Archives for December 2010

Nebraska Sen. Mike Johanns reacts strongly to the Federal Communications Commission imposing new regulations on internet service providers.  The approach is called net neutrality.  Are these new regulations a good idea?  What could some new regulations now lead to down the road?  Why is Sen. Johanns confident the new rules will be struck down by the courts or Congress – or both?  And how does he react to the leading argument for government intervention in the online world?  We ask Sen. Johanns, a member of the Senate Commerce Committee.

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Greg Corombos and National Review’s Jim Geraghty are cautiously optimistic about how the new census numbers will impact the makeup of Congress and the Electoral College.  They also lament the likely passage of START and poke fun at the latest confidence-inspiring statement from Janet Napolitano.

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The world breathed a sigh of relief on Monday when North Korea announced it would not retaliate in response to military exercises by the South Koreans over the weekend.  Why did Pyongyang back down?  Where does that leave the Korean peninsula now?  What should the Obama administration be pursuing with respect to its Korea policy?  And can the United Nations be counted upon to have any leverage against North Korea?  We ask former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton.

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Senate Democrats are working feverishly to ratify the START agreement on nuclear weapons hammered out between the Obama administration and Russia.  Republicans are trying to change the deal in order to strengthen America’s missile defense posture and modernize our nuclear arsenal.  So far, those efforts have been rejected.  Are these badly needed changes or are Republicans just trying to kill this treaty by any means possible?  Why do conservatives see this treaty as badly flawed?  What kind of final vote can we expect?  And how solid or weak is the Obama argument that this treaty is vital to verifying what Russia is and is not doing on the nuclear front?  We ask former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton.

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Greg Corombos and National Review’s Jim Geraghty breathe a sigh of relief that North Korea did not strike South Korea today.  Greg vents his frustration over the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, while Jim finds a couple of silver linings.  And they express their dread at the Christmas travel season after a computer monitor in a checked bag shuts down an entire terminal in Newark.

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Greg Corombos and National Review’s Dan Foster celebrate the victory of the American people over big government Democrats AND Republicans as the omnibus bill collapses.  But they also dread the terrible votes the Senate may soon make on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and the DREAM Act.  And they have some fun with John Kerry’s mocking of those who want bills to be read by lawmakers before they vote on them.

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Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk says Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats are trying to change U.S. policy on Guantanamo Bay detainees by sneaking a provision into the current Defense Authorization Bill.  The provision would give President Obama the authority to transfer detainees to the U.S. to get them ready for prosecution or if moving them enhances our national security.  So why is Kirk outraged?  Why does he say this process lacks transparency and integrity on the part of the Democratic leadership?  Why does he believe the transfer of detainees to the mainland would be bad for the nation and for Illinois?  What is Kirk prepared to do to slow down this plan?  And can he find enough support to block the provision if it is not removed?  We discuss it all with Senator Kirk.

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On Thursday night, the House of Representatives passed the bipartisan tax compromise and sent it to President Obama’s desk to be signed into law.  Several prominent conservatives balked at the plan to keep tax rates in place because they worry about additional deficits.  So how do Republican supporters of the plan answer those concerns?  How is this huge bill very different from the stimulus plan that passed early last year?  How will a two-year tax rate extension impact the decisions of small businesses?  What will a Republican majority do next year to make this deal work even better?  We ask California Rep. Dan Lungren, who calls the entire lame duck session “an insult to the American people” and also discusses the ‘huge’ significance of Republicans scuttling a $1.1 trillion spending bill put forth by Democrats.

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Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe says supporters of ending the ban on gays in the military may or may not have the votes to pass the bill, but he the impact of passing it would be extremely negative.  Why would a repeal complicate and hamper training and combat missions?  How much could it dent the military’s recruiting and retention numbers?  And why didn’t the strong opposition of the U.S. Marines and others at least trigger a pause in the Democratic march to repeal this policy during wartime?  We discuss it all with Sen. Inhofe, a military veteran and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

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On Monday, a federal judge ruled the individual mandate in the new health care laws is unconstitutional.  It’s a victory for the Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and the Virginia law forbidding the federal government from ordering residents to purchase health insurance.  So why did Cuccinelli have a stronger case than other groups and states challenging the mandate?  How does he respond to Obama administration officials who say the mandate is necessary to provide health care access to everyone while keeping costs down?  What does he say to their claim that everyone will need health care at some point so forcing us to buy insurance now is legitimate?  What power will the government have if Virginia does not win this case?  And what does Cuccinelli make of the voter backlash against the health plan?  We discuss it all with Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli.

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