Victor Davis Hanson // National Review The near-destruction of ISIS in a matter of months (losing 99 percent of its landed caliphate), the restoration of sound defense budgeting, a reestablished sense of deterrence, and stable recalibration with allies were the signature achievements of James Mattis. And it seems a mistake not to have him finish …
The Departure of Mattis and Engagements in the Middle East Read More »
Victor Davis Hanson // American Greatness If the New Democratic Party was smart, it would do what the old Democratic Party did long ago: always sound centrist if not conservative in the last weeks of a campaign, get elected, then revert to form and pursue a left-wing agenda for a year or two—and then repeat …
Victor Davis Hanson // American Greatness Donald Trump on occasion can talk recklessly. He is certainly trying to “fundamentally transform” the United States in exactly the opposite direction from which Barack Obama promised to do the same sort of massive recalibration. According to polls (such as they are), half the country fears Trump. The media …
Victor Davis Hanson // National Review Special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation was star-crossed from the start. His friend and successor as FBI director, James Comey, by his own admission prompted the investigation — with the deliberate leaking of classified memos about his conversations with President Donald Trump to the press. Mueller then unnecessarily stocked his …
Victor Davis Hanson // American Greatness Donald Trump has certainly changed the rules of presidential behavior, through his nonstop campaign rallies, tweets, and press conferences. What his critics call lowering the bar of presidential decorum by unfettered and often crude invective, Trump dubs the “new presidential.” His style has become a sort of “don’t-tread-on-me” combativeness. …
Victor Davis Hanson // National Review Trump’s critics need a scapegoat to explain why they haven’t managed to vanquish him. Russianism is a psychological malady in which furor at Donald Trump’s election victory and presidency — and the ensuing depression resulting from the inability to abort it — finds release through fixation on Russia. ‘Extremely …
Victor Davis Hanson // National Review The professionally written and admirably researched IG report is in some sense a hall of mirrors, with all sorts of reflections that are contorted and warped, and into which all parties claim to see reality. Often the euphemistic conclusions are not supported by the data produced. The only constant …
Victor Davis Hanson // National Review The more we learn about it — as Iranian and Obama-administration deceptions are uncovered — the more we know it was a disaster from the start. When Donald Trump withdrew from the so-called Iran deal in early May, almost all conventional wisdom in Washington was aghast. The Left thought …
The Bad Iranian Deal Was Always Going to Get Worse Read More »
Victor Davis Hanson // National Review They are numerous, and none of them are good news for President Trump’s opponents. Special Counsel Robert Mueller has indicted 13 Russian nationals for allegedly conspiring to sow confusion in the 2016 presidential election. The chance of extraditing any of the accused from Vladimir Putin’s Russia is zero. Some …
Victor Davis Hanson // American Greatness Free-marketers are right that tax cuts stimulate economic growth that in turn lead to expanding production and eventually more federal tax revenue. But the problem traditionally has been that to obtain tax reductions, Republicans also have had to sign on reluctantly to larger expenditures. Or, worse, they willingly believed …