THE WASHINGTON TIMES

EDITORIAL: Bill Clinton’s Johnson Controls gaffe

Watching Bill Clinton play politics is like watching Brooks Robinson play third base. A master at work is a delight to see. Bubba is trying to help Hillary now, and it's obvious that he would suit up in a New York minute if he could. Politics is his game. Helping his beloved try her hand at it only tries his patience. Published March 15, 2016

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: No room under GOP ‘tent’

The GOP loves to boast about how much room it has under its 'big tent,' but from the outside, where the individual voter stands looking in, all that's visible is a herd of big RINO behinds — and not a whole lot of room for John Q. Republican. Published March 15, 2016

EDITORIAL: Debbie Wasserman Schultz accused of conservatism

Revolutions are notorious for eating their own, punishing any true believer who isn't a true believer 100 percent of the time. Ronald Reagan once said he considered anyone who agreed with him 80 percent of the time a true friend, but the Gipper was a kind and reasonable man, and 80 percent is not always enough for a true believer. Published March 15, 2016

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Climate change lobby should answer for claims

President Obama, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Hillary Rodham Clinton say that climate change is more dangerous to future generations than terrorism. They are advocating spending trillions of dollars to pretend they can control temperatures within one degree 100 years out, and that they can control sea levels. They advocate destroying industries that have greatly improved our quality and length of life. I believe the American people are entitled to some actual scientific facts instead of talking points. Published March 14, 2016

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Hillary Clinton still dodging email questions

During a recent Fox News interview Hillary Clinton responded to a question concerning the classified emails for which she is currently under federal investigation by saying that the Department of State reviews material to decide whether it should be marked as classified. That may be true when talking about material generated by the department, but it doesn't apply to material generated by other agencies but being shared with the department. Published March 14, 2016

EDITORIAL: Trump rally protesters are to blame

Everyone recognizes the First Amendment as the cornerstone of the republic, but sometimes it's difficult to honor what the Founding Fathers had in mind in Philadelphia. It's easy to defend the speech of someone you agree with; defending the speech of your enemy, not so much. When disagreement turns violent, as it did at a Trump rally at the University of Illinois at Chicago, the principle of free speech takes a beating. The demonstrators set out to shut down Donald Trump, and succeeded. It may be difficult to think of the Donald as a victim, but everyone lost in this exercise. Published March 14, 2016

EDITORIAL: Racial guilt harms the Army

The first responsibility of the national government is the national defense. The U.S. Army sheds blood, sweat and, lately, tears at the perilous task of keeping 320 million Americans safe. The nation's military is commissioned to stand with sword and shield (and a few other more lethal weapons) to say to prospective foe, "This we'll defend." Encouraging the warrior spirit is the first duty of any army so that it will be ready and eager to "march to the sound of the guns." Published March 14, 2016

EDITORIAL: Barack Obama funeral will be busy even if he skips others

Yogi Berra, the philosopher-king of baseball, once observed that "you have to go to your friends' funerals, or they won't come to yours." Who could argue with the logic of that? Indeed, only umpires argued with Yogi, and never about manners and decorum, just about balls, strikes, and maybe the infield-fly rule. Published March 13, 2016

EDITORIAL: Brokered convention used to be easier

The latest poll of the surviving Republican candidates for president is proof that somebody was listening to the demands for civility. Nobody seemed mad at anybody in the latest Republican debate, the language was discreet and the tone amiable. And then the complaints rolled in: "This," cried the blockbuster headline on the Drudge Report, was borrrrrrrring! Published March 13, 2016

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Hillary Clinton might choose transparency

Hillary Clinton knows that polls show many Americans question her integrity. Therefore it would behoove her to demonstrate transparency as much as she can in order to overcome negative perceptions. Published March 13, 2016

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Virginia death penalty may revive electric chair

I don't understand why Virginia would want to bring back the electric chair just because the commonwealth is having difficulty obtaining lethal drugs ("Bill to make electric chair backup in Virginia moves forward," Web, March 2). Published March 13, 2016

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Ronald Reagan was an Illinois native

David Keene's Commentary piece, "Remembering Nancy Reagan" (Web, March 7 refers to Ronald Reagan as being "laid to rest in his native California." In fact, Ronald Wilson Reagan was born in Tampico, Ill., and spent his formative years living in Dixon, Ill., which is generally referred to as his boyhood hometown. Both Mr. Keene and Washington Times editors should have known and corrected this mistake. As my paper of record, you should have better quality controls. Published March 10, 2016

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Hillary Clinton may be president if Republicans not careful

Republicans were the leaders in calling for citizens to have the freedom to elect their own representatives. Yet prominent Republicans, including Mitt Romney, are now saying they will use their wealth and influence to prevent Donald Trump from becoming the party nominee — for the good of the country. If they succeed, Hillary Clinton will be the next president and the Republican Party will be divided and ineffective for years. These actions would support the Democrats' claim that the big corporations and Wall Street want to control our country. Published March 10, 2016

EDITORIAL: Christian genocide must be called by its name

"Genocide" is a word, like "Hitler," that is used carelessly in the heat of a campaign as a synonym for prejudice, partisanship and persecution of minorities. But despite all the evidence at hand, President Obama stubbornly refuses to call the persecution and systematic annihilation of Christians in the Middle East by its right name, genocide. Published March 10, 2016

EDITORIAL: Republican elites lost for candidate

Mitt Romney designated himself as the conscience of the Republican Party, with a duty to destroy the man he calls a fraud. Hyperbole is a staple of political campaigns and the wise voter knows better than to give it full credit. But Mr. Romney, eloquent and well-meaning as he may be, is the wrong man for the job of cutting Donald Trump down to size. The way he's trying to do it demonstrates that he has neither an understanding of the Trump phenomenon nor the damage he's inflicting on the party's November prospects. Published March 10, 2016

Powerball numbers for Wednesday, March 9 revealed

Powerball began to build again Wednesday night as the numbers were drawn for a $50 million jackpot a week after the last big prize was won. Published March 9, 2016

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Trump supports the GOP, too

Although I applaud Rep. Scott Rigell, Virginia Republican, for voicing his opinion, his argument has a central flaw in assuming there is a unifying, singular Republican brand ("Rep. Scott Rigell says he can't support Donald Trump if he is the GOP nominee," Web, March 1). I believe the GOP has split into different factions and Donald Trump represents an uneducated base that previously hasn't had a voice. In fact, I would argue that Mr. Trump's rise is just another example of the Republican brand not realizing what it's become. Published March 9, 2016

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: High-stakes open court seat

The authors of the Constitution included a mechanism for altering the document to suit changes that mark an evolving society ("Inside Obama's interviews with 5 Supreme Court candidates in race to replace Scalia" Web, March 9). Amending the Constitution was accounted for in the original text as a way of accommodating change and adding elasticity to the law. Published March 9, 2016

EDITORIAL: Hillary Clinton’s deeds will return to haunt her

Washington reduces everything to politics, and never more than when a public official is suspected of criminal behavior that would send the average citizen to live a good part of the rest of his life behind the bars of a dreary federal prison. Just now the nation's capital is abuzz with speculation about Hillary Clinton and her clear violation of the law against playing fast and loose with the nation's security secrets. The 200-million (or 500-million) dollar question, enough to pay for a presidential campaign, is what will the law do about it. Published March 9, 2016

EDITORIAL: Drug abuse carries hidden costs

It's called "getting high" for a reason. Euphoria feels good. But abusing "harmless" drugs like marijuana has consequences that are anything but harmless. Drug overdose has surpassed traffic accidents as a cause of death in the United States; the numbers of heroin deaths in particular are off the charts. Congress struggles to craft a national legislative remedy to deal with the scourge of drug abuse, just as several states are undermining the congressional effort by dealing with pot as a good-time treat for fun-seekers. Pot is a gateway drug, and legalizing it sends a mixed message that inevitably produces more misery. Published March 9, 2016