this is an adventure

“Brilliantly crafted and perfectly cynical, the “Iraq War bad, Afghan War good” posture worked. Democrats first won Congress, then the White House. But now, unfortunately, they must govern. No more games. No more pretense.” But that was then, and this is now, when “Obama agonizes publicly as the world watches.”

Not even the New York Times can restrain its shock: “In a stunning surprise, the Nobel Committee announced in Oslo that it has awarded the annual prize to the president ‘for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.’” Hillary Clinton might as well resign right now.

“With the costs now clearer, some officials at the NSC and State Department who voiced support for counterinsurgency in March have started to consider other options. There is increasing interest in Biden’s stance, as well as in a modified counterinsurgency effort that would involve sending more military trainers but not more combat forces.”

“A family with an income at twice the poverty line, or $48,000 in 2016, would get $9,072 in federal assistance for coverage, still a substantial sum. But it’s $7,400 less than the family would get if they earned half as much.” That’s “an implicit marginal tax rate of about thirty percent on wages.”