Rand Paul
Fareed Zakaria, The Washington Post
I don’t agree with Rand Paul on many things, including foreign policy. I think some of his positions on civil rights are historically blind, cruel and dangerous. But in the arena of national security, he has time and again raised important, inconvenient questions, only to have them ruled out of order and to be told that he is a crank, far outside the mainstream. In fact, it would be useful and important for Republicans — and Democrats — to stop the name-calling and actually discuss and debate his ideas.
Russian Sanctions
The Editorial Board, New York Times
Now, barely five months after the engine ban took effect, the Obama administration is urging Congress to ease it. Such a move would harm American credibility and give the Europeans a reason to ease their own sanctions. It would also embolden President Vladimir Putin of Russia, who even now refuses to acknowledge that he is sending troops and weapons to expand the war in eastern Ukraine.
TSA
John R. Schindler, LA Times
It would be one thing if the TSA were annoying passengers and, simultaneously, keeping them safe. But the new leak suggests that it’s only proficient at the former, and that it’s therefore a giant waste of taxpayer dollars.
Women’s Soccer
Amy Bass, CNN
The relative lack of attention paid to the Women’s World Cup is no surprise. While it will take some time to see if the resignation of FIFA President Sepp Blatter has any effect on the organization’s alleged shenanigans, one thing is sure: His downfall is nothing but good for the women’s game. He has never been what one would call supportive.
The popularity of women’s soccer has grown under his tenure, but not for reasons he ever appeared to understand. “Let the women play in more feminine clothes like they do in volleyball,” he famously said in 2004. “They could, for example, have tighter shorts.”
FIFA
Daniel Abebe and William Birdthistle, Chicago Tribune
FIFA apologists give condescending lectures about how the culture in so much of the world is irredeemably corrupt. Perhaps so, but no organization on Earth has FIFA’s power to insist that its business be conducted with the exactitude of a Swiss watch.
Obamacare
Obamacare is in critical condition, and the conundrum over how to pay the nation’s health care bill could wind up right where it was stuck six years ago — in the lap of Congress. As an interim measure, Congress could create a special inspector general for Obamacare to control the exploding costs of health care. Such a watchdog, independent of meddling and supervision, is clearly in order.
