Columnist.
The buzz around Washington, D.C., is that we are entering a new cold war with Russia. My response: Don't worry! Be happy! There is no new cold war. To have a cold war, two sides must realize they have conflicting interests and each must want their interests to prevail and be willing to compete. As of now, Russia, under President Vladimir Putin, understands that. But he has no opposition in an America under our lame President Barack Obama. A cold war would actually be an improvement over what we have now, which is a global American retreat in the face of Russian and Iranian aggression.
[Thursday], 26 year-old Chris Harper Mercer walked onto the campus of Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, and murdered nine people. Seven more individuals were injured during his shooting rampage. Our prayers go out to the victims and their families.
A few months ago, a Republican operative made an observation that caused something of a political flap when he said, "Every day Donald Trump is emasculating Jeb Bush." I recalled that observation [Thursday] morning as I watched the latest filleting of Barack Obama, and by extension, America, by Vladimir Putin. During his presidency, Obama has regularly said to various segments of the U.S. electorate, "I have your back." If only we were led by a president who had the entire nation's back.
The decline of America's influence under Obama is accelerating. Fox News reports that "Russian diplomats sent an official demarche [a diplomatic demand] ordering U.S. planes out of Syria." That demand was issued as Russia launched its first airstrikes in Syria following a unanimous vote by Russian lawmakers to approve President Vladimir Putin's request for the use of force. Putin is going to war, and he's telling America to get out of his way. How flexible will Obama be this time?
A number of world leaders addressed the United Nation's General Assembly [Monday]. But one man stole the show and made it clear that he was willing to fill the vacuum left by America's retreat under Obama — Russian President Vladimir Putin. As one New York Post columnist put it: "Obama has turned Putin into the world's most powerful leader." Even the usually sympathetic left-wing media could see it too, evidenced by this headline, "Putin Steals Obama's Thunder On the World Stage."
Last week's Values Voter Summit was a smashing success. The event, the premier gathering of social conservatives in Washington, D.C., is always a highlight of my year. There are many serious issues confronting our nation right now. But one of the most critical is the collapse of religious freedom in the world and the increasing persecution of Christians and Jews. That was the focus of my remarks at the Values Voter Summit last week.
Speaker John Boehner stunned the D.C. political establishment [Friday] morning when he announced that he would resign from Congress at the end of October. Conservatives have grown increasingly frustrated with his leadership. So much so that Rep. Mark Meadows filed a resolution at the end of July to "vacate the chair" — the speaker's chair.
I couldn't help but notice President Obama's remarks [Wednesday] at the White House. With Pope Francis seated just a few feet behind him, Obama had the audacity to claim, "You remind us that people are only truly free when they can practice their faith freely. Here in the United States, we cherish religious liberty." This president brought the full weight and power of our massive federal government to bear on the Little Sisters of the Poor and more than a dozen Catholic dioceses, trying to force them, under penalty of crushing fines, to violate the teachings of their faith.
Pope Francis is in Washington, D.C., today. He has made headlines recently for encouraging people to have mercy toward those who have committed what the church teaches is a sin — abortion. I have visited many crisis pregnancy centers, and often it is women who have had abortions who are the most articulate and passionate defenders of life. But our increasingly secular society has created a culture in which some women, instead of seeking mercy, are proud of their abortions and want to shout it from the rooftops. Pro-abortion activists have started a social media campaign called "#ShoutYourAbortion," because they are upset about the idea that abortion is a sad or negative event.
The Senate had an opportunity [yesterday] to show the world what a humane and compassionate country we are. Unfortunately, it failed miserably when Senate liberals voted to filibuster legislation saving unborn babies from late-term abortions. This should not be a controversial issue. The Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act is so named because studies indicate that children at an advanced stage of pregnancy are capable of feeling the pain inflicted by the abortionist's instruments. Only seven nations permit abortions under most circumstances past 20 weeks. Polls show that the American people — especially women — overwhelmingly oppose late-term abortions.
Just when you think you've heard everything, here comes an unbelievable story in the New York Times. It is a part of the culture of Afghanistan, and apparently in other parts of the Islamic world, for men to rape young boys. Decent, moral U.S. soldiers who have witnessed such atrocities reacted the way you would expect them to — they tried to stop the rapes. Unbelievably, orders were issued saying this was part of the Afghan culture and to interfere would cause ill-will toward the United States. Our soldiers were ordered to turn a blind eye to sexual child abuse. Captain Dan Quinn and Sgt. First Class Charles Martland, both Green Berets, nonetheless intervened to prevent such a rape. Quinn was relieved of his command and retired early. St. Martland is now being drummed out of the U.S. military.
President Obama met with Alek Skarlatos, Spencer Stone and Anthony Sadler at the White House [Thursday]. It's about time. Skarlatos, Stone and Sadler are the American heroes who tackled a radical Islamist on a French train four weeks ago, saving scores of lives. While Obama praised their courage, his statement completely ignored the attacker's motives. Never once did the words "radical Islam" or "jihad" cross his lips. Nevertheless, it was a good a photo-op, which the White House needs given the brewing controversy with the Vatican.
[Wednesday] night's Republican presidential debate — a three-hour marathon with 11 candidates — was quite a show. Preliminary numbers suggest that 20 million people tuned in. Prior to last night, CNN's highest rated presidential primary debate featured Obama and Clinton battling it out in January 2008 with just over 8 million viewers. That tells you something. There is a lot of energy among conservatives and interest in the GOP candidates. How much is due to Donald Trump's presence on the stage?
The Washington political establishment largely views immigration as an economic issue. In their view, more workers, no matter where they come from, equal more taxpayers and greater economic growth. Many on the left and even some on the right see immigration as a humanitarian issue — whether they support open borders or feel compelled to support immigration out of a sense of compassion.
As you know, Secretary of State John Kerry was our chief appeaser — Whoops! I mean negotiator — during the Iranian nuclear talks. We and other critics of the deal believe Kerry was fleeced by his Iranian counterparts. During the talks, Kerry made a number of bizarre comments. For example, he denied that Iran really intends to destroy Israel. He recently told a reporter that Hezbollah has tens of thousands of rockets but it hasn't used them. Here is further evidence of his naivete. Shortly after the Iranian deal, Kerry spoke with Russian leaders and announced that the Russians were committed to resolving problems in Syria.
The refugee crisis bedeviling Europe has dominated headlines for the past week. European nations are struggling to manage the flood of humanity and they have responded in varying ways. Last week, President Obama committed America to taking in 10,000 more refugees from Syria, but there are hints the figure could be closer to 100,000.
It is hard to believe that 14 years have passed since the 9/11 attacks. Today is a good day to talk to your children and grandchildren who, in many cases, were not alive or were too young to understand what happened or why. Unfortunately, all too often, they are getting a warped analysis of that day. Some colleges are actually teaching about 9/11 from the perspective of the hijackers. While I applauded George W. Bush's leadership in the days that followed, I do think that the Bush Administration made a fundamental mistake that has only grown under the politically correct policies of recent years.
As Americans rallied on Capitol Hill demanding more resistance to the Iran nuclear deal, Speaker John Boehner changed course late [Wednesday]. There is a growing consensus that President Obama failed to meet his legal obligations under the Iran Nuclear Review Act, so the speaker scrapped plans for just one vote.
President Obama's nuclear deal with Iran got the Tea Party treatment [Wednesday]. Americans concerned about our security and Israel's turned out on Capitol Hill [yesterday] afternoon for a huge rally warning against this terrible deal. It featured Glenn Beck, Ted Cruz, Mark Levin, Sarah Palin, Phil Robertson, Donald Trump and many others. I also spoke at the rally and did a live interview with the Fox Business Network as the event was getting underway. You should know that many members of Congress are just as frustrated as you are by this deal and how it is being handled. They are pursuing a variety of options to stop it.
A county clerk in Kentucky spent the holiday weekend in jail for refusing to follow the law. (More on that below.) But President Obama is also refusing to follow a law that he signed. When the New York Times last year leaked the news that the Obama White House would not submit his nuclear deal with Iran to the Senate for ratification as a treaty, members of Congress were outraged. In a rare moment of bi-partisan agreement, Democrats and Republicans came together to demand that Congress have some say on the most important foreign policy decision of this administration.
