John Gizzi of Human Events shares his thoughts on how the budget fight in Wisconsin will impact other-deficit-ridden states. He also looks ahead to next week’s Congressional budget debate that could lead to a government shutdown. And we ask Gizzi about how the crisis in Libya is likely to play out and why the Obama administration is so tight-lipped in reacting to events there.
Archives for February 25, 2011
Fatally Flawed Afghan Strategy
Nearly a decade into U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan, the U.S. military is performing at amazing levels but our strategy can’t succeed. That’s the conclusion of Marine combat veteran and frequent embed reporter Bing West, author of “The Wrong War: Grit, Strategy, and the Way Out of Afghanistan”. Why does West say the counterinsurgency strategy can’t succeed? How bad are Afghan security forces? Are there hopes they can come around like the Iraqi security forces? What should we be doing instead of counterinsurgency? How dominant are U.S. forces when they’re actually allowed to fight? And would Afghanistan become a terrorism haven again if U.S. forces were to begin leaving according to the Obama timetable? We discuss it all with Bing West.
76 Unknowns
So far, Republican hopefuls have been very slow to enter the 2012 presidential race. But the Capitol Steps can’t wait for all the politicking to start. To prepare for the long campaign, we roll out a Steps classic from the 2008 race – “76 Unknowns”. Our guest is Steps star Elaina Newport.
Three Martini Lunch 2/25/11
Greg Corombos and Jim Geraghty of National Review are impressed that the Wisconsin State Assembly approved the Republican budget plan in the face of boorish and menacing protesters. We also wonder why Mike Huckabee is already attacking Mitt Romney when neither man is running for anything yet. And we rip the United Nations as it has trouble determining whether Libya ought to be given the boot from the UN Human Rights Commission.