Heritage Foundation Leadership for America

PUBLICATIONS BY Tim Chapman

Commentary

• 2006

2006 Commentary

December 09, 2006
No Christmas for Big Spenders This Year
By Tim Chapman
As the final hours of the 109th Congress wind down, a handful of Senate conservatives have taken it upon themselves to ensure that the final act of the Republican congressional majority will not be the passage of a bunch of pork-laden spending bills.

November 17, 2006
Who will lead the minority to the majority?
By Tim Chapman
On Friday morning House Republicans will hold a meeting to elect leaders who will lead them in the minority for the first time since 1994. The House leadership elections have become ground zero for an intra-party debate about the future of the Republican Party and the broader conservative movement.

October 14, 2006
Half Right Is Still Half Wrong
By Tim Chapman
Most observers probably missed it, but President Bush and the Republicans in Congress scored a significant victory this week.

August 25, 2006
Terrorism issue breathes life into GOP
By Tim Chapman
President Bush and his GOP brethren in Congress have reason to celebrate this week. For the first time in what seems like a political eternity, their polling numbers are heading north.

August 25, 2006
Keystone Arkansas flashbacks
By Tim Chapman
Pennsylvania Republican Rick Santorum is fighting for his political life this fall.

August 11, 2006
Not your father's Democratic Party
By Tim Chapman
Six years ago Joe Lieberman was the darling of the Democratic Party.  In a salute to the Connecticut senator's character, moral fiber and steadfast moderation, Al Gore chose him to be the party's vice presidential candidate. That made sense, as Lieberman enjoyed many positive traits Gore lacked. Lieberman's 2000 nomination proved that the Democratic party still understood that most Americans value moderation over far-left liberalism.

July 28, 2006
Playing politics with the Middle East
By Tim Chapman
Democratic Senators Barbara Boxer and Charles Schumer boycotted a joint session of Congress yesterday when it convened to hear Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The duo's gesture was an effort to make a political statement along with their House colleagues.

July 14, 2006
The mainstream media don't get it
By Tim Chapman
The Bush Administration suffered a crushing defeat this week ? according to the mainstream media. Front pages across the nation reported that the president "bowed" to the wishes of the Supreme Court and "reversed" his long-standing policy for handling military detainees, including those held in Guantanamo.

June 30, 2006
And people say blogs don't matter
By Tim Chapman
Conservative political blogs this week scored a major victory by pushing Congress to introduce a resolution condemning The New York Times for outing a secret anti-terrorist financial tracking program. Indeed, as soon as the Times ran the story, the conservative blogosphere was up in arms.

June 23, 2006
The Dems' losing strategy
By Tim Chapman
Democrats in Congress recently released their plan to take back Congress in the upcoming fall elections. But there seemed to be a few pages missing since their plan contained not even one utterance about the situation in Iraq.

June 16, 2006
Compromise may hurt Pence
By Tim Chapman
Indiana Congressman Mike Pence has proposed what he calls a "middle ground" in the debate over immigration reform. For his efforts Pence is now the subject of harsh criticism from both sides of the debate. But it is the criticism from the anti-immigration hard-liners on the right that threatens Pence's standing as a hero to conservatives.

June 09, 2006
Taxpayer funded race-based governing?
By Tim Chapman
Our nation's capital is echoing with alohas this week. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) has flown key players in to Washington, D.C. to lobby Capitol Hill in favor of S. 147, the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act.