Bernie Sanders started his campaign stumping for his ideals without savaging the likely Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton. That was an attractive combination. Now that he’s done a lot better than anticipated (though way down in delegates), his people are wondering whether he has made a mistake by not lunging for Clinton’s throat. The answer is […]
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Sometimes necessary, war is never good
It was 15 minutes after midnight when the bombs began to fall. The people on the ground never had a chance. Before it was over, 334 Superfortress B-29s had dropped 2,000 tons of incendiaries on the wooden frame houses below. Fanned by high winds, the resultant conflagration became what some historians have dubbed the worst […]
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Must be a better way to nomination
Occasionally I am asked if I ever considered running for political office. My response: “I did once, but I took two aspirin, lay down for a while and the feeling went away.” Besides not wanting to accept a pay cut, why would I want to put myself through the agony of exposing the smallest misdeed […]
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Low productivity a cause for concern
WASHINGTON — A paradox of our time concerns productivity. We are awash in transformative technologies — smartphones, tablets, big data — and yet the growth in labor productivity, which should benefit from all the technology, is dismal. This matters. Productivity is economic lingo for efficiency, and it’s the wellspring of higher living standards. If productivity […]
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Can no longer hide Trump failings
Donald Trump never ceases to amaze, but his answer at a CNN town hall about the pledge he had taken to support the Republican Party’s nominee was still jaw-dropping. Not only did Trump say that the pledge is null and void as far as he’s concerned, he also went further and told CNN’s Anderson Cooper […]
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Hypocrisy rears ugly head among Democrats
Neither political party can lay claim to purity when it comes to hypocrisy, but Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, as well as others in her party, has taken hypocrisy to new depths. While campaigning in Wisconsin before this week’s presidential primary, Clinton said that as president she would have a litmus test for any Supreme […]
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Just what is a conservative these days?
About 20 years ago, when the syndicate that represents this column was preparing to pitch it to newspaper editors, I was called in for a meeting with the sales staff and somebody asked me this question: “Are you liberal or are you conservative?” I said, “Yes.” I wasn’t trying to be a wiseguy. OK, maybe […]
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Major differences in foreign policies for top 4 candidates
WASHINGTON — After dozens of contests featuring cliffhangers, buzzer- beaters and a ton of flagrant fouls, we’re down to the Final Four: Sanders, Clinton, Cruz and Trump. (If Kasich pulls a miracle, he’ll get his own column.) The world wants to know: What are their foreign policies? Herewith, four candidates and four schools: pacifist, internationalist, […]
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Search for terrorists misdirected
NEW YORK — The attacks in Brussels, on the heels of those in Paris and San Bernardino, have stoked an already white-hot debate about Islamic terrorism in America. Many in the West, including the two Republican front-runners, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, urge a campaign that targets Muslim communities more directly, searching for those who […]
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Can’t incarcerate our way out of drug problem
Maine is at a crossroad. Jails across the state are overcrowded, and the cost to taxpayers to maintain them is skyrocketing. Often, though, people who sit in cells are not violent or hardened criminals. They are struggling with mental health issues or are one of the increasing number of Mainers struggling with addiction. Dealing with […]