David Frum's Blog, page 58

Why Did Blackwater Happen?

Eli Lake has a big scoop on Blackwater, the legendary private security contractor which rose to fame during the war in Iraq. Most compelling was the passage on why Blackwater rose so fast in the early 2000s.

Dianne Feinstein Won't Abide Ted Cruz

Things got a little heated during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on banning assault weapons. Senator Dianne Feinstein nearly lost it after Senator Ted Cruz seemed to lecture her on the Bill of Rights and the Constitution.

CPAC Panel: 'Why is Obama so Terrible About Benghazi?' Meanwhile: Benghazi Suspect Captured

CNN reports that a Benghazi suspect is in custody. In a dash of awkward irony, the news comes as I'm sitting at a CPAC Panel on why Benghazi is the biggest scandal of political history. I'm not kidding when I say that the final statement/question from the moderator was "What do you think Obama was doing the night of Benghazi? Have fun with this one."

Corporations: Open the Spigots!

It looks like corporations are still people who can speak in the form of cash! In the same 5-4 split seen in 2010, the Supreme Court upheld the controversial Citizens United decision. In this case, American Tradition Partnership v. Bullock, the Court overturned a Montana state law barring unlimited corporate funds in elections. By ruling that the Montana law is unconstitutional, the Court expanded Citizens United and applied the decision to the state and local level.

Greetings From CPAC

Justin and I will be at CPAC 2013 for the next few days. We'll be posting pictures and interesting tidbits. Please let us know if there is anything specific you would like us to report on. Here is the schedule of speakers.

Remember, Always Blame the Jews

What would people do without the Jews? A Labor peer busted for drunk driving knows just whom to blame:

Bill Clinton Knew to Thank the Help

How to play the game. Former chief Bill Clinton speechwriter Michael Waldman, now president of NYU's Brennan Center explains:

Here's What the Ryan Plan Does

From Jed Graham at Investor's Business Daily:

Still Saying No to Ryan 3.0

I was on Huffington Post Live last evening with James Poulos andBonnie Kavoussi to discuss the Ryan Plan 3.0. (You can watch the segment below).

Why I Love John Boehner

How can you not appreciate a guy who knows how to ward off not only the hardliners in his own caucus, but the most powerful members of the conservative media establishment? Here's a Boehner retort to Sean Hannity (via Buzzfeed's Rebecca Berg).