Ever since I stopped being a Republican--back in May, 2016, when it became clear that Donald Trump would be the Republican nominee--whenever anyone asked me about my politics, I told them that I am a "right-of-center libertarian pragmatist." I continue to hold to that description, and to right-of-center libertarian/classical liberal principles. But the older I …
Donald Trump v. The Court System
All-around nice guy Steve Friess interviewed me and a number of lawyers more famous than me for Newsweek regarding Donald Trump's and the Trump administration's battles with judges and with the court system. Some excerpts: "The Supreme Court decisions regarding Trump's taxes this past term was a surprise," says Chicago attorney Pejman Yousefzadeh, another co-signer …
Stinking to High Heaven
Michael Flynn is an admitted felon. He pled guilty, and reiterated his guilty plea under oath--twice. He has served no time, he has paid no penalty and he has shown no remorse for his crimes against the nation--crimes that threatened to undermine American national security at the very highest levels. So of course he gets …
Law and Politics in a Post-Ginsburg World
I've criticized Donald Trump savagely and accurately, ever since he descended down his gold-plated escalator on June 16, 2015, announced his candidacy for president of the United States, and caused American politics and the state of our democracy to descend with him to subterranean levels. And I've criticized the Republican party savagely and accurately, ever …
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Eric Posner and a Study of American Demagoguery
I am very pleased to have the unexpected and very welcome opportunity to work and write alongside some excellent folks at The Bulwark, which is doing the Lord's work in helping to create a decent and vibrant center-right movement--one that stands in opposition to the racist and white nationalist movement currently infesting the Republican party …
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In Memoriam: Lt. Gen. Brent Scowcroft (Ret.)
The administration of George Herbert Walker Bush featured, without a shadow of a doubt, the best foreign policy team of my lifetime, designing and implementing the best foreign policy initiatives and programs in my lifetime, and doing the very best job of any administration in my lifetime in terms of responding to historic changes and …
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History Has Its Eyes on You
In the event that there still are a few of you out there who believe that Donald Trump can and will be easily beaten in 2020, let me disabuse you of such silliness right now. Historically, incumbent presidents are very, very, very hard to beat when they seek re-election. The power of the presidency and …
On the Mueller Hearings
There was no way that Robert Mueller was going to move the needle today on the issue of impeachment. If you went into the Mueller hearings--before the House Judiciary Committee and the House Intelligence Committee immediately thereafter--favoring the impeachment and conviction of the worst president we have ever had and the worst person to ever …
Regarding the Fix . . .
The more one looks at the Barr letter concerning the Mueller report, the more one is convinced that there is something exceedingly fishy going on. Let us count the reasons why: For one thing, the Barr letter is filled with what William Saletan properly calls “weasel words.” Read the whole thing, as they say, but …
And Now, a Hopefully-Not Ridiculously Quick Take on the Barr Letter about the Mueller Report
William Barr has released his summary of the Mueller report to Congress. The two big takeaways from the letter are as follows: Concerning the question on whether “the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with Russia in its efforts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election,” the Barr letter states (quoting …
