing and it must not be repeated in 2014. Fight the fight by all means, but educate people in the process.
When your words are geared toward convincing the likes of David Gregory and Candy Crowley, don't be surprised if the Putins, Assads and Rouhanis of the world are not impressed.
What bothers me most about Rand Paul's views on Syria, and what he seems to share with President Obama, is a strange credulity with regard to the good offices of Vladimir Putin.
Not exactly "their finest hour" is it? Watching the Brits weasel out of any possible help in confronting Assad and his fellow butchers, if nothing else, is giving President Obama a much-needed lesson in American Exceptionalism.
I guess the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution, those antiquated documents written by a bunch of dead white guys,somehow still possess a power and fascination for people around the world (even tyrants) that unfortunately eludes some of our own citizens.
President Obama might try to consider that the more he publicly criticizes the Egyptian army, the more the Brotherhood will utilize the tactic of their ideological ally Hamas and push more people into the streets in order to create some fresh corpses for the cameras to photograph.
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