Kody Brown and his 'wives'

July 14, 2011

When it comes to sexual relationships and cohabitation among consenting adults, Utah takes a permissive approach. If a guy wants to shack up with a lady, that's fine. If he wants to shack up with several, no problem. He can father children by different roommates, with no fear of the law.

Defense cuts?

July 10, 2011

Politicians often rail against government spending, except when it goes to the military. Conservatives believe there is no such thing as too much defense spending, and liberals don't argue, for fear of being labeled appeasers. So when there is talk of the two parties agreeing to cut the Pentagon budget, it sounds like a monumental change.

Romney fumbles the economy

July 7, 2011

Any candidate for president can fall victim to occasional stumbles, lapses, gaffes and clunkers. But Mitt Romney has a shot at raising ineptitude to an art form.

Free trade, without apologies

July 3, 2011

International trade has been one of the most powerful forces for prosperity in the history of the world. But a lot of Democrats, including the one occupying the Oval Office, treat it as a mixed blessing at best, requiring reparations for the alleged victims.

How Obama's stimulus failed

June 30, 2011

Mired in excruciating negotiations over the budget and the debt ceiling, President Barack Obama might reflect that things didn't have to turn out this way. The impasse grows mainly out of one major decision he made early on: pushing through a giant stimulus.

Big Brother gets really ugly

June 26, 2011

It's not unusual for the federal government to provoke widespread retching among its citizens, but it rarely does so intentionally. The new warning labels required on cigarette packs, however, have that goal. Designed to evoke disgust with smoking, they may also induce revulsion at excessive uses of power.

Another Texas Republican for president?

June 23, 2011

The Republican presidential field looks less like an assemblage of candidates than a collection of fatal mistakes and irreparable flaws, with occasional embodiments of one or more of the Seven Deadly Sins.

The obsolete alliance

June 19, 2011

Defense Secretary Robert Gates went to Europe recently to announce that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization may have a "dismal future" and that, before long, American leaders "may not consider the return on America's investment in NATO worth the cost."

Republicans vs. the environment

June 16, 2011

Kicking off her recent bus tour, Sarah Palin attended a motorcycle rally and took a deep breath. "I love that smell of the emissions," she exulted.

Obama and the pursuit of endless war

June 12, 2011

When historians sit down decades from now to address the events of the early 21st century, they will have no trouble explaining why Americans elected Barack Obama president. They elected him out of a firm conviction that the United States was not involved in enough wars.

The scary prosecution of John Edwards

June 9, 2011

John Edwards is a vain, lying skunk who cheated on his wife while she was dying of cancer. But one thing far worse than his contemptible conduct is the government's effort to put him in jail for it.

Gambling myths

June 5, 2011

Illinois is on the verge of a major gambling expansion, and citizens are being pelted with competing claims. The advocates envision a gusher of jobs and tax revenues. The opponents brace for an epidemic of bankruptcies, crime, divorce and suicide. Which side to believe? Neither.

A Libya war fit for a king

June 1, 2011

Remember back in your high school civics class when you were taught about the constitutional division of authority in matters of war? When you learned that the president has all the powers of an emperor, and Congress has all the powers of a potted plant?

When punishment is the real crime

May 29, 2011

In his magisterial book "The Gulag Archipelago," Alexander Solzhenitsyn recited in gruesome detail the mistreatment of inmates in prison camps in the Soviet Union. "As many as 54 prisoners may share a single toilet," he wrote. "Up to 50 sick inmates may be held together in a 12- by 20-foot cage for up to five hours awaiting treatment."

Gay marriage gains, but fight isn't over

May 26, 2011

America now has a gay-rights majority. Gallup reports that for the first time ever, most people — 53 percent — favor legalizing same-sex marriage. That's up from 27 percent just 15 years ago. The nation has moved, and it's not going back.

Moralizing against McDonald's

May 22, 2011

Now that Osama bin Laden is dead, we can turn our attention to another remorseless enemy who for years has sown death and destruction among blameless innocents. I refer, of course, to Ronald McDonald.

Poisonous in Pakistan

May 19, 2011

"It's a mess, ain't it Sheriff?

A strike against economic sanity

May 15, 2011

In 1977, Boeing was the target of a strike by the International Association of Machinists, which represents its workers in Puget Sound, Wash., and Portland, Ore. The aircraft manufacturer had another strike in 1989. In 1995, workers returned to the picket lines. In 2005, they went on strike for 69 days. In 2008 ... well, you see the pattern.

Unfounded fears

May 12, 2011

Gas is going for $4 a gallon, gold is riding a boom, and the Federal Reserve is seemingly complacent about these developments. Among critics of Barack Obama and Ben Bernanke, the consensus is clear: Inflation is making a comeback.

Torturing for truth

May 8, 2011

An old joke: "Why do elephants paint their toenails red?" I don't know. "So they can hide in the tomato patch." There are no elephants in the tomato patch. "See? It works."

Lessons for al-Qaida — and us

May 5, 2011

Here's what the world learned in the decade between the 9/11 attacks and the killing of their mastermind: Americans are good at war and not very good at remaking other countries in our image. It's an invaluable revelation that has yet to be incorporated into our approach to foreign policy and national security.

Unwelcome surprises

April 24, 2011

Is it too early to declare our intervention in Libya a failure?

Posturing against pornography

April 21, 2011

We all know that pornography is offensive and destructive, so we can guess that wherever X-rated fare gains popularity, social decay will follow. It may come as a surprise, then, to learn which state has the highest rate of online subscriptions to adult websites. Not New York or California, but Utah. Yes, Utah.

A conservative defense of Obamacare

April 17, 2011

Opponents of President Barack Obama's health care program lost the legislative battle, but they have high hopes of stopping it yet. That could be accomplished by defeating Obama in 2012 and electing a Republican Congress. Or it could be done sooner, without an election, by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Imperial leader at war

April 10, 2011

After the 2008 election, Barack Obama was pondering the growth of presidential power. So, ABC News reported, he met with former Secretaries of State James Baker and Warren Christopher "about how to achieve more meaningful consultation between the president and Congress on the use of military force." Yes, he did. Then he went home and laughed till his ribs hurt.

Did Obama avert a bloodbath in Libya?

April 3, 2011

Remember when a crusading president, acting on dubious intelligence, insufficient information and exaggerated fears, took the nation into a Middle Eastern war of choice? That was George W. Bush in 2003, invading Iraq. But it's also Barack Obama in 2011, attacking Libya.

Obama, Libya and the ghosts of '68

March 27, 2011

In 2008, Democratic voters had their pick of many candidates for president — from Hillary Clinton to John Edwards to Joe Biden. Why did they choose Barack Obama?

War: Obama's fatal attraction

March 24, 2011

It's a good thing we didn't elect John McCain in 2008. A McCain victory would have meant an escalation in Afghanistan, a third war in the Middle East and a president sending U.S. forces into harm's way heedless of public opinion or congressional power.

Why Obama wants to cut corporate taxes

February 10, 2011

America doesn't feel much like the champion of the world these days. Everywhere we look, we see other countries outdoing us — in economic growth, educational performance and men's soccer. But this year, we are expected to gain an impressive distinction: the highest corporate tax rate in the developed world.

America's conservative moment?

February 6, 2011

If you want proof that America is a conservative country, Ronald Reagan provides it. Once seen as a reactionary nincompoop, he's probably the most respected president of the last 50 years. Highways and buildings bear his name. Republicans compete to see who can lavish the most praise on him.

Fake budget plot: Obama, GOP agree to pretend

January 27, 2011

Spring is months away, but bipartisanship is blooming in Washington. Amid a terrible fiscal crisis, President Barack Obama and Republicans have come to a historic accord on the budget. They are agreed on a fake solution.

Lovie Smith's quiet success

January 23, 2011

Several years ago, when my younger son was playing high school football, the players' dads would organize a team breakfast before Saturday home games. I remember one father in particular.

A birthright, and a mess of pottage

January 16, 2011

If two foreigners come here illegally and bear a child, the child automatically gains American citizenship. That fact drives some people around the bend. Last year, U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, said terrorists are sending pregnant women to have children on U.S. soil so they can "come back in 20, 25 years" to "blow us up."

Fooled by Obama

December 12, 2010

Smart women know that if a guy is sending mixed signals — promising to call but never getting around to it, making dates and then canceling, professing warm feelings but not introducing you to his friends — it can mean only one thing: He's just not that into you.

Obama's false alarm

October 24, 2010

At a campaign rally the other day, President Barack Obama decried those who say "you can't overcome the cynicism of politics; no, you can't overcome the special interests; no, you can't overcome the big money; no, you can't overcome the negative ads."

Stimulus to nowhere

September 22, 2010

No one spends money like the federal government. This year alone, it will shovel out $3.7 trillion, which works out to $7 million a minute. So it may surprise you to find out the clearest lesson from the Obama administration's fiscal stimulus program: The government is not very good at spending money.

A radical idea for airline security

July 18, 2010

If a job not worth doing is going to be done anyway, better for it to be done well than badly. So the Transportation Security Administration deserves credit for its Secure Flight program, aimed at curbing mistakes on its no-fly list. The American Civil Liberties Union, likewise, warrants praise for suing on behalf of travelers who were wrongly snared.

Staying stuck in Afghanistan

July 11, 2010

There is good news about Afghanistan.

Obama's misstep on McChrystal

June 24, 2010

In making and tolerating disparaging comments about his civilian superiors in front of a reporter, Gen. Stanley McChrystal failed a test of leadership, judgment and respect for his role in a democratic government. But most obviously, he failed an IQ test.

Why doesn't Obama save us?

June 13, 2010

Not long ago, Barack Obama was pilloried for being too activist, too meddlesome and too inclined to see himself as the messiah. He was forcing health care reform down our throats, running General Motors, wrecking the financial system and promising to make the oceans recede.

Fantasies and realities

April 8, 2010

Obama’s ‘unilateral disarmament’ is neither

April 4, 2010

When Republicans and Democrats agree on a factual matter, it is for one of two reasons. Sometimes it's because a certain fact is true. And sometimes it's because both sides hope to gain from promoting an obvious fiction.

Education lessons are lost on Obama

March 22, 2010

Steve Chapman commentary: I can't pinpoint the moment the Obama administration went wrong on the subject of education. But I can pinpoint the moment when it demonstrated it can't be taken seriously.

A sorry complaint about Obama

March 7, 2010

Obama embraces Nixonomics chaos

February 25, 2010

Barack Obama has often modeled his policies on Franklin Roosevelt. Lately, though, he's been coming across more as Richard Nixon Lite.

The real meaning of Obama’s unpopularity

February 18, 2010

When a president suffers a sharp decline in popularity early in his term, it seems safe to conclude he has badly misjudged the mood of the electorate, pushed the wrong policies and set himself on the path to becoming a one-term president.

Obama anti-gun?No, anti-gun control

February 14, 2010

Among the many groups that opposed Barack Obama's presidential race, few were more certain or vehement than gun-rights organizations. "Barack Obama would be the most anti-gun president in American history," the National Rifle Association announced. "Obama is a committed anti-gunner," warned Gun Owners of America.

Obama: A hawk?

January 14, 2010

Anyone who was hoping the current administration would bring a modest downsizing of the nation's defense establishment and global military role has to be feeling like Bernard Madoff's investors. Escalation is under way in Afghanistan, the Army is expanding, and the Pentagon is on the all-you-can-eat diet.

President Obama's fantasy jobs plan

December 10, 2009

This is that wonderful time of year when a roly-poly, white-bearded fellow descends from the North Pole to lavish us with presents. So when President Barack Obama follows suit, maybe it's just his way of getting into the spirit of the season.

From Obama, sanity on marijuana policy

October 22, 2009

In 1973, Robert Randall was going blind from glaucoma when he discovered that smoking marijuana seemed to help his condition. That didn't matter to police when they found the Washington, D.C., resident growing cannabis and arrested him. Preferring to keep his sight, Randall sued the federal government, arguing that he was entitled to smoke pot as a "medical necessity."

President Barack Obama and the 'socialist' fabrication

October 8, 2009

Since he's under attack for allegedly being a covert socialist, you would think President Barack Obama would get some love from the overt socialists. But they sound about as enamored of him as Sean Hannity is.

Race and opposition to Obama

September 20, 2009

A new president, pursuing policies well within the political mainstream, evokes weirdly angry and intense denunciations from opponents -- a reaction hard to explain in terms of anything he has actually done. Does that suggest, as Jimmy Carter insists, that their true motivation lies in racism?

Back-to-school agendas

September 10, 2009

On Tuesday, as children in many places went back to school, the world's most prominent black leader undertook to expand a worshipful cult of personality as part of a systematic effort to achieve absolute power. You may have heard about it: Oprah Winfrey kicked off her 24th season on the air by taking over three blocks of Chicago's Michigan Avenue for a live show in front of thousands of adoring fans.

If the U.S. Congress became a carmaker

June 7, 2009

The Edsel was one of the biggest flops in the history of carmaking. Introduced with great fanfare by Ford in 1958, it had terrible sales and was junked after three years. But if Congress had been running Ford, the Edsel would still be on the market.

Obama's retreat on Iraq no surprise

March 1, 2009

A sound, if cynical, policy for elections is to never vote for a candidate whose policies match your own. Since politicians often renege on their promises, you are better off voting for a candidate who says he'll do the opposite of what you want—and trusting that he's a liar.

The wrong answer for illegal immigration

March 19, 2006

What would you do to move to another country? Most of us wouldn't do anything, because we don't want to leave. And most of those who profess a desire to emigrate, like Alec Baldwin, eventually conclude they can stand it here after all.