The killing of Major General Qassem Soleimani, produced an avalanche of media coverage–reporting, opinion and mixtures of the two. Yet how deep an impression it… Read More »Blog No. 245. Killing Soleimani: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
It is a measure of the times in which we live that we are expected by some to feel not only relief but gratitude or… Read More »Blog No. 225. Trump and Iran: The Mercy of the Mad King
The defining impression of President Trump’s recent foreign tour was probably formed by his few days in Europe which clearly reflected mutual discomfort between Trump… Read More »Blog No. 144. Donald of Arabia
On April 17, President Obama called for “creative negotiations” that would allow the Iranian negotiators “to make a presentation to their body politic that is more acceptable.” He might have added that negotiations will have to be at least as creative to find a formula that will also acceptable to the American body politic. Critics of the previously announced framework might be forgiven for describing the process as “creative cosmetology in porcine beautification” aka putting lipstick on a pig. We would not be quite so harsh, but remain skeptical that the agreement with Iran, whatever its final terms might be, will prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. At the same time, we are also skeptical that rejecting the agreement, or attempting to significantly renegotiate its basic terms, would be any more effective in seeking that end.
Read More »Blog No. 66 The Iran Framework: Squaring the Circle or Creative Cosmetology?
It sometimes appears that the capacity of Congressional Republicans for self-embarrassment is inexhaustible. Most often it is the Republicans in the House who are the mischief-makers while their colleagues in the Senate, with some notable exceptions (see, Cruz, T.), offer a measure of maturity. In the case of the letter to Iran, however, it was the Senate Republicans who provided the “What were they thinking of?” moment.Read More »Blog No. 62 The GOP Letter to Iran and the Road Ahead
Last week was a busy one in Wobegon by the Potomac, so we thought we would settle for brief comments on the potpourri of happenings.Read More »Special Bulletin Short Takes: DHS Funding, Netanyahu, Ferguson, and King v. Burwell
As soon as it was signed, the Agreement with Iran became a subject of vigorous debate. As is often the case, RINOcracy.com questions some of the claims on both sides of the debate. In our view, it is neither a historic breakthrough nor a historic mistake. Whether it is one or the other, or more likely neither, will not be known for at least six months or perhaps much longer.
Iran’s Nuclear Capability: BBC News, Nov 24, 2013
Read More »Blog No 21. The Agreement with Iran: Historic Breakthrough or Historic Mistake?