Free Republic

"Who can beat Donald Trump?" is the question on the mind of every Democrat primary voter, and of course, every Democrat donor as well. Each candidate seeks to present himself (or xirself!) as the most electable in 2020's increasingly crowded field. But can anyone really determine electability -- reliably -- in advance? Is it really wise to follow your brain and vote for the candidate who only might be the most electable? Kyle Kondik says determining electability is "like nailing Jell-O to a wall" in today's column for Sabato's Crystal Ball. He reminds us:

The military's elite special operations community convened its annual meeting last week in Washington to discuss countering the terrorist threats facing America and its allies. Beginning with the working assumption that the United States faces a protracted, generations-long insurgency by loosely affiliated extremist Islamic groups led by al Qaeda, this community assessed how to proceed. Time and again the message was: Be prepared for lethal acts of terrorism, always keeping in mind that the war has three fronts -- on the ground, in cyberspace and in ideology. (snip) A comprehensive, focused and determined counteraction is essential to defeat this diffuse...

Imperial Grunts: The American Military on the Ground by Robert D. Kaplan Random House. 421 pp. $27.95 Reviewed by Gabriel Schoenfeld Is America an empire, and, if so, is that a good or a bad thing, either for the U.S. or for the world? This question has been kicked around in recent years by polemicists from Noam Chomsky on the far fringe Left to Patrick Buchanan on the rabid Right and, more reflectively, by numerous scholars and intellectuals nearer the center. As the title of his new book suggests, Robert D. Kaplan is among those who believe America is indeed...

When I was younger, I dreamed of someday being a radio talk show host. I distinctly recall the evening in 1993 when, at the age of 8, I turned on the Kirby Wilbur show on Seattle’s “Hot Talk” 570 KVI. Talk radio thereafter became a sort of second classroom for me, a weighty counterbalance to the moral neutrality and civic illiteracy of my public school. I count among my teachers Mr. Wilbur, Rush Limbaugh, Michael Medved, John Carlson, Michael Reagan, Floyd Brown, and others who came over the airwaves at various times during those formative years. Rush calls his program...