As the casualties in Afghanistan increase and popular support for the war wanes, what should be our goals in this nine-year-old war? Retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Paul Vallely says the goal should be victory – the only goal anyone should ever have in war. So what are the current goals and why won’t the counterinsurgency strategy work? What would work? And how big of an issue should the war be in the midterm elections? We discuss it all with Gen. Vallely.
Gizzi’s Final Midterm Predictions
Voters to the polls on Tuesday to decide races for the House, Senate and most governorships. After weeks of individual predictions, John Gizzi of Human Events explains just how many seats he expects Republicans to gain in the House and Senate and offers his picks on the key Senate races in Nevada, California and West Virginia plus the governor’s contests in Ohio and Texas.
Americans Duped in 2008
Republicans are expected to make sizable gains in Tuesday’s midterm elections. Grove City College Professor Paul Kengor says it’s because millions of voters were duped in 2008 and are ready to make a correction. But why does Dr. Kengor believe voters were fooled two years ago rather than concluding they just chose a different course? How did Obama portray himself as a moderate when his agenda is considered for more liberal? And why hasn’t Obama returned to the rhetoric of the political center in this midterm campaign? We ask Dr Kengor, author of “Dupes: How America’s Adversaries Have Manipulated Progressives for A Century”.
Attacking Terrorism in Washington
On Wednesday, the FBI arrested 34-year-old Farooque Ahmed on charges that he was plotting to bomb a number of different stops along Washington’s metro rail system. The arrest was made after the government was able to infiltrate his plans and gain Ahmed’s confidence. So how do authorities spot potential terrorists and gain their trust? How difficult is to know when to make the arrest? And just how big of a problem is the threat of terrorists rising from within the U.S.? We ask retired FBI Special Agent Bob Hamer, a veteran of the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
More Voting Fraud Fears
On Tuesday, we reported on the voting machines in Nevada that already checked the name of Harry Reid before voters even entered the booths. Now we learn that voting machines in that county and elsewhere are maintained by members of the SEIU, a labor organization closely tied to Democrats. In addition, Pennsylvania Rep. Patrick Murphy is under fire for deceptively trying to sign up new absentee voters. So is this just smoke or is there some fire to all of this? Will there be legal action? And are there any glitches that are randomly favoring Republicans? We ask Mark Hemingway of the Washington Examiner.
People Are Ready For A Change
Democratic Virginia Rep. Jim Moran has represented his state’s eighth Congressional district for 20 years, and he has never been seriously challenged – until this year. Moran holds just a slight lead over Republican challenger Patrick Murray. How is a Republican running so strong in a very Democratic district? Why is Moran taking a beating over saying Murray has no public service in his background? How would Murray tackle the huge deficits facing this country? We discuss all these questions with GOP Congressional candidate Patrick Murray.
Fraud or Incompetence?
Reports from Nevada indicate several voters in Clark County went to early voting sites intending to vote for Sharron Angle but were surprised to see the electronic voting machines already had Harry Reid’s name checked. In North Carolina, a voter trying to vote for a straight Republican ticket watched the machine log his votes as a straight Democratic ticket. Even a poll worker had to try several times to record the man’s vote. So is this a sign of election chicanery already rearing its head? Or are we saddled with cheap, unreliable voting machines in many areas? We ask John Fund, Wall Street Journal columnist and author of “Stealing Elections”.
States and Taxes
Which states are the most inviting and hospitable to businesses and which states have the most oppressive tax burdens? Are states generally raising or lowering taxes in this recession? And why is it much better for states to have consistently low tax rates than to sporadically offer specific tax credits and incentives to businesses? We ask Dr. Kail Padgitt, author of The Tax Foundation’s annual State Business Tax Climate Index.
Can Bielat Beat Barney?
For the first time in 28 years, Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank is facing a competitive Republican challenger. So why is Sean Bielat taking on this uphill climb? How has he made the race competitive? How is Frank’s handling of the Wall Street mess and the mortgage crisis impacting this race? How much of an issue is Frank’s abrasive personality? We discuss it all with Republican Congressional candidate Sean Bielat.
Time to Make Iran Pay
New reports detail how Afghanistan is getting bags of cash worth millions of dollars from the Iranian government. President Karzai says there is no need for alarm, but what is Iran trying to achieve and how much is it undermining U.S. efforts in Afghanistan? Given Iran’s boldness, what strategy would actually be effective at keeping it in check? We ask former Deputy Undersecretary of Defense Jed Babbin. We also get Babbin’s opinion on the latest Wikileaks massive release of Iraq war documents.