Obama deserves some blame for IRS debacle

Of course the president deserves some of the blame. Yes, it's extremely unlikely he ordered the IRS to discriminate against tea party, pro-life or Jewish groups opposed to his agenda (though why anyone should take his word for it is beyond me). And his outrage now - however convenient - is a…

Libya hearings show Obama and Clinton lied, and lied again

'Was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk one night and decided they'd go kill some Americans? What difference - at this point, what difference does it make?"

Think of liberals as antibodies weakening society

Is the American body politic suffering from an autoimmune disease?

Paisley, Paul 'conversation-starters' fall flat

Are Brad Paisley and Rand Paul the bravest men in America?

Jonah Goldberg: Disability, real and fake, becomes the new welfare

The government in Britain recently did something interesting.

As Quayle noted, marriage is predictor of child success

Almost exactly 20 years ago, Barbara Dafoe Whitehead wrote a controversial essay for The Atlantic titled "Dan Quayle Was Right."

There's hope for GOP, even after Iraq political disaster

Is the Iraq War to blame for the mess we are in? Now, I should qualify that question by explaining "mess" and "we." By "mess," I mean the dawn of Barack Obama's second term, the predictably catastrophic rollout of Obamacare, the exploding debt and deficit, the stimulus boondoggles, etc.

Jonah Goldberg: One of these things is not like the other, or is it?

Just because things can be put on the same list doesn't mean they are necessarily similar. My attic contains within it thousands of comic books, an inflatable bed, some jigsaw puzzles, some family pictures and a "Frampton Comes Alive!" album. These things are, roughly speaking, in the same l…

Who would follow our example on Keystone?

While many have long seen America as the global bad boy, everybody likes Canada. If Uncle Sam tucks his pack of Marlboros under his T-shirt sleeve and plays by his own rules, the Canadian moose - or whatever their Uncle Sam equivalent is - always wears his blue blazer and school tie and does…

Conservative forum unwise to snub Christie, gays

What can you do with a man like Chris Christie?

Inane blame game rages on as sequester looms

We are just days away from a cataclysm of biblical proportions. The cuts foretold in the Budget Control Act of 2011 apparently are every bit as terrifying as rivers of blood and plagues of locusts.

New golden age of progressivism largely an illusion

One of the great things about American politics is its capacity for punishing hubris.

Education spending not the smartest 'investment'

Not long after President Obama proclaimed in his second inaugural that "an economic recovery has begun," we learned that the U.S. economy actually shrank in the last quarter. Many economists believe this is a temporary setback. This recovery may be the weakest in American history, but the ec…

Debate on women in combat has merely been postponed

What if, during the presidential campaign, Mitt Romney had accused President Obama of wanting to let servicewomen serve in combat? After all, Obama had hinted as much in 2008. What would Obama's response have been?

Clinton testimony from the GOP view: She's a smooth liar

A lot of people in Washington apparently forgot how good Hillary Clinton is at not telling the truth.

Socially liberal 'fiscal conservatives' are suckers

Dear Socially Liberal Fiscal Conservative Friend, That's pretty toothy, so I'm going to call you Bob.

Biden's simplistic words a poor rationale for policy

"As the president said, if your actions result in only saving one life, they're worth taking," Vice President Joe Biden declared on Wednesday as he previewed what his commission on gun violence might actually do.

Obama displays pettiness in Hagel selection

It's official. President Obama has named former Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., as his nominee for secretary of defense. Hence, we may be in store for the worst defense secretary nomination fight since George H.W. Bush's failed appointment of Sen. John Tower, R-Texas, more than 20 years ago.

Mourn for the slain but don't make hasty decisions

On Friday, in his moving and heartfelt statement in response to the horrific shooting in Newtown, Conn., President Obama said, "As a country, we have been through this too many times. … And we're going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, r…

Conservatives face system rigged against them

To understand why Republicans have a "branding problem," you first need to understand how the system is rigged against conservatives.

Why luring Asian-American voters is tough for GOP

In the scramble to make the GOP more diverse, a lot of people are looking at Asian-Americans, whom many believe are a natural constituency for the party. I would love it if Asian-Americans converted en masse to the Republican Party, but the challenge for Republicans is harder than many appreciate.

Oliver Stone 'history' is wrong - worse, it's boring

When, at long last, will people understand that the left is boring?

Think Morsi's a moderate? You're not paying attention

What do you call a leader of a theocratic and cultish movement with a deep and clear disdain for democracy who suddenly assumes dictatorial powers?

Liberals shriek of GOP racism, but it's pure slander

If the GOP wants to win more black votes, it will need to get a lot more "racist."

Obama's leadership could help black, all US families

President Obama has several stated ambitions for his presidency. He wants it to be "transformative." He wants to unite Americans of all parties. He wants to build an economy from the middle class out (whatever that means), and he wants to help what you might call the domestic refugees of Ame…

Bush prescient on 'compassionate conservatism'

I think I owe an apology to George W. Bush. William F. Buckley once noted that he was 19 when the Cold War began at the Yalta conference. The year the Berlin Wall came down, he became a senior citizen. In other words, he explained, anti-Communism was a defining feature of conservatism his en…

Americans seeing future in a European-style state

The Progressives won on Tuesday. I don't mean the people who voted Democrat who call themselves "progressive." Though they won, too.

Telling conspiracy from mere media groupthink

If you want to understand why conservatives have lost faith in the so-called mainstream media, you need to ponder the question: Where is the Benghazi feeding frenzy?

Obama's naval argument doesn't hold water

In the third and final debate, Barack Obama scored huge points with the media, college kids and die-hard liberals - in other words, his base - when he mocked Mitt Romney's concern about our historically small Navy.

On liberalism, Catholicism and social doctrine

Apparently, Paul Ryan and Joe Biden are both theocrats willing, nay eager, to use state power to impose their religious views on us.

Say no to Obama's woeful 'Puss in Boots' eyes

It was the Puss in Boots eyes. If you've seen the "Shrek" movies or the spin-off cartoon starring the storybook cat voiced by Antonio Banderas, you know what I'm talking about. Whenever Puss in Boots really needs something from someone, he flashes these enormous kitten eyes that melt anyone …

Tribe of barbarism can't lecture US about liberty

We like tribalism for the same reason we like to eat fatty foods: We evolved that way.

Memo to Muslims: In US, First Amendment rules

"No One Murdered Because of This Image."

Calling for justice vs. filmmakers plays to mob

An incendiary video about the prophet Muhammad, "Innocence of Muslims," was blamed for the mob attacks on our embassies in Libya and Egypt (and later, Yemen). In Libya, Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were murdered. The video stirred some passion here in America as well.

Dems say 'forward' but confused on where we've been

"Forward" is a perfectly appropriate slogan for progressives.

Democratic Party is bastion of out-of-date ideas

CHARLOTTE, N.C.

Odd how the election became about racial bigotry

TAMPA, Fla. - Huzzah, America, our centuries-old struggle with racism and bigotry may be coming to an end.

To win, Romney must join Obama as a Bush basher

This is shaping up to be the second presidential election in a row that's about someone who isn't on the ballot: George W. Bush.

If death penalty is always wrong, let's talk about Holmes

In the aftermath of the Aurora, Colo., slaughter, the question went forth on all of the political chatter shows: "Will this reopen the debate over gun control?"

Reporter's blunder shows media's distrust of right

If ABC News does fire Brian Ross, he could always find a job working for Aaron Sorkin.

Romney needs to defend his tenure at Bain

It was one of Barack Obama's best lines - and best moments - in the 2008 presidential campaign.

We all should be angry about the Libor scandal

Why aren't more people furious about the Libor scandal?

Unauthorized lifesaving points to a sick culture

The late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan famously remarked: "The central conservative truth is that it is culture, not politics, that determines the success of a society. The central liberal truth is that politics can change a culture and save it from itself."

Everybody's fine - so say Obama's spinmeisters

The 1990 Italian film "Everybody's Fine" is one of the most depressing films I've ever seen. Starring the late Marcello Mastroianni, it's the story of an old man who tells his wife he's going to visit their grown kids. According to their letters, the kids are doing great, but he'd like to se…

Word 'compromise' used to bludgeon GOP

Compromise has always been a holy word for the Washington establishment. But against the backdrop of ever-increasing anxiety over our fiscal dysfunction, most particularly the next budget showdown, the word has taken on a tone of anger, desperation and even panic.

Outsider Romney should acknowledge Bush overspent

Here's a simple suggestion for Mitt Romney: Admit that the Democrats have a point.

Real-world corporations don't follow a movie plot

Jack Andraka, a 15-year-old kid from Maryland, just won the world's largest high school science competition by creating a new test for pancreatic cancer, one of the nastiest and most lethal forms of the disease.

Do we want a 'social market'? It's a fair question

"This is not a distraction; this is what this campaign is going to be about," President Obama said Monday at the NATO summit. The "this" in question is Mitt Romney's tenure at Bain Capital and what it says about Romney's economic vision for the country.

Proof that politicians pander to anything that moves

This is the season of generational twaddle. At graduation ceremonies across the country, politicians, authors, actors and businessmen take to the stage to tell young people they are fantastic simply because they are young. This year, the ritual is more pathetic than usual because there's a p…

Obama's gay-marriage declaration all about money

For most of 2012, President Obama has been running in the Democratic primary. I know that seems odd given that he's essentially running unopposed. Though don't tell that to West Virginia Democrats, who cast nearly half of their votes for Keith Judd, an inmate currently serving time in a Texa…