This sums it up.
Профиль
Max Boot
Профиль VivelyCFR fellow, Washington Post columnist. Pulitzer finalist for biography. Author: REAGAN: HIS LIFE AND LEGEND, NYT bestseller and NYT 10 best books of 2024. Man of many hats. Repost ≠ endorsement. maxboot.net.
“The number was twice as many as the Coast Guard, which manages America’s fleet, had said it needed. The contracts for building the ships would be awarded without competitive bids.” www.nytimes.com/2026/08/01/c...
“Congress has clear constitutional authority over tariffs and should be curbing the president’s use of that power and its constitutional authority,” trade expert Edward Alden told me. “Instead, if this passes, it will further enhance Trump’s tariff arsenal. That is not a good thing.” wapo.st/44V7sU6
I sympathize with the desire to squeeze Russia, but I also hope that the House will strengthen the Senate bill by stripping out the tariffs and making other sanctions mandatory. There is no reason for Congress to pass deeply flawed legislation when it can easily be improved. wapo.st/44V7sU6
Trump already has a lot of authority to impose sanctions on Russia. He just hasn’t used it much, because he has a soft spot in his heart for Putin. He could also avoid imposing the sanctions in the Lindsey Graham bill, because it grants him the power to waive any sanctions. wapo.st/44V7sU6
Given the president’s penchant for igniting costly trade wars on a whim, the last thing that Congress should be doing is handing him more authority to impose massive tariffs. It’s like giving matches to a pyromaniac. wapo.st/44V7sU6
I don’t know whether to cheer or jeer as the Lindsey Graham Sanctioning Russia Act nears passage in the Senate. There are a lot of good provisions in the legislation but also two bad ones. It’s far from clear whether the good outweighs the bad, or vice versa. wapo.st/44V7sU6
Shameful and disgraceful. Also harmful to the economy if you’re concerned about “affordability” (which Trump obviously is not). www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Over on Substack, I have some thoughts on the Fauci witch-hunt. open.substack.com/pub/maxboot/...
The paperback will be out in October. You can preorder it here: The paperback will be out in October. You can preorder it here: wwnorton.com/books/978087....
I had a great conversation with Ryen Russillo of Barstool Sports about my book "Reagan: His Life and Legend." The episode is now out. Hope you can give it a listen. www.barstoolsports.com/podcast-epis...
I had a great conversation with Ryen Russillo of Barstool Sports about my book "Reagan: His Life and Legend." The episode is now out. Hope you can give it a listen. www.barstoolsports.com/podcast-epis...
The US government should battle violent extremists of all persuasions—not just leftists (the subject of Rubio's international conference). Unfortunately, Trump pardoned the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol rioters, who committed the most serious act of political violence in modern U.S. history. wapo.st/4fodN0r
The State Department report on Cuba, which reads as if it were written by Joe McCarthy, appears to be a twofer: It can be used to both support a U.S. invasion of Cuba and a new Red Scare-style crackdown on progressive activists in the United States. wapo.st/4fodN0r
In vastly inflating the threats from “leftist NGOs, smug globalists, and hostile Third World governments,” Rubio is not advancing US interests. But he is advancing his own interests by improving his standing with Trump and his followers who are suspicious of his MAGA bona fides. wapo.st/4fodN0r
Rubio has targeted the ICC, Cuba & left-wing extremists in ways that are sure to please a president who is campaigning against the “Communist menace” without running the risk of any blowback. That’s because the threats that he claims to be fighting are vastly, ludicrously overblown. wapo.st/4fodN0r