At Issue this week... Vladimir Putin by Mona Charen July 30, 2014 America Buchanan (26) This is what really needs resetting American Exceptionalism Limbaugh (25) Norris (27) he bodies of 298 passengers and Chechens, and the enraged Russian people Putin has applied the logic of the Mos- Amnesty crew of Malaysia Air Flight 17, 80 endorsed the continuation of the war. cow bombings (stoke hatred of others to Schlafly (22) of them children, lie unburied in a Some members of the Kovalev Commis- rally Russians around himself) to relations Answer Man Seamans-Shook (14) UkrainianT field while Vladimir Putin’s men sion, appointed to investigate the bombings, with other nations. Russian state TV, after Black Americans fire their weapons into the air to keep in- expressed interest in accounts of possible labeling the elected government in Kiev, Williams (24) ternational investigators from approaching FSB responsibility for the attacks. Here’s Ukraine, as Nazi for months, recently ac- Clinton, Hillary Bozell (20) the site. Yes, “Putin’s men.” Calling them what happened to them: Sergei cused the Ukrainian army of crucifying a Conservatives “Russian separatists” unnecessarily digni- Yushenkov, co-chairman of three-year-old boy. Russian media feature Limbaugh (4) fies them. They are supplied, armed and an almost daily diet of conspiracies suppos- Dear Mark Levy (19) trained by the despot in the Kremlin. Mona edly concocted by Americans to undermine Death Penalty and humiliate Russia. Saunders (3) AT THE VERY least, Putin is respon- Charen For about the 100th time, Obama this Downing of Flight 17 sible for arming these dangerous actors. At (c) 2014, Creators Syndicate week warned Putin that if he didn’t cooper- Bay (29) Buchanan (15) most, it’s possible the missile wasn’t fired ate in the Malaysia plane investigation, he Economic Strength by Ukrainians at all, but by Russians, which the commission and a member of the Lib- would risk “isolating” Russia from the in- Kudlow (13) would answer President Barack Obama’s eral Russia party, was assassinated in front ternational community. Executive Power Lowry (5) question: “What do they have to hide?” The of his apartment; Yuri Shchekochikhin, Putin doesn’t seek to be part of any First Amendment SA-11 is apparently a complex system re- another commission member, independent community. He seeks to be feared — and Napolitano (21) quiring four well-trained weapons special- journalist and Duma member, was poi- he should be. A look back at recent his- Free Enterprise Greenberg (6) ists to operate. In either case, the man with soned with thallium; and Mikhail Trepash- tory shows clearly that he is incapable of Harding & Clinton blood on his hands is Putin. kin was arrested on a weapons charge that shame and deaf to conscience. In light of Tyrrell (10) Obama began relations with Russia with later morphed into an espionage case. He this, Obama can at least do a few things: Illegal Immigration a “reset.” The premise of this new start was was tried in a closed military proceeding 1) arm the Ukrainians with something con- Coulter (7) Massie (24) that relations between our nations had dete- and condemned to four years in prison. siderably more lethal than MREs; 2) stop Saunders (13) riorated due to the policies of former Presi- placing phone calls to the Kremlin — we Immigrants dent George W. Bush. A KBG DEFECTOR, Alexander Lit- should have nothing to say to him; 3) fast- Lambro (23) Impeachment But Obama was following the same tra- vinenko, wrote a book called Blowing Up track liquefied natural gas export permits; Farah (14) jectory as his predecessor. Bush, too, began Russia alleging that the FSB was respon- and 4) freeze the assets of Putin and his cro- Iran with high hopes for Putin. He was even sible for the Moscow bombings. He died, nies just as we did to Saddam Hussein. Chavez (30) Israel & Hamas taken in, for a short time, by Putin’s pro- slowly, of poisoning with polonium-210. Greenberg (16) fession of religious faith — surely one of Litvinenko had also accused Putin of arrang- THE THING that needs a reset is our Krauthammer (31) the biggest cons of modern diplomacy. As ing the murder of Anna Politkovskaya — a perception of Putin. Thomas (17) Bush watched Putin commit one aggres- Russian journalist and critic of Putin and the LaMarche, Philip Gara Malkin (29) sive act after another, both domestically Chechnya war. She was gunned down in the July 22, 2014 Liberalism and internationally, he wised up. Midway elevator of her apartment in 2006. Barone (5) through his second term, journalist Peter Obamacare Jeffrey (20) Baker writes, when Tony Blair said he was McCaughey (2) more worried than ever about Putin, Bush Obama Presidency replied, “You should be.” Lowry (15) Patriotism Bush may have clung too long to the Harsanyi (12) hope of moderating the criminal in the Paul, Rand Kremlin, but Obama had even less excuse. Saunders (9) Perry, Rick He had the benefit of Bush’s experience. He Morris (6) had witnessed Putin’s invasion of Georgia Murchison (22) in 2008, his unflagging support for Iran and Political Correctness Greenberg (28) Syria, his use of oil and gas to intimidate Putin, Vladimir Ukraine and other nations, his obliteration Charen (1) of democracy in Russia, his muzzling of the Shapiro (18) press, and his systematic murder of domes- Race Card Elder (11) tic critics. Funny that Obama would have Sowell (3) thought that responsibility for the decay in Thomas (12) relations should be laid at the feet of Bush. Republicans Charen (8) When Putin took command of the FSB Towery (9) (the KGB renamed), Russia was enduring Russia international criticism for its war in Chech- Prager (30) VA Scandal nya. Moscow apartment complexes ex- Malkin (27) perienced a wave of bombings that killed Worldwide Chaos several hundred. Putin pointed the finger at Barone (10) 2 Conservative Chronicle OBAMACARE: July 23, 2014 Obamacare is in critical condition he nation’s No. 2 court on Tues- The D.C. Circuit ruling also chastised Despite that and other warnings, IRS shifted the cost from premium payers to day slapped down the Obama the Obama administration for rewrit- officials last fall dispensed tax subsidies taxpayers. administration in a 2-1 decision ing the law to suit its own ends. Judge in all 50 states. The court ruled “with reluctance,” thatT could kill the president’s signature Thomas Griffith, writing for the major- Administration lawyers argued that, Griffith said. “At least until states that health care law. A less-prestigious fed- ity, declared, “The Constitution assigns regardless of what Section 1401 wish to can set up exchanges, our ruling eral appeals court issued a contradictory the legislative power to Congress, and to says, Congress envisioned will likely have significant consequences opinion the same day, but if the Supreme Congress alone.” offering subsidies to both for the millions of individuals re- Court upholds the D.C. Circuit’s ruling, it No more gov- Betsy buyers nationwide. ceiving tax credits through federal ex- will force Congress back to the drawing erning by fiat, Mr. The court didn’t changes and for health-insurance markets board to design a health law that is genu- President. McCaughey buy it. more broadly. But, high as those stakes inely affordable, not just falsely titled The businesses (c) 2013, Creators Syndicate “The fact is that are, the principle of legislative supremacy “Affordable Care Act.” and individuals the legislative re- that guides us is higher still.” who sued in Halbig argued that the ac- cord provides little indication one way or The judges made it clear that either THE RULING in Halbig v. Bur- tual wording of the Affordable Care Act the other of congressional intent,” wrote Congress must act to change the law well bars the federal government from clearly allows the IRS to provide subsi- Griffith. (highly unlikely) or states must establish handing out taxpayer-funded subsidies dies (via a tax credit) only to buyers in their own exchanges (also unlikely), or to people who buy Obamacare plans in states that established state exchanges. NO WONDER. Obamacare was Obamacare will collapse because of its nearly two-thirds of the states — the 35 Section 1401 of that law unambigu- crammed through the Senate on Christ- unaffordable premiums. that refused to set up their own insurance ously states that subsidies will be made mas Eve 2009, before lawmakers had The ruling puts Obamacare in legal exchanges. available “through an exchange estab- read it, much less debated it. (Majority limbo, even with a less-influential court, Those subsidies took the sting out of lished by the state.” Leader Harry Reid was racing the clock the Fourth Circuit, issuing a conflicting being forced to buy pricey Obamacare The subsidies were intended as a carrot to pass the bill through before not-yet- ruling. The administration says it will re- plans. If the ruling sticks, buyers in those to persuade states to establish exchanges. seated Scott Brown could provide the key quest an en banc hearing before the entire states will have to pay full price, on aver- But surprise, only 14 states went along. vote to stop Obamacare, as Massachu- 11-judge D.C. Circuit, which is weighted age a whopping four times the subsidized The others, mostly led by Republican setts voters had just elected him to do.) in Obama’s favor with seven Democratic price they paid this year. governors, refused. Late in the game, Without subsidies, the Affordable Care appointees. Quadrupling the price would trigger the administration had to establish the Act is just the opposite — hugely unaf- But the issue is plainly headed to the a mass exodus out of the plans, causing federal healthcare.gov exchange to get fordable.