Free Republic

September 18, 2009 A Masterstroke of Weakness In international diplomacy, there’s a cringing desperation to Obama. By Rich Lowry If diplomatic pusillanimity was the aim, Pres. Barack Obama’s decision to abandon our current missile-defense plans in Eastern Europe must be regarded as a masterstroke. With just one announcement, the Obama administration undercut two loyal allies, rewarded Russian bullying, and diminished our ability to counter an emerging Iranian threat. If there were awards for self-defeating weakness, this move would deserve a Neville for Appeasement in a Perpetually Threatened Region. In an April speech in Prague, Obama hailed the “courageous” Poles and...

Though I'm no big fan of John McCain, his choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate is a stroke of genius. Brilliant. I'm not into affirmative action picks, but Palin is smart, articulate, and competent in her own right, regardless of whether she has a uterus. And in this case, McCain picking a woman--a bright conservative who happens to be female--was necessary. It was necessary because Barack Obama made a big mistake in picking Joe Biden. He angered female Hillary supporters. Now, they will have a tough time voting for the Obama-Biden ticket, which dissed them, and...

President Bush's agenda for the next four years, much of which he will highlight in his State of the Union address tonight, includes many proposals that would not only change public policy but, the GOP hopes, achieve an ambitious political goal: Stripping money and voters from the Democratic Party and cementing Republican dominance for years after he leaves office.... On issue after issue, the White House is staking out positions that achieve a policy goal while expanding the GOP's appeal to new voters or undermining the Democrats' ability to compete. Interviews with Bush advisors, a recent memo drafted by a...