WASHINGTON MERRY-GO-ROUND By Douglas Cohn and Eleanor Clift WASHINGTON – President Obama summoned his top commanders to the White House on Tuesday after reports surfaced that Afghan President Karzai had been meeting secretly with the Taliban, jeopardizing the future of the U.S. mission once combat troops are withdrawn at the end of this year. Seeking to […]
Author: Douglas Cohn & Eleanor Clift
Executive Order Disorder
WASHINGTON MERRY-GO-ROUND By Douglas Cohn and Eleanor Clift WASHINGTON – The most significant takeaways from President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address are contained in one phrase: “Executive Orders.” Every president has used them. President Bill Clinton was overruled by the Supreme Court when he attempted to deny federal contracts to companies that employed […]
Red State Democrats
WASHINGTON MERRY-GO-ROUND By Douglas Cohn and Eleanor Clift WASHINGTON – One of the first things a political junkie notices when visiting a red state like Kentucky is how many Democrats hold top elective offices. President Obama took note of this phenomenon when he put the spotlight on Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear during the State of the […]
Go-No-Go Lose-Lose in Sochi
WASHINGTON MERRY-GO-ROUND By Douglas Cohn and Eleanor Clift WASHINGTON – President Obama has ordered the U.S. military into position to evacuate the U.S. delegation and American athletes from Sochi if that should become necessary. This could be seen as a slap at Russian President Putin, but given all the ominous signals relating to security in […]
Virginia Hustle
WASHINGTON MERRY-GO-ROUND By Douglas Cohn and Eleanor Clift WASHINGTON – One of the top Oscar nominees for best picture is “American Hustle,” a fictionalized version of a 1970s-era scandal that sent seven members of Congress to jail on charges of bribery and conspiracy. “Abscam” was the FBI’s code name for the operation that would have […]
They Will Fix It
WASHINGTON MERRY-GO-ROUND By Douglas Cohn and Eleanor Clift WASHINGTON – Discretion may merge with technology just in time to save Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act) and Democrats in time for the November election. But at this point Democrats are being hoisted on the Obamacare petard. First, software glitches delayed and undermined the rollout of the […]
The Circumventing Alliance
WASHINGTON MERRY-GO-ROUND By Douglas Cohn and Eleanor Clift WASHINGTON – Discretion may merge with technology to save Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act) and Democrats just in time for the November election. But at this point Democrats are being hoisted on the Obamacare petard. First, software glitches delayed and undermined the rollout of Obamacare. Then came […]
The Ghosts of Nixon
WASHINGTON MERRY-GO-ROUND By Douglas Cohn and Eleanor Clift WASHINGTON – No scandal is exactly like another, but there is similarity between what is now dubbed “Bridgegate” and its famous antecedent, the scandal that gave rise to all the “gates,” the break-in at the Watergate office complex that forced the resignation of President Nixon. It was […]
Marriage Isn’t in the Constitution
WASHINGTON MERRY-GO-ROUND By Douglas Cohn and Eleanor Clift WASHINGTON – The movement to legalize same sex marriage has gained such momentum in recent years with 17 states and the District of Columbia now granting licenses to gay couples that the Supreme Court’s recent decision to grant a stay to halt these marriages in Utah is […]
Once a Patriot
WASHINGTON MERRY-GO-ROUND By Douglas Cohn and Eleanor Clift WASHINGTON – Having loyally served presidents in both political parties, former Defense Secretary Robert Gates was the epitome of competence and professionalism, a true patriot. Self-effacing and coolly efficient, he won accolades from Democrats and Republicans alike. Everyone admired this apparently fair-minded analyst who had honed his skills […]