LIFSON: Obama’s Next Two Years
Matthew Lifson, Columnist
When Republicans storm Congress, we will learn whether Obama is a leader capable of growing his office or just a lucky figurehead temporarily enabled by overwhelming Democratic majorities.
BAIN: The Blame Game
Sam Bain, Columnist
When a grown man acts immature, you have what is called a man child. And when you have a President who blames the opposition party instead of tackling problems, you have Barack Obama. President Obama’s two year mark in office is coming up quicker than he seems to know. With his approval rating dropping to 41% and democrats breaking ranks with the party, the president has nowhere to look but inward when considering what went wrong.
MARIN & PETERSON: Recovering the Civil-Military Relationship
Paul Marin & Tim Peterson
To optimize the civil-military relationship is to reinforce its mutual incentive: victory. Both sides must uphold strategies of success over tactics of dominance to ensure a shared objective and recover trust.
McCAFFREY: First Their Hearts, Second in the Cities
A staple in Illinois politics, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley announced Tuesday that he would not seek re-election for his position. Daley has served twenty-one years as mayor, following in the footsteps of his father, Richard J. Daley, who also served as mayor for twenty-one years. While I have a strong contention for the type of Chicago “machine style” politics that the duo made famous, I am impressed by their ability to do what no recent Mayor of New York City has been able to do – retain popularity past a second term.
SIEFF: Austerity and the American Economy
Adam Sieff, Columnist
European nations, facing crisis, have adopted extreme austerity measures and there is a growing call in the US for sharp reductions in funding. But not all austerity is created equal. Hopefully, we won’t find out the hard way.
STROSTER: Craigslist Censorship to Stop Human Trafficking
Lianna Stroster, Columnist
Craigslist users have seen a change in the website’s homepage over the past few days. Under the “services” section, there is now a black “censored” label over the “adult services” tab. Is this new “censored” label a violation of the website’s First Amendment right, or is it not protected because the section has been aiding human trafficking through the World Wide Web?
CUEVAS: Justice on Trial
Jesse-Justin Cuevas, Independent
Trying Khaled Sheikh Mohammed in a criminal court would send a clear message of pride and certainty to the rest of the world – a distinguished belief in our system and our country’s dependence on and commitment to due process. Certainly 9/11 was an act of war rather than a “mere” felony, but that does not legitimize the subversion of one of the pillars supporting this government. Instead of subverting due process, we should sublimate it.