THE FOUNDATION
"In the next place, the state governments are, by the very theory of the constitution, essential constituent parts of the general government. They can exist without the latter, but the latter cannot exist without them." --Joseph Story Commentaries on the Constitution, 1833TOP 5 RIGHT HOOKS
Israel the 'Apartheid State'
Secretary of State John Kerry uttered two words virtually never heard by American diplomats: "apartheid state." Worse, he was referring to Israel, as in what might happen if peace talks with the Palestinians don't yield his desired outcome. "A two-state solution will be clearly underscored as the only real alternative," Kerry said, "Because a unitary state winds up either being an apartheid state with second-class citizens or it ends up being a state that destroys the capacity of Israel to be a Jewish state." Kerry soon backtracked, saying later that he "would have chosen a different word," but he also insisted that he won't "allow his commitment to Israel [to] be questioned by anyone." The Obama administration has undoubtedly put intense pressure on Israel to make major concessions, and Kerry ratcheted up the rhetoric to unacceptable levels. It's no surprise that it has alienated our ally -- especially considering that Monday was Holocaust Remembrance Day. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) called for Kerry's resignation. But we're still calling for his indictment for treason.Comment | Share
Minimum Wage Vote
The Senate may hold a vote Wednesday on Iowa Democrat Tom Harkin's bill to raise the minimum wage in three steps to reach $10.10 per hour by 2016. All 55 Democrats (including two "independents") will almost surely vote for the bill, but few if any Republicans will join them. But the point isn't to pass the bill; it's to create a show over voting on it so as to motivate Democrats' voting base. The AP reports that, "according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, women and young people make up disproportionate portions of the 3.3 million people who earned $7.25 or less last year. Both groups traditionally tilt toward Democrats, who would love to lure them to the polls this fall as they fight to retain Senate control." Never mind that raising the minimum wage will hurt these very voters; Democrats can blame the GOP for "not caring."Comment | Share
Toyota Heads for Texas
For three decades, Toyota has called Torrance, California, home in the U.S. -- but no more. The world's second largest automaker announced plans to take 5,000 jobs and head for the freer markets of Texas, putting it closer to its manufacturing facilities. The LA Times reports that this is becoming a trend: "Occidental Petroleum Corp. said in February that it was relocating from Los Angeles to Houston, making it one of around 60 companies that have moved to Texas since July 2012, according to Texas Gov. Rick Perry." Why the exodus? Under decades of Democrat rule, California has become a land of high taxes and burdensome regulation -- the perfect formula for chasing business away. Texas has done the opposite, and it should serve notice to leftists that the Lone Star State is wooing all the gold from the Golden State.Comment | Share
Obama Has Our Back
It's almost never a good thing for an American president to go abroad and criticize his own nation, but Barack Obama has a nasty habit of doing just that. During a press conference with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, Obama spoke about human rights. He said, "I think the prime minister is the first to acknowledge that Malaysia's still got some work to do, just like the United States, by the way, has some work to do on these issues. Human Rights Watch probably has a list of things they think we should be doing as a government. And, you know, I am going to be constantly committed to making sure that these issues get raised in a constructive way." This is not a constructive way for starters, but furthermore, when Obama speaks of "human rights" in this country, he means pet Democrat issues like the homosexual agenda, income "inequality," racial division or whatever other constituency-pleasing proposal they can come up with.Comment | Share
Contempt Vote 'Un-American'
The House is scheduled to take up a contempt vote against the IRS's Lois "Plead the Fifth" Lerner next month, but her attorney, William Taylor III, wants the opportunity to lecture Republicans on why the effort is wrong. During her first appearance before a House committee investigating the scandal, Lerner issued a statement defending herself and claiming innocence before invoking the Fifth Amendment, at which point Republicans argue Lerner's right to avoid self-incrimination was waived. But in a letter to House GOP leaders, Taylor claims such thinking is "unfair" and "un-American." "Holding Ms. Lerner in contempt would not only be unfair and, indeed, un-American, it would be flatly inconsistent with the Fifth Amendment as interpreted by the Supreme Court," he contends. And her targeting of conservative groups in collaboration with the DoJ wasn't un-American? The Left is only concerned with constitutional protections when they need it to hide behind.Comment | Share
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RIGHT ANALYSIS
Explaining the 'Obama Doctrine'
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"[I]f you look at the results of what we've done over the last five years," he said, "it is fair to say that our alliances are stronger, our partnerships are stronger, and in the Asia Pacific region, just to take one example, we are much better positioned to work with the peoples here on a whole range of issues of mutual interest. And that may not always be sexy. That may not always attract a lot of attention, and it doesn't make for good argument on Sunday morning shows. But it avoids errors." An awful lot can be said about Obama's foreign policy, but "avoids errors" isn't one of them. And feel free to name an alliance that's stronger. We can't think of one.
It may not be entirely fair to say that there is no Obama Doctrine. The Obama Doctrine, as best as can be understood, is really just a series of unrelated and uncoordinated decisions meant to have maximum political benefit at home, while having minimal impact overseas. The Obama Doctrine doesn't seek to maintain international peace and stability so much as domestic poll ratings, driven by the misguided belief that America is universally reviled for its strength and therefore would be more popular if it were less a force in the world.
While Obama didn't "have time" to get into his own mistakes -- Syria, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Ukraine, etc., etc. -- he was not at a loss for words about his critics. "Do people actually think that, somehow, us sending some additional arms to Ukraine could potentially deter the Russian army? Or are we more likely to deter them by applying the sort of international pressure, diplomatic pressure and economic pressure that we're applying?"
Four rounds of sanctions have so far only pinpointed a small segment of the Russian leadership, and therefore have been virtually useless. Separatists in Ukraine are as bold as ever, and likely being driven by Russian special forces. Real economic pressure would come in the form of broad-based sanctions that would hit Russians in their wallets, spurring a possible recession that Russia may be facing this year anyway. Once the Russian people realize that Vladimir Putin's military adventures might land them in the poor(er) house, they may be less likely to support his path to a new empire.
The international pressure that Obama speaks of needs U.S. leadership. The Europeans are fractured on the issue. Eastern Europe is too close to Russia and has been burned once too often by Obama's feckless foreign policy to take a bold stand. Many politicians and industrialists in high places in Eastern Europe, Germany, France and elsewhere are on the dole of Russia's various energy conglomerates. And the continent as a whole is too fearful of standing up for human rights, for fear of angering a belligerent enemy.
The Cold War taught us that the only way to stand up to dictators is to show resolve and strength. Obama has demonstrated neither. And now Russia is making energy deals with Iran, and pushing against the Ukrainian border, and soon Putin will be looking elsewhere to expand. America doesn't need a "doctrine" so much as consistent leadership.
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GOP 'Hell-Bent' on Helping Democrats With Immigration
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Read the rest of the story here.
For more, visit Right Analysis.
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TOP 5 RIGHT OPINION COLUMNS
- Dennis Prager: What Have You Said in Private?
- Mona Charen: Special Rules for Democrats
- Cal Thomas: Obama's Foreign Policy Nonexistent
- Ken Blackwell & Ken Klukowski: Stevens Talks Candidly About Rewriting Constitution
- Thomas Sowell: Politics Versus Education
OPINION IN BRIEF
American author and philosopher Eric Hoffer (1902-1983): "It is doubtful if the oppressed ever fight for freedom. They fight for pride and power -- power to oppress others. The oppressed want above all to imitate their oppressors; they want to retaliate."Columnist Dennis Prager: "A private recording of racist remarks by the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, Donald Sterling, in a telephone conversation was released last week. ... That these comments are racist and therefore contemptible goes without saying. But the incident raises other issues that are not as clear as the racism in Sterling's comments, yet they are at least as important. One is the increasing release -- and acceptability -- of private recordings and videos. Take the video released last month of a married congressman engaged in a passionate kiss with a married member of his staff. This was a security surveillance video. Isn't the only reason for the very existence of surveillance cameras to catch criminals? Why didn't the release of such a video shock the media and the country? ... The fact that whoever released the surveillance video of the congressman has not been apprehended is a threat to us all. Yet this aspect of the incident has not even been discussed. All we heard was gloating over catching a conservative congressman in an act of infidelity."
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Columnist Mona Charen: "Every other sentence out of the mouths of President Barack Obama and other progressive Democrats seems to invoke the 'middle class,' and when they're not promising to help the middle class, they're obsessing about how to humble the rich. In the past two weeks, the left's preoccupation with confiscating thy neighbor's goods has been highlighted by two things: The reception of Thomas Piketty's new book, 'Capital in the Twenty-First Century,' and the response to rumors that Sen. Elizabeth ('Occupy Wall Street') Warren might run for president. Both have received the full secular saint treatment, reflecting the progressives' almost mob-like eagerness to lay hands on more of the property of the rich. Not for the poor, mind you, but for the 'middle class' (translation: themselves)."
Humorist Frank J. Fleming: "Which political party probably has more racists: The one that gets constant scrutiny for racism or the one that somehow avoids any scrutiny?"
Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus et Fidelis!
Nate Jackson for The Patriot Post Editorial Team
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