Frank James

Obama's Unplanned NSA Discussion

Frank James — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:26:00 +0000

You have to wonder if President Obama ever thought, when he first ran for the White House, that he would need to defend himself from accusations his presidency would be a mere extension of his Republican predecessor.

But there he was with journalist Charlie Rose having to explain why his approach to national security wasn't really like that of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

The main reason Obama is no repeat of that previous administration?

Voting Rights Groups Get High Court Win As Bigger Case Looms

Frank James — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 23:15:00 +0000

Advocates of tougher voter registration standards have racked up wins in recent years — voter ID laws have taken hold across the nation, for example.

But those who believe that government should make voting as easy as possible just gained a significant victory with the U.S.

Think Your Job's Hard? Try Being A Congressional Spy Watcher

Frank James — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 20:42:00 +0000

As the controversy over the National Security Agency's phone and Internet data gathering reminds us, one of Congress' most challenging assignments is oversight of the nation's intelligence community.

Keeping tabs on the part of the federal government that constantly invokes national security to justify its opaqueness has its obvious difficulties and frustrations.

Those frustrations came through in a conversation I had with Rep.

Massachusetts Senate Race May Be Feeling DC Scandal Fallout

Frank James — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 22:42:00 +0000

With two weeks until the Massachusetts special Senate election, the obvious question is: Can Republicans pull off another stunning upset like they did three years ago?

Back then, in the very blue Bay State, Republican Scott Brown won the seat left vacant by Ted Kennedy's death by riding a Tea Party and anti-Obamacare wave amplified by voter distress over a sour economy.

An improved economy has changed some of the dynamics since Brown's 2010 win.

Senate's New GOP Stars Show Party's Range On Immigration

Frank James — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:35:00 +0000

Forget, for a moment, about the bipartisan Gang of Eight, whose members crafted the original version of the immigration bill being taken up by the Senate this week.

There's another, very partisan gang to watch on the issue. Let's call them the Gang of Four, a high-profile group of relatively new Republican senators whose trajectories are set for the national stage.

Obama's Immigration Dilemma: Leading While Following

Frank James — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 19:19:00 +0000

If you want to observe one of Washington's most delicate balancing acts, look no further than President Obama's effort to assert leadership on immigration legislation without its coming to be identified as a new Obamalaw.

Because they're keenly aware of how nearly any legislative effort that becomes known as the president's baby almost immediately makes his political foes hellbent on stopping it and denying him a victory, Obama and other White House officials have been committed to letting Congress take the lead on major legislation like immigration reform.

His challenge is to show just en

Lawmakers Work To Gauge Public Mood On NSA And Leaker

Frank James — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 23:24:00 +0000

When it comes to secrets leaker Edward Snowden and the National Security Agency's phone records and Internet snooping, some in Congress face a dilemma.

Namely, how to read public opinion.

Speaking off the record, aides for Republican and Democratic House lawmakers told me they are getting constituent calls on both sides: from those urging that Snowden not be prosecuted and those insisting he should be.

An aide for one congressman told me her boss's staff was holding off on issuing a statement until it had the chance to further gauge the voters' mood.

Another aide told me that of all th

Partisan Feuds Roll On In IRS Investigation

Frank James — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 19:00:00 +0000

It looks like things may be getting even uglier than usual over in the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

The panel now headed by Rep. Darrell Issa, a California Republican, has long been a place to watch partisan tempers fly.

But the assertion by the panel's top Democrat, Rep.

United States Of Outrage: NSA, IRS Overreach Sparks Bipartisan Ire

Frank James — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 20:36:00 +0000

Even in an era of stark political polarization, there are still some issues that can draw Americans together and scramble the normal ideological fault lines.

Recent revelations about the Internal Revenue Service and the National Security Agency are among them.

Unlike the debates over Obamacare or President Obama himself, which tend to be more litmus tests for party affiliation than anything else, the reactions to reports about overreach by the Internal Revenue Service and the National Security Agency have brought normally warring partisans together.

When you get Sens.

On National Security, Obama Follows Bush's Lead

Frank James — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 22:58:00 +0000

It's an overstatement to say that it's beginning to look like President George W.

5 Takeaways From Obama's Susan Rice Appointment

Frank James — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 18:56:00 +0000

It wasn't exactly a surprise to hear that President Obama named U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice as his next national security adviser.

Almost as soon as it became clear that her role in the administration's Benghazi talking-points snafu meant Senate Republicans would never let her be confirmed as secretary of state if Obama nominated her, the possibility of her taking over from Tom Donilon as Obama's top national security aide was frequently mentioned.

Still, speculation is one thing; an actual appointment, another.

Christie Finesses Challenge Created By Senate Vacancy

Frank James — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 22:46:00 +0000

Only time will tell how well New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie finessed a decision that seemed to pit his personal interests against those of the broader public.

But by calling an Oct. 16 special election to replace the late Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg, it appears the governor took the most politically advantageous option available to him.

Christie insisted Tuesday that the only concern in his decision-making was the importance of elected representation for New Jersey in the U.S.

Romney Not Done With Politics

Frank James — Fri, 31 May 2013 20:10:00 +0000

Mitt Romney may have lost the biggest prize in American politics last year, but that doesn't mean he's left the game for good.

While there's no evidence to suggest he's interested in a third consecutive run for the White House, the man who topped the 2012 Republican national ticket is signaling his intent to play a role in the 2014 midterm election.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Romney indicated what could be read as plans to return to the political hustings to campaign for 2014

War Zone Visit A McCain Trademark

Frank James — Thu, 30 May 2013 22:51:00 +0000

There are risks aplenty for a U.S. lawmaker who makes a surprise visit to a war zone, as Sen. John McCain recently did when he crossed the border from Turkey into Syria.

The perils to life and limb go without saying.

Why Bob Dole's Advice to His Party Fell Flat

Frank James — Tue, 28 May 2013 22:36:00 +0000

The reaction was predictably negative: When former Sen.

Obama's Terrorism Fight Is Colored Gray, Not Black And White

Frank James — Fri, 24 May 2013 23:05:00 +0000

It's difficult for an American president to govern through nuance, especially when it's necessary to persuade a majority of the people that certain actions are essential for national security. And effective persuasion usually requires clarity.

That's how you arrive at President George W. Bush's stark formulation "You're either with us, or you're with the terrorists" after Sept.

Black Caucus Leader: We Disagree With Presidents, Even Obama

Frank James — Thu, 23 May 2013 21:51:00 +0000

During his time as the first black president in the White House, President Obama has occasionally been criticized by a group he once belonged to as a U.S. senator — the Congressional Black Caucus — for not doing more to ameliorate the difficult lives of many African-Americans.

But Rep. Marcia Fudge, an Ohio Democrat who was elected in November to head the CBC, doesn't see why criticism should be surprising.

Lois Lerner's Brief and Awful Day on Capitol Hill

Frank James — Wed, 22 May 2013 23:09:00 +0000

The public got its first look Thursday at Lois Lerner, who has gone from faceless IRS bureaucrat to the face that launched what feels like 1,000 congressional hearings and conspiracy theories.

But it was only a brief sighting since she didn't stay long at a House hearing to further probe her role in how some IRS workers came to target conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status.

The night before the hearing Lerner, who heads the IRS tax-exempt operation at the scandal's heart, made it known through her lawyer that she would invoke her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and

Former IRS Head To Senate: It Wasn't My Fault

Frank James — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:44:00 +0000

It was the Senate's turn Tuesday to grill the Internal Revenue Service, or more accurately, former agency officials, about its handling of the scandal involving the targeting of conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status.

Unlike last week, when House lawmakers got to beat up only on Steve Miller — until recently the IRS' acting director whose "resignation" President Obama reported at a hastily called appearance before news cameras last week — this time Miller was joined by Douglas Shulman, the former commissioner who left that post in November. They were joined by J.

Why the IRS Scandal Is Built To Last

Frank James — Fri, 17 May 2013 23:31:00 +0000

Of all the controversies swirling around the Obama White House, the Internal Revenue Service scandal seems likeliest to have the longest shelf life.

While the Benghazi affair has long been in the news, it's never really taken off as an issue beyond the Republican base.

Meanwhile, the Obama administration's position that national security considerations justified the Justice Department's gathering of journalists' phone records in a leak investigation may be enough to remove fuel from the outrage.