David Keene
Columns by David Keene
KEENE: Why Israel needs to destroy the tunnels
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has the support of something like 84% of his fellow citizens for his effort to destroy the dozens of tunnels Hamas has dug under Israeli territory over the last few years because every Israeli knows that they allow Hamas fighters to infiltrate their country to kidnap and kill Israeli civilians or worse. Published July 31, 2014
KEENE: The lone soldier
Earlier this week, an estimated 20,000 Israelis gathered in Haifa for the funeral of a 21-year-old from South Padre Island, Texas, who had come to Israel, joined the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), and died in fierce fighting in Gaza. Published July 31, 2014
KEENE: Thinking outside nanny-state box with Paul Ryan
Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin is perhaps the smartest conservative in Congress. Unusual for a politician, the former vice presidential nominee actually spends time thinking about problems and coming up with solutions. Published July 28, 2014
KEENE: The lone soldier
Earlier this week, an estimated 20,000 Israelis gathered in Haifa for the funeral of a 21-year-old from South Padre Island, Texas, who had come to Israel, joined the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), and died in fierce fighting in Gaza. Published July 22, 2014
KEENE: An opportunity that can’t be lost
After a landslide victory in 2008, Barack Obama and his political advisors vowed to not only fundamentally change America, but to lock down their victory by fundamentally changing the politics of the American West. Published July 16, 2014
KEENE: Editing out an enlightened history of America
In the early days of the American Republic, Thomas Jefferson was perhaps the staunchest advocate of public education. He would be appalled at the state of public education today. Published July 14, 2014
KEENE: Sorry, soccer fans: Only baseball is red, white and blue
Bart Giamatti went from Yale University president to commissioner of Major League Baseball and considered it a far grander job. Published July 10, 2014
KEENE: The collapse of House’s cards
The world is still struggling to escape from the shadow of the Great War that began 100 years ago this year and produced the bloodiest century in recorded human history. Published July 7, 2014
KEENE: A cloud over the Export-Import Bank
Wall Street was not happy when House Majority Leader Eric Cantor lost his primary earlier this month. Published June 30, 2014
KEENE: Free speech on the guillotine
Liberal progressives have in recent years all but abandoned the American belief in free speech and the First Amendment in favor of shutting down those with whom they disagree. Published June 23, 2014
KEENE: President Blameless
President Obama is so busy these days blaming anyone and everyone for the consequences of his policies that it has to be cutting into his golf game. Published June 16, 2014
PRIVACY: Liberty vs. security in post-9/11 world
While the materials Edward Snowden copied and disseminated during his stint as a National Security Agency contractor put the nation's security policies under an unprecedented microscope, many in and out of government had been worried about whether the post-9/11 security fetish was undermining basic constitutional liberties. Published June 12, 2014
KEENE: Eric Cantor’s rising star flames out
Washington's spinmeisters are out in full force "explaining" House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's primary loss. Published June 11, 2014
KEENE: David Brooks’ editorial inconsistency
To editors of The New York Times and producers at the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), David Brooks is the perfect conservative. Published June 9, 2014
KEENE: When free speech is no longer protected
It was 1946, and America was on the road to recovery. Hitler, Mussolini and Tojo had been vanquished. Published June 2, 2014
KEENE: Getting to the root of the VA breakdown
To fire Eric K. Shinseki or not --- that is the question everyone in Washington is asking. Many, including major veterans' organizations and a lot of Republicans, think he should have been fired yesterday. Published May 26, 2014
KEENE: Gauging Hillary’s fitness for the presidency
Outraged posturing over Karl Rove's recent inelegant injection of Hillary Clinton's age and health into the discussion of whether she is up to a national campaign for the presidency predictably dominated the weekend news shows. PBS' Gwen Ifill and Mark Shields, for example, disdainfully dismissed "Dr." Rove's comments, Mr. Shields calling them the political equivalent of "injecting heroin into the bloodstream." Published May 19, 2014
KEENE: Ukraine: Repeating a perilous history
Though the now trite-sounding quote is often attributed to George Santayana, it was actually that old conservative Edmund Burke who first warned that "those who don't know history are destined to repeat it." Published May 12, 2014
KEENE: High stakes in the GOP primaries
As the spring primaries approach, Republican voters in dozens of states and congressional districts are going to be asked to choose between incumbent senators and congressmen and their challengers. Published May 2, 2014
BOOK REVIEW: ‘All Fishermen Are Liars’
John Gierach is something of a legend among fly fisherman. His books are eagerly devoured by his fans because he tells a good story, knows his craft and seems to his readers to be living a life that they dream they could live. Published April 23, 2014