From The Conversation:
But academic fraud is nothing new—and it wasn’t invented in the United States. In certain countries, my research on academic corruption attests, some public officials have built their entire political careers on the false pretense of scholastic achievement.
You’d think that former German Minister of Defense Baron Karl-Theodor Maria Nikolaus Johann Jacob Philipp Franz Joseph Sylvester Buhl-Freiherr von und zu Guttenberg already had a long enough name.
But in 2006, he decided to add the title of “Dr.” to it, completing his doctorate of law at Germany’s University of Beyrouth.
Or so he said.
—Visiting Professor Ararat Osipian
From American Thinker:
If Corporate PAC Money Is So Bad, Why Don’t They Give It Back?
Second, these candidates may not know or may choose to forget that corporate PAC money is the “cleanest” money in politics today. Only the senior leader of a corporation can create and have their PAC registered. Certain employees may provide contributions, but many may not. Federal law defines who can be solicited for donations. The PAC files its contributions, expenditures, and expenses with the Federal Election Committee (FEC). Strict limits are established by law as to how much can be donated it each campaign. Routinely PACs are either audited separately or part of the corporate wide audit to ensure no breaking of laws or business malfeasance.
From The Hill:
How I (Inadvertently) Helped Joe Biden Ruin His First White House Run
Biden had lifted passages from Kinnock's dramatic story of his own life and that of his family. Sometimes Biden used Kinnock's words with attribution, sometimes not. Dowd had received an anonymous tape that showed Kinnock's speech and Biden's speech (without attribution to Kinnock) side by side. The result was a feeding frenzy in the press — Gary Hart had been driven out of the race just a few months earlier for sexual improprieties. It was a foolish thing for Biden to do, and he was forced to leave the 1988 race.
From The National Interest:
Donald Trump, Richard Nixon, and Honey Badger Politics
The Democratic Party is far more united and well-organized today than it was in 1972. Moreover, conservatives have long since been purged from its ranks, leaving few opportunities for GOP gains on that front. Both parties should expect a close, hard contest in 2020. And as always, President Trump’s personality is the wild card. Still, the usual pattern in times of economic growth is that incumbent presidents win re-election, so long as they are not bogged down in foreign wars. Democrats in the Trump era continue to trend leftward on a variety of issues, including health care, immigration, criminal policing, religious liberty, taxation, reparations, the environment, and national defense. And while progressive party activists persuade themselves that most Americans share their specific policy views, genuine moderates and independents may be less convinced. The president retains the firm support of most Republican voters. Under these circumstances, Donald Trump does not have to convince swing voters that he is Abraham Lincoln. All he has to do is convince them that a left-liberal policy agenda is unacceptable. And he may very well do it.
From World Politics Review:
Taking the Long View of the Arab Spring, After Bouteflika’s Resignation in Algeria
Is Algeria new evidence that the march continues for opening up political affairs in the Arab world? Or will angry crowds in the streets of Algiers meet the same fate of their Egyptian and Syrian counterparts—with the breakthroughs they facilitate only strengthening the hands of strongmen and their cliques? Already the momentum is stalling, with a clear impasse between demands for change by the public and offers of compromise by “le pouvoir,” what Algerians call the shadowy cabal of military and security leaders who have held power in their country for decades.
From The Hill:
No Perry Mason Verdict From Mueller, and No Impeachment From Pelosi
It will be difficult for Democrats to call Mueller's ambiguous finding “a cover-up” after they have spent months praising the special counsel's independence and integrity. Democrats are in a rage. They put their trust in Robert Mueller and what did he come up with? “Meh.”
From USA Today:
Congress is right to probe Trump White House security clearances. Hand over the documents.
For now, with so much doubt surrounding the current management of security clearances, the only reasonable resolution is for the White House to hand over the necessary documents so the House Oversight Committee can carry out its responsibility and determine if national security information has been disclosed — whether it be as a result of mismanagement or abuse of the security clearance process.
—Dean Mark J. Rozell and Mitchel A. Sollenberger
From Aljazeera:
A quick and decisive victory in the heart of the Arab world would send a message to all countries, especially to recalcitrant regimes such as Syria, Libya, Iran, or North Korea, that American hegemony was here to stay. Put simply, the Iraq war was motivated by a desire to (re)establish American standing as the world's leading power.