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The real reason Trump doesn't want Congress to vote on war

Editorials and columns

Thursday marked 60 days since the start of Trump's failed war in Iran. The U.S. Constitution (Article I, Section 8) gives Congress the power "To declare War," and the War Powers Resolution of 1973 -- enacted over Nixon's veto -- mandates that troops be withdrawn within 60 days unless Congress extends the deadline or declares war. On Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed that Trump doesn't need Congress' approval to continue the war past the 60-day mark because the ceasefire agreement with Iran has effectively stopped the clock. (Trump echoed Hegseth's claim in a letter ...

Who is monitoring the debt?

Editorials and columns

People of a certain age will recall a lyric from the Tennessee Ernie Ford song "Sixteen Tons": "Another day older and deeper in debt." I thought of that song as Secretary of War Pete Hegseth asked Congress to approve a $1.5 trillion budget for fiscal year 2027 to put the military on what he ...

The victims of victimhood

Editorials and columns

The left's compassion has inflicted a terrible price on America's poor. In 1964, former President Lyndon B. Johnson declared an "unconditional war on poverty." He warned it "will not be a short or easy struggle," but that "the richest Nation on earth can afford to win it." He was right that it wouldn't be a short or easy struggle. Johnson and Congress created a host of new federal programs, including the Job Corps, Head Start and the Office of Economic Opportunity. His "Great Society" programs included Medicare and Medicaid. In 1965, he signed a housing bill that included rent ...

We lost one of the great grumps this week

Editorials and columns

In every school, work or personal gathering, you need at least one grump for the group to thrive. Grumps do the work that no one else will. When everyone else is being mercilessly upbeat, they swim against the tide and complain. The grump may follow your inane rules -- but grudgingly, oh, boy, will it be grudgingly -- but they never let them pass unremarked upon. Where other folks try to fit in, the grumps stand out, not because they want to, but because they must. Even in a children's show like "Sesame Street," you need an Oscar the Grouch to balance out what otherwise could be ...

Political game is all about relationships

Editorials and columns

At the end of the day, successfully playing the political game comes down to the "R" word. It's all about relationships. Office seekers need to have one with the citizens to get elected. Nothing gets done in the legislature until and unless there are relationships and hopefully across ...