It seems like the world has run out of gas lately - doesn’t it? The supply, in the form of coal, nuclear, oil, and gas, all seems just not to be enough to satisfy our demands for energy. Although prices are fluxuating, the price of oil having dropped significantly lately, the reality is the long term crunch for oil will continue. While Congress and the candidates for President bicker about the drilling, not drilling, etc., the reality is that no one is talking about a comprehensive... Read Full Story

President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki agreed Friday to include a “general time horizon” for U.S. troop withdrawals as part of a pending bilateral security agreement (SOFA - Status of Forces Agreement), the White House said. “Improving conditions should allow for the agreements now under negotiation to include a general time horizon for meeting aspirational goals - such as the resumption of Iraqi security control in their cities and provinces and the further reduction of U... Read Full Story

So in response to the New Yorker piece - and the inevitable denials, outrage, and indignation - I would just sum it up and say - I’m shocked! Shocked I say - to find gambling going on in the CASINO! Sen. Obama’s outrage over the current New Yorker magazine cover is amusing to me.  The New Yorker is not a paragon of conservatism. As a matter of fact - I wish the National Review was more tongue and cheek at times - doing a cover like the New Yorker cover. However, it is amazing to me that... Read Full Story

On Friday, the first unavoidable evidence that the credit crunch continues burst forth to center stage. The Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) and the Federal Depositors Insurance Corporation (FDIC) were forced to take control of IndyMac Bancorp, Inc. IndyMac’s failure marks one of the largest bank failures in history, and is the largest bank failure since Continental Illinois National Bank and Trust Company failed in 1984. Moreover, the quasi-governmental lending/underwriting institutions... Read Full Story

I am sure that my readers have all been watching this week Iran’s missile tests. Iran launched a series of missiles to demonstrate its capability to deliver warheads at medium-range distances (2000 km). While there is some dispute as to how many missiles it has launched over the last three days - the message from Iran is clear, it is developing the capability to deliver warheads throughout the middle east. The long-term threat is also obvious - at some time in the future, it is Iran’s... Read Full Story

America is facing a serious long-term energy crisis. The price at the “pump” that people are so traumatized by is really the short-term symptom of a longer term problem. As the largest of the two “third world” nations industrialize, India and China, billions of people are rapidly increasing in their wealth, standard of living, and their energy demands. As a result, the long-term demand for energy is increasing, and despite small changes here and there in the price of oil, gas, and coal... Read Full Story

We all remember Secretary of State Colin Powell’s address to the United Nations. To critics of the Bush Administration, this speech is nothing but lies. There were no weapons of mass destruction they said, nor the precusors of such programs. Saddam was defenseless. Let me briefly revisit one part of Secretary Powell’s speech: Thanks to intelligence they were provided, the inspectors recently found dramatic confirmation of these reports. When they searched the home of an Iraqi nuclear... Read Full Story

Now I know recession is close at hand. When the purveyors of sex, drugs, and cheap thrills hit the skids - you know the rest of the economy can’t be too far behind. America’s most outrageous city, Las Vegas, is facing a growing multitude of problems, and they all boil down to a single, unavoidable point: what happens in Vegas isn’t enough to pay for Vegas. With Americans cutting back on luxuries, and the price of gasoline and airline tickets rocketing, the so-called “Vegas vacation” is... Read Full Story

The Fourth of July is without question the most important nonsecular holiday in the United States. It is the day we celebrate what is the most successful and important experiment in self-governance in the history of Mankind. No country has been as successful, as powerful, and as advanced as the United States. For most of us, Fourth of July is about BBQ, ribs, family, friends, and having a good time watching parades, waving the flag, and of course, fireworks. This weekend, I’ll be taking... Read Full Story

Starbucks, the nation’s left-wing-nutjob-8-dollars-a-cup-of-joe shop, has finally figured out the economy is slowing down. I suppose when gas costs more than four bucks a gallon - getting that mocha frappachino for six bucks doesn’t seem like such a good idea. Starbucks Corp. announced today it will close 600 company-operated stores in the next year. The move marks a rather dramatic downsizing of the company’s stores - closing close to a fifth of all stores it opened since 2006. Some are... Read Full Story