Reasons not to dally in Iraq

by Michael E. O’Hanlon, Brookings

President Obama’s strategy towards Iraq over the last year has been more right than wrong.

The panic that dare not speak its name: Hillary looks like a loser to Dems

by Thomas Lifson,  American Thinker

No Democrats are willing to go on the record with their doubts about Hillary Clinton’s electability – not even the gaggle of hopeless, sad-sack nominal opponents for the nomination: Lincoln “metric system” Chafee, Bernie “socialism now!” Sanders, and Martin “the guy who taxed rain” O’Malley.  But a shocking potential rival is waiting in the wings.

Special Report: Prayers inflame tensions over Jerusalem holy site

by Luke Baker, Reuters

Every morning at 7.30, Murad Hamad sets up a flimsy plastic chair in the shade of the Moroccans’ Gate entrance to Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem and waits for the tourists to arrive.

America not ready for a bioterror attack: Experts

by Robert King,  Washington Examiner

A mistaken shipment of live anthrax may be the tip of the iceberg, as a panel of experts found the U.S. is not prepared for a large-scale chemical attack.

Why Hillary Clinton is upside down

by Jonathon Allen,  Vox

Last Thursday, senior officials on Hillary Clinton’s campaign insisted she hadn’t been distracted or damaged by reports about the Clinton Foundation’s operations or revelations that she kept her State Department email on a private server and then destroyed some of the records.

Vince Vaughn on guns: ‘Banning guns is like banning forks in an attempt to stop making people fat’

by Rick Moran,  American Thinker

Some very strong, very welcome statements on Second Amendment rights from actor Vince Vaughn. 

Why U.S. billionaires may not be able to buy the 2016 election

by Emily Flitter,  Reuters

Florida Senator Marco Rubio has one; Texas Senator Ted Cruz has one; even former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, considered a longshot for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, has a billionaire in his corner. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has two.

A reminder that your Instagram photos aren’t really yours: Someone else can sell them for $90,000

by Jessica Contrera,  The Washington Post

The Internet is the place where nothing goes to die.

Why is the GOP Willing to Let President Obama Amend the Constitution?

by E. David Ferriman,  OpEdNews

Late last Friday, the Senate voted to give President Obama Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), passing the bill 62 to 37. The majority of Republicans voted in favor, the bulk of the “Nays” came from the president’s own party.

Inside the war on coal

by Michael Grunwald, Politico

The war on coal is not just political rhetoric, or a paranoid fantasy concocted by rapacious polluters. It’s real and it’s relentless.