GQ's Left-wing Bias
The end of the year always brings lists of some kind. Lists of celebrities who passed away. Lists of new breakthroughs and products. Lists of new laws taking effect. The biggest blockbuster movies and most popular songs. We can thank GQ for providing this year's list of the 20 craziest politicians.
A quick scan of the list immediately reveals GQ's left-wing bias, as 85% of the politicians on the list are Republicans. The writer admits his list is "Republican-heavy" but insists that is not evidence of bias, adding, "the reality is that Democrats just aren't keeping pace right now in the crazy department."
Really?
Nancy Pelosi didn't make the list. But this summer she suggested that Hamas was a "humanitarian organization." A few months later, she said, "Civilization as we know it today would be in jeopardy if Republicans win the Senate." So Hamas is a bunch of humanitarians, but Republicans are a threat to life as we know it. Now that's crazy!
If a Democrat accused Republicans of beating women, you might think that would make GQ's crazy list. But evidently Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz can say anything and get away with it.
During a speech this fall in Wisconsin, she said, "Scott Walker has given women the back of his hand. . . . What Republican, Tea Party extremists like Scott Walker are doing is they are grabbing us by the hair and pulling us back."
And while he's not a politician, liberal economist Jonathan Gruber certainly said a lot that qualifies him for any list of crazy quotes.
Obama Touts Tehran
Here's something Barack Obama said during his recent NPR interview that could qualify him for GQ's craziest quotes list: While referring to the complex situation in the Middle East, Obama said that Iran could be "a very successful regional power."
Yet during the same interview, Mr. Obama also admits that Iran "has a track record of state-sponsored terrorism, that we know was attempting to develop a nuclear weapon . . . whose rhetoric is not only explicitly anti-American but also has been incendiary when it comes to its attitude towards the state of Israel."
For whatever reason, Obama seems to be desperate for Iran to emerge as a "successful regional power." He's become something of a pen pal with Iran's Supreme Leader, sending letters to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, including one last month. And while speaking with NPR, Obama left open the possibility of establishing an embassy in Tehran, just as he has done with Cuba.
Pence In Israel
Indiana Governor Mike Pence is in Israel this week, promoting economic development between Israel and Indiana, as well as visiting historical and cultural sites. He met today with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and expressed his deep appreciation and support for the state of Israel. The cultural portion of the governor's visit is being sponsored by Christians United for Israel.
Governor Pence was also invited to have a Christmas dinner in Ramallah with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. Governor Pence didn't accept.
You may recall that Barack Obama repeatedly promised to talk to our enemies without any preconditions -- as if all of our foreign policy disputes were mere misunderstandings. What does he have to show for all his talk and outreach?
Has Cuba changed for the better? Has the famous "reset" with Russia produced anything beneficial? After repeated letters and renewed engagement, is Iran less of a threat to Israel or our national interests?
Many politicians would be tempted to use the photo-op with Abbas to show how evenhanded and broadminded they are. But Governor Pence correctly refused to meet with a man who incites terrorism and refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state. Good for him.