Holder not up to the task

Washington - People are looking for the wrong "scandal" about Attorney General Eric Holder. The problem with Holder is the plain fact that, in the judgment of a wide range of legal colleagues, he has been a mediocre attorney general. Holder's mistakes in management and judgment are clear in the current controversy about leak investigations... weiter

Testing time for Syria's rebels

Washington - It's a rule of thumb in Middle East conflicts that whenever peace talks are announced, each side steps up the fighting so it can grab as much territory as possible before the cease-fire lines are drawn. This struggle for position is happening now in Syria, in the run-up to planned negotiations in Geneva next month that will be... weiter

The government's chain of error

Washington - At a time when Congress can't pass a budget and the president can't win approval of any important legislation, the public is indignant about the threat of an overreaching, all-powerful federal government that uses the IRS and the Justice Department to harass its enemies. There's a disconnect here: The Obama administration fears and... weiter

Frustrated by Obama's caution

Washington - Gen. Salim Idriss, the commander of rebel forces in Syria, complained late Tuesday that President Obama's desire "to wait and wait for more evidence" that the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons is encouraging their continued use - and that these attacks will only stop if the U.S. and its allies impose a no-fly zone... weiter

In the footsteps of Keynes

Washington - John Maynard Keynes once said that words should be used aggressively, "for they are the assault of thoughts on the unthinking." That's a starting point for an appreciation of Mervyn King, who will retire soon as governor of the Bank of England and who has displayed the quirky intellectual passion of Keynes himself... weiter