THE WASHINGTON TIMES

EDITORIAL: The Obama legacy: Ruined relations with Israel

President Obama is determined to leave American relations with Israel, the nation's only reliable ally in the Middle East, in ruins as part of his legacy. He doesn't seem to understand that a president doesn't design his legacy. Reality takes care of that, and the legacy he will leave is well established already. Published January 21, 2016

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Lax illegals policies unfair

The immigration issue may be delicate, but it is highly unfair that the government is not doing much about people who got visas and came here as visitors but decided on their own to simply stay ("Visa overstays swell ranks of illegals as 500,000 broke law in 2015," Web, Jan. 19). Published January 21, 2016

EDITORIAL: A step toward border order

Barack Obama is about to find out whether he's a power unto himself or merely a president. His immigration orders will be held up against the standard of the U.S. Constitution, tattered and oft-ignored as it may be. Published January 21, 2016

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: ‘Gun-free zones’ are safety-free

I was in total disbelief when I read recently that a student brought a loaded gun into Nicholas Orem Middle School in Hyattsville, Md. After all, how is this possible when Prince George's County Schools are 'gun-free zones'? Published January 21, 2016

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Ben Carson’s tax plan wins

There are many tax proposals out there during this presidential-election season, but some are much more sensible and pro-growth than others. Published January 20, 2016

EDITORIAL: Tests for the president’s men (and women)

There are moments in history when the fate of nations lies at the mercy of the integrity of a single person. We're at such a moment now, and growing numbers of Americans are beginning to realize that. Hillary Clinton, who more than half of the people answering the pollsters say they do not think is honest and trustworthy, violated the rules by running her official business through a personal email server. Published January 20, 2016

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Shortsighted ‘hatred month’

I would like to propose adding a few dedicated months to Portland Community College's "Whiteness History Month," 30 days in April devoted to criticizing white people ("Portland college declares April 'Whiteness History Month,'" Web, Jan. 18). Published January 20, 2016

EDITORIAL: Obama burying coal

Invention is the engine of progress, but when President Obama claims that he "reinvented our energy sector," he should say that he has put the engine in reverse. His scheme to keep coal in the ground to make alternative energy sources more price-competitive will only make the cost of living more expensive. It's part of his war on the middle class. Published January 20, 2016

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Mum on free-market space success

In last State of the Union address President Obama tried hard through obfuscation, omission and exaggeration to cast his accomplishments in a shining light -- but he essentially failed objective fact-checking scrutiny. Published January 19, 2016

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Put Iran in its place

Americans are wondering what the heck is wrong with their commander in chief ("U.S. military releases 1st account of sailors' Iran detention," Web, Jan. 18). They expected a strong protest and perhaps even one or two Tomahawks to land in Iran as retaliation for Iran's recent treatment of U.S. Navy personnel who strayed into Iranian waters as a result of either mechanical or navigational problems. Published January 19, 2016

EDITORIAL: Ending Obama’s overreach

President Obama marveled during his State of the Union address at the breathtaking rate of change sweeping the nation. He didn't mention that the phenomenon — and its disorienting effect — has been largely his doing. He campaigned on a promise of "hope and change," and what America got was destructive change and not much hope. Published January 19, 2016

EDITORIALS: The consequences of Obama romancing Iran

It's hard to exaggerate the strategic disaster of Barack Obama's celebrated deal with the mullahs in the Islamic Republic of Iran. With "lone wolf" murders proliferating and no central command over them, the president has emboldened a vicious wing of radical Islamic terrorism. Published January 19, 2016

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Stop censoring climate debate

President Obama told Americans in his recent (and last) State of the Union address: "Democracy grinds to a halt without a willingness to compromise, or when even basic facts are contested, or when we listen only to those who agree with us. Our public life withers when only the most extreme voices get all the attention." Yet the president will not compromise with or even listen to the many highly qualified scientists who contest his position on climate change. Published January 18, 2016

EDITORIAL: Preventing a water war in Asia

Just when Asia was getting accustomed to the Chinese threat to the oceans of Southeast Asia, there's another water worry for Asians. The government in Beijing controls the health of six major South and Southeastern Asian rivers, the heart of life in the region. All of the rivers rise on the Tibetan plateau. Published January 18, 2016

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Hillary Clinton unfit for any office

When asked about those discrepancies in her ledgers, Mrs. Clinton either can't or won't give anyone a straight answer. How does anyone misplace or lose that much money? This incompetent act alone should make Americans question Mrs. Clinton's ability to oversee even greater funds from a position of even greater responsibility. Published January 18, 2016

EDITORIAL: Gov. Larry Hogan and voting rights

Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland is a man of judgment and courage. The odds were against his being elected governor of one of the most relentlessly blue states, where conservative Republicans are all but an endangered species. Despite occasional exceptions -- Spiro Agnew and Robert Ehrlich come to mind -- Democrats have taken success as their due. But Gov. Hogan, both a Republican and a conservative, beat the odds. Published January 18, 2016

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Iran still no friend to U.S.

The agreement between Iran and the United States was supposed to improve relations between the two countries. Published January 17, 2016

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Don’t call Confederates ‘evil’

Bruce Lawlor's Commentary piece ("Authoritarianism and division," Web., Jan. 11) opens with a brilliant and very articulate analysis of how President Obama's actions are strikingly similar to the actions employed by dictators who rule through an authoritarian approach. Unfortunately, the piece takes an unexpected and disturbing turn when Mr. Lawlor attempts to illustrate how a president should conduct himself. Published January 17, 2016

EDITORIAL: BDS boycott of Israel signifies little

Boycotts are tempting weapons when persuasion doesn't work, but except in rare, special circumstances where alternatives are scarce, such as Martin Luther King's celebrated bus boycott in Montgomery, Ala., more than a half-century ago, boycotts don't work, either. Published January 17, 2016

EDITORIAL: Donald Trump makes elites pout

The Republican elites are so frightened by Donald Trump that many of them are making noises that they're ready to embrace Ted Cruz, who is, so we have been told over and over, universally disliked in Washington, and particularly by his colleagues in the U.S. Senate. That's close to an endorsement in this season of the noisy outsider, but it's nevertheless a symptom of a divided party. Published January 17, 2016