WATER COOLER
The Water Cooler is written by Washington Times staffers.
Latest Blog Entries
Chris Christie still a GOP darling, but leads the pack by just one 1 percent
Buzz and intense fundraising have kept New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on the presidential hopeful radar; he enjoys stable favorability numbers and a campaign war chest that now tops $9 million, with fundraising apparatus now set up in 50 states. But some say he's overrated.
Atheists form their own political action committee, seek 'equal rights'
Arriving this week: the Freethought Equality Fund PAC, the creation of the Center for Humanist Activism. Organizers say the new political action committee is being formed specifically to support candidates who are willing to advocate for the "equal rights of nonbelievers."
McCain, Cruz and Rubio dish on Putin: three senators draw a red line
Russia President Vladimir Putin's foray into journalism is still drawing the ire of American lawmakers who are vexed indeed over his New York Times op-ed.
'Big tent' Libertarian values in Republican party at the highest level in a decade
In polite circles, they're called "Libertarian leaning" Republicans who are borrowing a few pages from the Libertarian Party playbook, primarily to widen the voter appeal of the Grand Old Party as 2014 and 2016 approach. Now there are some numbers on it.
Collateral damage: Slow congressional resolution on Syria further delays vital budget negotiations
Not too long ago ago, the nation obsessed about the fiscal cliff. Lawmakers vowed to tangle with the federal debt. Now Congress faces another budget battle at month's end, and the dire prospect of a government shut down. So let's solve the Syria crisis, says Fox Business Network's Washington correspondent Rich Edson. It's time for clarity, and the real business at hand, he tells The Watercooler.
Reagan's 'peace through strength' to be re-examined by Hagel, Dempsey and 30 more luminaries
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, Navy Chief of Operations Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert plus Sens. Carl Levin, Michigan Democrat, and Kelly Ayotte, New Hampshire Republican, are among the 30 luminaries who will attend "Building Peace Through Strength Through 2025" at the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., in mid-November.
Director of National Intelligence: we do not 'steal the trade secrets of foreign companies'
Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper has a clear reply for a new report from a Brazilian TV network implying that the National Security Agency monitored computer systems at Google Inc., Petroleo Brasileiro SA, Brazil's state-owned energy company. French diplomats were also on the list.
'Viciously negative' news coverage of Virginia Republican Ken Cuccinelli's campaign yields him only four positive stories in 12 weeks
A new study of Virginia newspaper coverage finds the GOP candidate got rough treatment from the press compared to his Democratic counterpart: Mr. Cuccinelli earned just four positive stories vs. 95 negative ones, a whopping 24-to-1 margin. So says a new analysis by the Media Research Center.
Psychiatrist to the press: it's 'homicide bomber' - not 'suicide bomber'
A suicide prevention expert has called for the term "homicide bomber" to replace the widely used "suicide bomber", claiming that those who kill themselves while murdering others have few similarities to actual suicide victims.
94 percent of broadcast stories on Syria have made 'no mention of al Qaeda'
The public has been confused about the identity of "Syrian rebels" - who could receive arms and training from the U.S. is the very near future. One conservative watchdog group blames this confusion on broadcasters.
Liberal filmmaker Michael Moore gets a conservative jolt from the Academy Awards committee
"I was most gratified to learn that in their recent elections, academy voters decided to oust Moore from his position as a decider of which documentaries should make the cut for Oscar contention. This is a great victory for the American people."
From the Director of National Intelligence: 'increased transparency'
"In June, President Obama directed the Intelligence Community (IC) to declassify and make public as much information as possible about certain sensitive U.S. Government surveillance programs while being mindful of the need to protect sensitive classified intelligence and national security," says Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper in a statement issued Thursday night.
Donald Rumsfeld: Obama administration still in 'apology mode'
He's seen a lot of wars, and the making of wars, that's for sure. Donald Rumsfeld, 81, is a U.S. Navy veteran, was Secretary of Defense twice, and has served in public office in one capacity or another since 1963. And here's what he thinks about Syria as the White House wrestles with a protocol, a response and a productive solution.
Boots on the ground? Only 4 percent of Americans support sending U.S. troops into Syria
"Boots on the ground" may be a favorite phrase among journalists covering civil unrest in Syria. But it's the least favorite among war weary Americans who do not support sending U.S. troops into Syria. Only 4 percent would support a ground invasion, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Stop Hillary PAC gets its first congressional endorsement from Texas lawmaker Steve Stockman
It's a political action committee with one very aggressive purpose: "to ensure Hillary Clinton never becomes President of the United States," the organizers say. They've won their first congressional endorsement from Rep. Steve Stockman.
