Free Republic

The leaflets fell from the sky over Aleppo, offering dire warnings. “If you don’t leave these areas quickly,” they admonished civilians, “you will be annihilated. Save yourselves.… Everyone has left you alone to face your doom.…” As Syrian government forces continue to steamroll through eastern Aleppo, the rebel opposition’s last stronghold in this war-ravaged city, the leaflets aren’t just a warning for residents; they’re also an indication that President Bashar al-Assad is poised for victory. It was only a year ago that the rebels seemed on the verge of taking Aleppo, once Syria’s bustling commercial capital. But due to a...

What if the real problem is defeatism? The Republican establishment has been spooked for some time by a media that puts every objection to Obama's agenda in the worst possible light, as well as by the narrative of irreversible demographic and cultural change. Despite favorable off-year contests, Obama's re-election in the face of expectations to the contrary has taken its toll. Undoubtedly, serious differences of interest and conviction play a role in Republican divisions, and politicians will always tend to run from risky battles. But the abject surrender of congressional Republican leaders goes well beyond ordinary political caution to defeatism...