In Review: No Apology

Courtesy of St. Martin's Press

The Case for American Greatness

Mitt Romney's (R-MA) policy oriented book No Apology hit stores in early 2010, spurring a new surge in book sales just as the rigor from Sarah Palin's (R-AK) book was beginning to wane. Unlike Going Rouge, Romney's book is not a biography, and actually no cohesive life story is ever really presented. Instead the book focuses on what politics should really be about, policy and policy options. The book highlights many of the most controversial and divisive issues facing America today and Mitt Romney faces them unflinchingly and with an excess of data (he literally includes graphs and charts). Well researched and well written, No Apology may become the go to point for a Romney 2012 campaign, much like Barack Obama's two books became a launching pad for him. Exploring issues and providing a variety of answers to issues like the economy, deficits, education, and social problems; No Apology, by former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, is a thoughtful and engaging read.

There's a Storm a Brewin'

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"When a Tornado meets a Volcano"

Two seemingly unstoppable forces are poised to collide over Arizona's controversial immigration law. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (R-AZ) is set to spar with the United States Department of Justice as the Obama Administration announces that it will make good on its threat to sue the state. However instead of backing down, Governor Brewer has signaled both to the Administration and to the public that she will not be intimidated saying, in reference to the Obama Administration, "We will meet you in court" and that she has a good track record of winning in court. And with those words, the age old struggle between State and Federal jurisdiction is again headed for another showdown.

Kagan Takes the Stand

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Elena Kagan: Supreme Court Justice?

With the announcement of the retirement of Associate United States Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens on April 9th, President Barack Obama found himself with the second Supreme Court Nomination of his first two years in office. He did not make the country wait long for his choice as a replacement and on May 10th President Obama officially nominated US Solicitor General Elena Kagan to be the 4th woman to sit on the country's highest bench. With the confirmation hearing now underway, will Elena Kagan join the likes of Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader-Ginsberg in our nations history books?

The Power of Tea

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A Modern Day Tea Party

During the political maelstrom that gripped the nation in 2009, raging over issues like the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (The Bailout) to the proposed health care legislation, the Tea Party was born. Taking the name in reference to Boston Tea Party of Colonial times and creatively using it as an acronym for the slogan 'Taxed Enough Already,' the Tea party hit the national stage holding local protests and even convening the first National Tea Party Convention, headlined by the 'Conservative Darling' herself, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin (R-AK). Although more conservatively aligned, the Tea Party covers every spectrum of the Republican Ticket, supporting the anti-military policies of Ron Paul (R-TX) while chanting Sarah Palin's slogan of "Drill Baby, Drill." With new Gallup Polls indicting that 1 in 5 Americans either somewhat or strongly support the Tea Party Movement, one would assume that it would have a large impact on the 2010 Midterm Elections. Let's take a look and see just how powerful this grass roots organization really is.

Let's Go International, June 2010

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A Month in the World

The month of June has seen news stories centered on the continent of Asia which seems to have exploded in different ways. From Japan to Kyrgyzstan, Asia has revealed to the world that the nations in that area are politically and socially unstable and have provided the second edition of Let's Go International with a plethora of news stories. From ethnic violence to political resignations Asia has become the international hot spot for all things controversial and tragic, lets take a peak at the chaos mounting throughout the expansive continent.

A Challenge to Civilian Rule?

The Rolling Stone Suddenly Stopped

Recently labeled as the "Runaway General," General Stanley McChrystal was once the leader of the American forces in Afghanistan, but has now suddenly found himself retired after a controversial interview with Rolling Stone Magazine. The interview pits the General against President Obama and elaborates about how McChrystal apparently bullied Obama and felt that he was ill equipped to run the war, to put it nicely. As of this morning, Obama had accepted McChrystal's resignation ( in other words, fired him in a nice way) and replaced him with the only man he knew the country would accept, General Petraeus . Let's delve deeper into this issue and find out exactly what was said, and if those comments warranted the replacement of the only general in world history who even had limited success in a war in Afghanistan.

In Review: Somewhere Inside

Enter the Hermit Kingdom

With just a few steps onto the North Korean side of a river, journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee would walk into the perfect political storm, becoming the pawns that both sides would use to weather out the international maelstrom. The memoir, Somewhere Inside coauthored by Laura and Lisa Ling follows the story of one sister's five-month-long detention in the most isolated country on the planet and her sister's heart-wrenching struggle to bring her home. In dramatic fashion that involves all parts of both the United States and North Korean governments, the story traces the story from the brutal arrest of Laura Ling and Euna Lee to her their families fight to bring them home, concluding with the high profile rescue from former President Bill Clinton.

Victory At Last

And What a Sweep it Was!

On Tuesday, June 22nd, the Palmetto State once again went to the polls with the mission to finally nominate the Republican gubernatorial candidate. In a decisive victory, state Representative Nikki Haley (R-SC) swept opponent U.S. Rep Gresham Barrett by winning 65% of the vote compared to his 35%. In her acceptance speech, Haley claimed the landslide victory was an affirmation of her small government message and across the board fiscal conservatism.