An odd coalition of players assembled in Vienna Friday to talk Syria. Among them: Iran. Many Syria watchers have argued Iran is necessary to a negotiated settlement, if one can be had in Syria. Another strange bedfellow is Russia, which, by marching into the quagmire so boldly, sparked a new U.S. strategy. Just hours after the Vienna talks began, we learned that President Barack Obama’s new take on Syria involves less than 50 Special Forces. While the White House spokesman won’t use the word “combat” to describe the Special Forces troops, Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren said “we’re in combat” earlier this week. Indeed we are — standing uncomfortably next to some of America’s most historic foes.
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Syria Talks Open As US Unveils Plan to Send Special Forces
Posted October 30th, 2015 at 3:05 pm (UTC-4)
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Rubio Overshadows Jeb – and Trump – in Republican Debate
Posted October 29th, 2015 at 5:12 pm (UTC-4)
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Wednesday’s third Republican debate was a reminder that the race to become the next President of the United States is still in the early stages. Oddly, the candidates with the most support and/or money seemed to fade into the background. The night belonged to Florida Senator Marco Rubio, thanks to a badly executed jab by Jeb Bush. The clash lit up Twitter and diminished Bush, who was expected to be the party’s frontrunner. Senator Ted Cruz had a glittering moment too, according to some pundits. Neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who was ahead of businessman Donald Trump in the latest poll, kind of disappeared along with the usually loud-mouthed mogul. But as we said: it’s still early.
Common Core: Is America Over-testing School Children?
Posted October 28th, 2015 at 4:05 pm (UTC-4)
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“There is no argument that education is crucial to competing in the global economy. The argument is about how best to educate our kids, and how to make sure U.S. students are keeping up. The United States has experimented endlessly on the how. In 2001, former President George W. Bush proposed and Congress enacted “No Child Left Behind.” NCLB required each state to set their own educational standards, and then test aggressively to make sure their students were making the grade. While not directly involved, the federal government did require that any school getting federal funds give students an annual test to chart their progress. NCLB came under withering criticism and President Barack Obama introduced “Common Core,” standards which required schools receiving federal funding to agree to a set of national standards that all students, regardless of their state, are subject to. It’s not a federal program, but schools that take federal money must agree to the benchmarks and test students on their basic mastery of specific subjects, such as mathematics.
Trump Loses Top Spot. But Not to Jeb
Posted October 27th, 2015 at 3:49 pm (UTC-4)
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Who knew? The latest poll conducted by CBS News/New York Times puts Republican candidate Ben Carson on top by four percentage points. Trump, no longer the frontrunner, said during an interview on MSNBC, “One thing I know about a frontrunner, you get analyzed 15 different ways from China. A lot of things will come out.” It’s still early in the race, but Jeb Bush had long been expected to rule the roost. And he hasn’t. According to the poll, Marco Rubio is now in third place (eight percent), followed by Jeb Bush (seven percent) and Carly Fiorina (seven percent). All this puts the spotlight on Carson – sometimes disregarded as a very polite, but fringe conservative – during the Republican’s third debate Wednesday in Colorado.
Reading Tea Leaves in Moscow, Damascus and Washington
Posted October 26th, 2015 at 4:28 pm (UTC-4)
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“The Russians are burning and flattening everything.” That’s how a commander in a U.S.-backed rebel militia describes Russia’s military involvement in Syria. And the commander dismisses Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s offer of Russia’s help for Syria’s “patriotic opposition” if only Russia knew their whereabouts. Moscow’s intentions — and Washington’s response — has many experts wondering how this will play out on and off the battlefield.
Russia, Kurdish Aspirations and Brutal Enemy Call for Deft US Moves in Syria
Posted October 23rd, 2015 at 12:09 pm (UTC-4)
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Secretary of State John Kerry is meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Syria, a messy situation that has helped fuel the growth of the Isamic State – and appears to be creating a proxy war between the U.S. and Russia. The Obama administration is implementing its new “Syria First” policy, which relies on arming certain Kurdish factions to take the fight to the Islamic State coupled with U.S. air support. Add Russian President Vladimir Putin’s entry into the fray and his open support of Syria President Bashir al-Assad – who U.S. officials hold responsible for most of the misery – and the cocktail has become a lot more combustible. To make even modest progress, Syria requires the United States to avoid any number of policy and military landmines.
Bye Bye Biden
Posted October 22nd, 2015 at 4:55 pm (UTC-4)
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Barring unforeseen circumstances, the political career of Joe Biden is over. The 72 year-old U.S. vice president has decided not to run for higher office. Biden is the embodiment of how one’s political views evolve with age. At 29, he was one of the youngest people ever elected to the Senate in 1972. But that Joe Biden may be unrecognizable to his would-be supporters for a third presidential run. Pro-civil rights and pro-civil liberties. Anti-busing and anti-abortion. He co-sponsored the 1986 Anti-Drug Abuse Act, which established harsher sentences for crack cocaine than powder cocaine convictions — something his current boss, President Barack Obama, is working to reform. Personal tragedy has bracketed Biden’s professional tenure, helping fuel his ambition, and eventually, sapping it. While he likely will not achieve his livelong goal of being president, his life is long on achievements.
Clinton Faces Congressional Query on Benghazi – Again
Posted October 21st, 2015 at 2:34 pm (UTC-4)
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17 months and $4.5-million. That’s how long — and costly — the Republican-led probe of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s role in the deadly 2012 attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. The congressional committee will hear from her once again on Thursday. Critics say the hearings are simply a witch hunt against Clinton, who is now running for president as a Democrat. She is expected to be grilled about her assessment of the security needed for the high-risk mission, along with questions of transparency about exactly what happened and, of course, all those emails she wrote during her post on a private server in her home. Republicans say they want honest answers to their pertinent questions. Democrats see it as an opportunity to pile on Clinton, and hope she will come across as the victim of an overly-politicized panel intent on tarnishing her.
U.S. Throws Hail Mary Pass for Israel-Palestinian Peace
Posted October 19th, 2015 at 2:58 pm (UTC-4)
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It seems nearly every U.S. administration in recent history makes one last pitch for peace after failing to secure a lasting deal for Israelis and Palestinians. Bill Clinton held the Camp David Summit in 2000, his final year in office. George W. Bush’s “Roadmap to Peace” ended in 2008 with no final agreement. The Obama administration ended its latest serious flurry of diplomatic activity aimed at a deal last year, essentially admitting defeat. But the recent uptick in violence, characterized by gruesome stabbings, has Secretary of State John Kerry swinging back into action, holding separate meetings this week with the key players. Chances for anything other than a return to the status quo appear slim. The intractable Israeli-Palestinian conundrum may be one that the parties must solve among themselves.
US Shifts Strategy Again. This Time in Syria
Posted October 16th, 2015 at 1:35 pm (UTC-4)
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The Obama administration is pursuing a new tactic to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. The shift to a “Syria First” strategy came after the United States ended its plan to train so-called “moderate Syrians,” an expensive strategy that produced few results. The idea goes something like this: by shifting America’s focus from Iraq to Syria first, Washington can battle IS independently of Iran, and hopefully set the stage for a post-Assad Syria. But there’s a hitch: Russia. President Vladimir Putin, a vocal supporter of the Syrian president, has made his presence known, complicating an already very complicated scenario for the United States.
Obama Rethinks Afghanistan
Posted October 15th, 2015 at 1:32 pm (UTC-4)
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In what can only be seen as a dramatic reversal in policy, President Barack Obama has decided to delay the withdrawal of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, keeping the current force of nearly 10,000 in place past the end of his presidency, when they will shrink to 5,500. When Obama ran for the presidency in 2008, he pledged to end U.S. involvement in two costly wars: Iraq and Afghanistan. But with the Taliban’s brief but bold takeover of Kunduz province and the ongoing threat posed by the Islamic State, the president was forced to reconsider his initial plan to finally put an end to America’s longest war. While some say it’s too little too late, others are praising him for acting against his strong belief that the United States must not march into what he calls “open-ended military conflicts.”
Who Won in Vegas? Depends On Who You Ask
Posted October 14th, 2015 at 12:20 pm (UTC-4)
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If you believe the majority of the pundit class, it is apparent that Hillary Rodham Clinton won Tuesday’s night’s premier showdown among the Democratic Presidential Candidates. It was also clear why Clinton, despite being criticized for her own arguably poor decisions, her loss to Barack Obama in 2008 and a near constant barrage of conservative vitriol has been so successful. With panache’ and polish she navigated the criticism and took a star turn in Las Vegas. But pundits aren’t voters, and in the online world of non-scientific post-debate polling, Bernie Sanders is proving the big winner.
Betting the Odds in Vegas: Democratic Hopefuls Hold First Debate
Posted October 13th, 2015 at 4:02 pm (UTC-4)
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It’s the Democrat’s turn. Tonight, the five candidates running for the party’s nomination will appear together on stage in Las Vegas. There’s a lot at stake for Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, the two frontrunners who have been in a quiet sparring match for months. The former secretary of state has been the presumed Democratic nominee for months, but her status has been weakened by her own missteps and years of conservative criticis.Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders’ populist message of income equality has pushed his poll numbers up, making the Clinton camp nervous. Add to the mix Virginia Senator Jim Webb, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley and the Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee – all potentially fiery candidates. Looming over the entire campaign is one key question: Will Vice President Joe Biden toss his hat in the ring?
GOP Chaos: The New Normal?
Posted October 9th, 2015 at 1:07 pm (UTC-4)
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Turmoil in the Republican Party erupted again this week with the sudden withdrawal of Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy to replace outgoing House Speaker John Boehner, who has barely concealed his exhaustion over the dramas of governing the unruly caucus. House Republicans quickly regrouped to try to fill the gap, but it appears few are willing to step up to the plate. The optics look bad – but not to Tea Party conservatives, who may feel emboldened in their mission to shake up business as usual in Washington.
Carly’s Rise
Posted October 8th, 2015 at 4:08 pm (UTC-4)
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It’s hard to stand out in this year’s overly crowded field of Republican presidential hopefuls, especially when business mogul Donald Trump is among them. But during a televised debate last month in California, former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina did just that when she answered a question about abortion. The slight, petite and well-coiffed corporate Carly came out swinging hard, condemning the harvesting of organs from aborted fetuses. Suddenly, Trump wasn’t the only one in the room. But being on the radar screen isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. The spotlight, as Fiorina certainly knows, brings with it tough scrutiny.