This first piece was an official editorial of the Washington Examiner. The latter three are all personal columns by Quin. For the full pieces, follow the links embedded in the headlines.
Trump’s judges are great (Dec. 26). President Trump has been more focused and more successful than any modern president in appointing excellent judges to the federal courts. With the help of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Trump has produced impressive raw numbers in terms of judicial influence.
Still, McConnell is not the Senate majority leader Trump should be thanking. That honor goes to McConnell’s predecessor, former Democratic Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada.
Despite unprecedented, massively obstructive tactics by Senate Democrats, Trump, in fewer than three years, has secured the confirmation of two Supreme Court justices and 50 appeals court judges. In contrast, Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, in eight years each, secured just two appointees to the Supreme Court and, respectively, only 62, 61, and 49 appellate judges. At the highest levels of the federal courts, then, Trump is securing appointments at about twice the rate of his three predecessors….
Trump’s critics should emulate his tone in his speech on Iran (Jan. 8). President Trump is not usually known for restraint, but his brief speech to the nation Wednesday morning showed tough-minded restraint of just the right sort. The language was sober without being the slightest bit weak, and the substance he announced was firm but measured. …
Democrats harmed U.S. interests with vehemence of their statements against Trump on Iran (Jan. 3). Democratic leaders were way off base in issuing harsh denunciations of President Trump’s airstrike that killed Iranian terrorism maestro Qassem Soleimani. Immediately after a U.S. military strike such as this one, especially in highly volatile circumstances, American elected leaders should strive to present a united front to the world. If they can’t actively support the president, the opposition can certainly express concern and reserve the right to make harsher criticisms later without showing the sort of open, strident divisiveness that plays into enemy hands. They should probably wait for the smoke to clear before they noisily undermine the commander in chief….
Biden and Warren are imprisoned by lies about Guantanamo Bay (Dec. 19).
Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former Vice President Joe Biden were horrifically mendacious tonight in their comments on the Guantanamo Bay terrorist detention facility. Their answers were shameful. Warren said that the facility is “an international embarrassment.” Biden said it is actually “an advertisement” encouraging terrorism. How dare they?
I’ve been to the facility. It is a model prison….
