“We’re Back”

There was ice in the room the day I met Gary – sitting in a law office staring across the table I saw a devil; staring back Gary saw a devil. We worked out the four Helms-Hunt debates back in 1984. Left. Sitting in another office years later Gary told doctors in a fight with…

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Gary Hahn’s Bad Call on “Illegal Aliens”

NC State sports announcer Gary Hahn got suspended when he called migrants in El Paso “illegal aliens.” Some of my fellow Wolfpack fans jumped to his defense: “What’s wrong with that?” And, “They are illegal aliens.” Here’s what’s wrong. “Illegal aliens” is a dehumanizing term. No human being is “illegal.” They may do something illegal…

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Zelensky and Trump

One is a man of profound moral courage. The other is an arrested adolescent of profound moral cowardice. One is a patriot. The other, a traitor. One proudly unfurled his country’s flag. The other dishonors his country’s flag. One stands for democracy, freedom and the rule of law. The other, for one-man authoritarianism. One stood…

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The “Red Wave” Never Came Ashore

There was no “red tsunami,” no wave. Barely a ripple. Before the 2022 election, Republicans boasted they would deliver a 1994- or 2010-like shellacking to a Democratic President. Inflation was up. President Biden’s approval ratings were down. Voters were down on the economy and down about the direction of the country. But Biden had the…

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No Sin in Losing

Boasting for months Trump said his Arizona audit – done by his allies in the state Senate – would prove he won Arizona. The audit backfired. Confirmed Trump lost. Did Trump admit he was wrong? No. He erupted, firing off scalding emails ripping the ‘fake news’ media, calling for audits in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Texas.…

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A Political Earthquake Rocks Biden and Trump

John Bolton and I both supported Reagan in 1976; four years later when Reagan’s campaign emerged from the New Hampshire primary dead-broke John told me: The Congressional Club needs to do an independent campaign for Reagan. Puzzled, I asked: What’s an independent campaign? Americans for Reagan spent millions to help elect Reagan. Last February as…

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Handing an Enemy a Gift

If you’d asked me, Leave Afghanistan? a year ago I’d have nodded, said, Yes. We had tanks, jets, helicopters, drones – and Taliban didn’t – but we botched the war. But it turns out escape was an illusion. It’s an old story. We fight an enemy. We hand our enemy a gift. And the chickens…

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Have You No Decency?

A mob of protesters howled, ‘Give Nikole Hannah-Jones tenure – you’re racist.’ UNC Trustees wilted. Howls won. That night Bonfire of the Vanities was on television – to get himself elected Mayor a scheming New York district attorney indicted a Wall Street master-of-the-universe (played by Tom Hanks), claiming driving down a backstreet in the Bronx…

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A Poll About Trump

Donald Trump’s spokesman said: The Republican Party is Trump’s Party. I wondered, Truth? Or bluster? Later, talking with John Bolton, catching up, we talked about the same question. That led to a poll – one number leaped out: Trump’s ‘Favorable/Unfavorable’ rating with Republicans. When a candidate’s popularity begins to wane it’s seldom like a titanic…

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The Result: Polarization

I clicked, up popped a long list of newspaper headlines on Twitter: Hate Crimes Against Asian Americans… Transgender athletes banned… Matt Gaetz accused of sex trafficking … Marjorie Taylor Greene calls Rep. David Cicilline, ‘Rep. Mussolini…’ Rep. Cicilline tells Greene ‘get lost…’ Biden stumbles three times… Trump rules the GOP… Howls rolled on. People cheered,…

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