Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
In debates, some issues more equal than others
President Obama says on the campaign trail that global warming "isn't a hoax," and it was one of his big three legislative priorities coming into office in 2009 along with passing a stimulus and his health care law — and the only one of those three he didn't get done. Published October 22, 2012
Poll: Obama has edge; enthusiasm favors Romney before final debate
Mitt Romney's first debate bounce has evaporated and President Obama once again has taken a slim lead in The Washington Times/Zogby Poll released Sunday night — though the survey showed Mr. Romney's backers are far more energized about him than the president's backers are about their candidate. Published October 21, 2012
Romney: Obama has ‘incredible shrinking campaign’
Mitt Romney charged Friday that Democrats have resorted to "silly word games" to try to win the election after President Obama on Friday accused him of "Romnesia" in changing his earlier stances. Published October 19, 2012
Celebrities share stage with White House hopefuls
Pleading for voters to give President Obama another chance in office, rock star Bruce Springsteen hit the campaign trail in Ohio and Iowa on Thursday, hoping his star power could persuade undecided voters to give the Democratic incumbent a second chance. Published October 18, 2012
Welfare spending jumps 32% during Obama’s presidency
Federal welfare spending has grown by 32 percent over the past four years, fattened by President Obama's stimulus spending and swelled by a growing number of Americans whose recession-depleted incomes now qualify them for public assistance, according to numbers released Thursday. Published October 18, 2012
Not backing down, Romney clarifies debate remarks on illegals
Mitt Romney on Tuesday appeared to open a new avenue for illegal immigrants to get legal status, but his campaign quickly shut the door Wednesday, saying he still only supports a very narrow pathway that would require joining the U.S. military. Published October 17, 2012
Day after debate, Obama, Romney keep on punching
Fresh off his more animated debate performance, President Obama joked Wednesday that he is still trying to get the hang of the face-to-face showdowns with Mitt Romney, even as the Republican nominee said Mr. Obama appears to be "running on fumes" in the run-up to Nov. 6. Published October 17, 2012
Romney opens door on immigration
Amid the attacks and countercharges in Tuesday's debate, Mitt Romney appeared to make some news in saying he will seek to create ways to grant a path to citizenship to younger illegal immigrants brought here as children. Published October 16, 2012
Obama, Romney clash on jobs, energy and Libya at second debate
A combative President Obama, seeking to redeem himself from an earlier poor debate performance, went toe-to-toe with Mitt Romney Tuesday night at their second debate and accused the Republican nominee of fabricating attacks and distorting both of their records on everything from energy policy to terrorism. Published October 16, 2012
Coburn calls out Senate cohorts as biggest waste in government
The Senate's top waste-watcher says the federal government is bloated with extra spending — including in the halls of Congress itself, where he says senators and staffers are collecting salaries while failing to do very much work. Published October 15, 2012
Arlen Specter, former Pa. senator, dies at 82
Former longtime Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter, who as a Republican pushed two conservative justices onto the Supreme Court and then later switched to the Democratic Party and became a deciding vote for the health care law, died Sunday. Published October 14, 2012
Final 2012 federal deficit tops $1 trillion — again
The federal government officially closed out the fiscal year with a $1.089 trillion deficit — the fourth straight trillion-dollar year in the red — according to the Treasury Department's final count, released Friday afternoon. Published October 12, 2012
Romney says Biden ‘doubling down on denial’ on Libya
Mitt Romney said Friday that Vice President Joseph R. Biden raised more questions than he answered in this week's debate when he denied he had been told about security warnings in Libya ahead of the terrorist assault that killed four Americans, including the ambassador. Published October 12, 2012
Biden muffs Obama’s tax plans during debate
Vice President Joseph R. Biden on Thursday seemed to open the door to adjusting President Obama's tax increases to only apply to those making $1 million or more a year — a much higher threshold than the $250,000 level they had pushed previously. Published October 12, 2012
Romney dogs Obama with response to Libya attack
Mitt Romney on Thursday elevated the Benghazi terrorist attack to the forefront of the presidential campaign, saying President Obama and his campaign are politicizing the issue rather than explaining why the administration botched the initial response. Published October 11, 2012
Democrats claim lead in battleground voter registration
Led by a surge in Hispanic voters, President Obama's campaign said Thursday that Democrats are leading the party registration fight in nearly every battleground state this fall as campaign officials try to combat disillusionment among Democrats after last week's presidential debate. Published October 11, 2012
Miss. governor joins suit on deportations, says Obama’s policy costs his state millions
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant wants a judge to halt President Obama’s new nondeportation policy, arguing that failing to send illegal immigrants back home is costing his state tens of millions of dollars a year. Published October 10, 2012
GOP governors ace fiscal exam; report praises executives elected in tea party wave
Republican governors elected in 2010's tea party wave have generally made good on pledges to cut taxes and limit spending, according to the latest fiscal report card released Tuesday by the Cato Institute think tank, which graded the states' executives on their boldness is reining in government expansion. Published October 9, 2012
Obama loses lead on key voter issues: Economy, national security
Voters now give Mitt Romney the nod when it comes to handling national security, and he has recaptured a lead over President Obama when voters are asked who will do a better job on the economy — findings that spell bad news for the incumbent. Published October 8, 2012
Round of polls shows tight race after Obama-Romney debate
Powered by his widely-acclaimed debate performance last week, Mitt Romney has closed a 9 percentage-point gap and is once again tied with President Obama in the latest The Washington Times/Zogby Poll conducted by Zogby Analytics, released Monday. Published October 8, 2012
