Michael Gerson's Slant

It is the conservative critique of the freedom agenda that democratic transformations are hopeless or dangerous in societies lacking democratic cultures. The people of Iraq, George F. Will said in 2004, are "just three people away from democratic success. Unfortunately, the three are George Washingt ..

In readjusting the size and role of government, there is a natural progression of pain. Cuts tend to begin with the poor and vulnerable, who have limited political clout. There is barely a peep of protest. But it quickly becomes obvious that most public benefits don't go to the poor and vulnerable. ..

President Obama's 2012 budget is the numerical embodiment of his State of the Union address - both being systematic distractions from the main, current tasks of governing. His plan includes, according to Yuval Levin, editor of National Affairs, "no entitlement reform, no tax reform, no significant s ..

For those who are prone to be prone to such things, recent events in Egypt are further evidence of declining American global influence. President Hosni Mubarak, having taken a lot of American aid, now seems immune to both American advice and pressure. The protesters, one article complained, didn't e ..

Digging in the garden of a health official in Mali, investigators discover more than 30 counterfeit "stamps" used to validate fraudulent invoices to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The inspector general of the fund reports serious corruption in the programs of four countries ..

The largest challenge President Obama faces is job creation. But the largest issue over which the president and Congress have actual control is the deficit. So the first clear comparison between Obama and newly empowered Republicans will be a contest of credibility on the budget. After presiding ov ..

"We are not enemies, but friends." In the Western tradition, one answer has been rooted in epistemology - the limits of knowledge. Citizens, in this view, should not be arrogant or intolerant about their political, moral and religious views because no one has the right to be certain of his or her v ..

Members of the White House staff are extensions of a president's will, and they also shape that will over time. They can either amplify or repress his enthusiasms; feed his better nature or his resentments. They are both instrument and influence. President Obama's staff changes in the past few month ..

When President John Kennedy visited Dallas in November 1963, he was greeted by a full-page newspaper ad accusing him of being a communist fellow traveler. To his wife he observed, "Oh, you know, we're headed into nut country today." The city, according to historian William Manchester, was a "mecca" ..

When President John Kennedy visited Dallas in November 1963, he was greeted by a full-page newspaper ad accusing him of being a communist fellow traveler. To his wife he observed, "Oh, you know, we're headed into nut country today." The city, according to historian William Manchester, was a "mecca" ..

As the latest diplomatic WikiLeaks trickle down from the headlines to remote parts of the world, we can begin examining their effect. Take Zimbabwe, whose fragility makes it an instructive test case. This is a nation liberated, looted and then ground to dust by a single man: Robert Mugabe. Election ..

The main achievements of the lame-duck session of Congress were reminders of what might have been. President Obama gave something to get something. To secure a second stimulus, he accepted Republican economic methods. To pass the New START treaty, Obama offered assurances to Republican senators on n ..

But Saint Nick's offense is also religious. He is "in direct competition with God, and it seems Santa may have the upper hand." "They're both invisible characters that appear from time to time," Jenell Paris continues, "so how does a Christian parent convince a child that God is really real (especia ..