Washington Examiner Monday headlines

Did Hillary Clinton help bring down Tunisia's Ben Ali

The Weekly Standard's Lee Smith on Beltway Confidential"In taking the side of Arab individuals against their ruling regimes, Clinton was reminiscent of the most optimistic days of the Bush administration’s freedom agenda, circa 2005."

A decade later, blaming GOP for radicalism is much harder

Noemie Emery, Examiner Columnist"Clinton distanced himself from a demonized right; Obama distanced himself from a hysterical left, which claimed, before the blood dried in Tucson that Sarah Palin had it on her hands."

Insights following Tucson came too late

Diane Dimond, Examiner Columnist"Instead of the focus being on which political party might have lit Loughner's final fuse, why didn't we -- why don't we -- concentrate more on the mental health of our fellow citizens? Why didn't anyone notice how truly unhinged this kid had become, wallowing in a world of what he called 'consciousness dreaming'?"

Off-shore drilling delays are costing government millions in potential revenue

Rob Bluey, Examiner Contributor"Royalties, bonus and rent payments made up more than $6 billion of that number. That pot of money could go a long way toward deficit reduction. And that’s from the Gulf alone."

Timothy P. Carney - Tick, tick, tick: The cost of Obamacare is a time bomb

In fighting against Obamacare repeal this week, Democrats portray their health care law as a money saver, claiming Republicans would add to the deficit by abolishing the legislation. But in their franker moments, the bill's authors admit that "reform" could be something of a time bomb that will cause exploding health care costs down the line. One top Senate aide plainly stated last summer, "This is a coverage bill, not a cost reduction bill." The time-bomb nature of Obamacare was presaged by Mitt Romney's health care bill in Massachusetts, which also expanded health insurance coverage by mandating that all individuals buy insurance, prohibiting insurers from dropping customers, and subsidizing the insurance of those with difficulty affording it.

Michael Barone - A sigh of relief when mad and evil people are foiled

Obama first came to the favorable attention of the nation at the Democratic National Convention in 2004 when he proclaimed that we were not red states and blue states but red, white and blue America. After months of partisan debate, in which he like others used the military metaphors common in our political vocabulary, he spoke in Tucson as the leader of one nation.
It will probably help him politically. But, more important, it will help the nation.

Byron York - Rethinking Obama's political performance in Tucson

By then, however, the president's supporters had tied the killings to the issue of political rhetoric.  In Tucson, Obama played good cop to their bad cop by assuring everyone that rhetoric had not motivated the violence.  But he still brought up the topic because, he said, it had "been discussed in recent days."  Of course, it would not have been discussed in recent days had his supporters not made so many unfair accusations.

Pence urged to enter race for president in 2012

"Mike Pence extraordinarily exemplifies the optimistic, pro-growth, pro-job creation Reagan-Kemp wing of the GOP. Grass-roots conservatives, Republicans, the tea party and populists are looking for a man or woman of principle who can champion and unite the newly energized and engaged citizenry," Benko said. "Mike Pence is the best choice to lead us into a new era of peace and prosperity."

Cornyn mocks those who inject themselves into a primary?

John Cornyn is a pretty good senator, but to many conservatives, Cornyn represents a Republican establishment that disdains the Tea Party and cares little for principle. That's because Cornyn, as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, decided to get involved in the Florida Senate primary last cycle, backing liberal Gov. Charlie Crist over conservative Marco Rubio. Read More

Obama admin bullies states over card check rules

This is pretty bad, even by Obama administration standards. Such blatant help for union political allies certainly makes the administration's intentions clear, and tells us who really owns this White House. From a political perspective, Republicans in these states should welcome the development: Read More

Obama's EPA devotes another $7 million to 'environmental justice' campaign

Not even sure what the "Environmental Justice" noted in the headline above might be about? It's likely that neither are most other Americans but that doesn't prevent President Obama's EPA administrator, Lisa Jackson, from sending $7 million of the taxpayers' money to dozens of groups mounting academic and propaganda campaigns organized around that theme. Read More

Reagan historian Shirley disputes Reagan son's Alzheimer's speculation

Craig Shirley, a Washington public affairs executive and author of two books on President Reagan, says the former president's son has no evidence to base his allegation that his father was afflicted by Alzheimer's Disease as early as his first term in the White House. Read More

Why aren't they clamoring for stricter gun laws in liberal Vermont?

In an op-ed for the New York Post today, Michael A. Walsh makes a good point about those clamoring for tighter gun control laws in the wake of the Tucson shooting: Read More

Obama fund-raisers finding job more difficult thanks to liberal economic policies

As a candidate, Barack Obama raised more money than any previous presidential aspirant, just under $750 billion in fact. Running for reelection, Obama is looking to increase his take in 2010 and is gearing up accordingly. Read More