Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review cheer the retirement announcement of abrasive Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank. They also fear the negative repercussions of our worsening relationship with Pakistan. And they marvel at how Newt Gingrich’s presidential campaign has moved from the political ash heap to the top of national polls.
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review discuss the political items for which they are most thankful.
Earlier this week, we learned that Hezbollah had identified and captured a number of U.S. intelligence agents in Lebanon and Iran and that the American government was working feverishly to protect other agents who have not yet been discovered. So how big of a blow is this to America’s intelligence operations in the Middle East? How do agents protect themselves if one of their colleagues is arrested? What horrors will these operatives face at the hands of their captors? What lengths will be used to get them to divulge critical information? And what does this tell us about the reach and sophistication of Iran and Hezbollah? We ask Reza Khalili,a former CIA agent who infiltrated the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
As the two parties blame one another for the lack of any agreement or even much progress on deficit reduction, Iowa Rep. Steve King says this was to be expected. King says neither Democrats nor even many Republicans are ready to make the tough but necessary choices to get the debt under control. Why does he say a deal by the super committee would have accomplished next to nothing? What debt reduction plan did he support? And why does he believe the House GOP leadership should have offered a much tougher balanced budget amendment than was voted on last week? We discuss it all with Rep. King.
As the super committee failed to find agreement on how to reduce deficits over the next 10 years, automatic cuts will be triggered for defense and some domestic spending in 2013. How much would be cut for defense – even after almost half a billion dollars were already cut earlier this year? What would another $600 billion in cuts mean? Why could it threaten a return to the draft? What would it mean in numbers of troops, ships and planes? And what can be done to prevent our national security from being the greatest casualty of excessive spending and political gridlock? We ask retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Bob Maginnis, who is now a senior strategist for the U.S. Army.
For nearly 20 years, Samaritan’s Purse has annually provided millions of Christmas gifts to the poorest children in the world – and all in a shoebox. So what is the purpose of Operation Christmas Child? What should you include in your shoebox? How can you fill your shoebox online? What is it like to witness a child with no means and little hope receive such a gift? And how can you be part of this effort? We discuss it all with Randy Riddle, U.S. Director of Operation Christmas Child.
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review cheer the Republican presidential hopefuls for holding President Obama’s feet to the fire on the failures of the super committee. They also groan as the revised numbers show the economy grew by 20 percent less than expected in the third quarter. And they reflect on the Occupy protesters walking from New York City to Washington to influence the super committee – only to find out the committee already folded.
With just 48 hours remaining before the super committee deadline for reducing $1.2 trillion, a bipartisan coalition of former Congressmen are urging all Americans to get educated on our debt crisis and pressing members to find common ground. So what common ground can be found between a party that sees spending cuts as the solution and one that sees more tax revenue as the answer? What could end up being common ground for a deal? And does recent history prove or not prove that Republicans can trust Democrats to actually cut spending in exchange for tax hikes? We ask former Texas Rep. Steve Bartlett, co-chair of the Coalition for a Fiscally Sound America.
Last week, America’s official national debt passed $15 trillion. This week, it appears unlikely that the vaunted super committee will reach any agreement to reduce our nation’s debt. What details might produce an agreement? Ohio Rep. Steve Stivers explains what concessions he would make in exchange for significant spending cuts. Rep. Stivers also lays out his new legislation that would pay for many of the nation’s needed infrastructure upgrades through a significant expansion in domestic energy exploration.
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review applaud super committee Republicans for resisting the incessant Democratic demand for major tax increases. They also rip Democrats for saying Republicans are the partisans in this debate. And they question the Obama political strategy of appealing to country music and NASCAR fans after Michelle Obama was booed at a race on Sunday.
