The renewed debate over presidential war powers, sparked by Vice President J.D. Vance’s dismissal of the War Powers Resolution as “fake” and unconstitutional, exposes more than a technical disagreement about statutes. It reveals a deeper conflict over authority, restraint, and accountability in the exercise of force. At stake is not merely how wars are authorized,…
Power Without Righteousness Is Not Strength
Yesterday’s closed-door briefing to lawmakers on U.S. actions in Venezuela did little to resolve the most troubling questions raised by the operation. If anything, it exposed a widening gap between executive power and moral clarity. Members of Congress emerged divided not merely over tactics or outcomes, but over first principles: who authorizes force, what limits…
Power, Precedent, and the Perils of Unilateral Force: The High-Risk Gamble of Capturing Maduro
The U.S. military strike on Venezuela and the announced capture of Nicolás Maduro mark one of the most dramatic assertions of American power in the Western Hemisphere in decades. The operation will likely stand alongside the most consequential unilateral interventions of the modern era, not only because of its immediate tactical audacity but because of…
Credibility, Authority, and the Cost of Confusing Power with Truth
The controversy surrounding Donald Trump’s response to Russia’s claim that Ukraine attempted a drone attack near a residence associated with Vladimir Putin is not merely about diplomatic tone. It’s about something more foundational: how authority is exercised, how truth is discerned, and how public power either restrains or amplifies deception in moments of global consequence.…
When Government Authority Slips from Law into Moral Theater
The recent actions by Republican leadership in Texas and Florida aimed at the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) deserve more than reflexive applause or predictable outrage. They require sober analysis. Whatever one thinks of CAIR’s activism, rhetoric, or policy positions, the mechanism being used against it should trouble anyone who takes constitutional limits seriously. These…
Deterrence, Covenant, and the Cost of Power
One of the dangers of modern geopolitics is that we talk about power almost exclusively in terms of capacity—how many missiles, how much money, how quickly we can move hardware—while forgetting that power, untethered from order and responsibility, has a long track record of going sideways. President Trump’s decision to move forward with a massive…
What the FBI, Mar-a-Lago, and the Crisis of Trust Reveal About Our Moment
The FBI’s continued pushback against criticism of the Mar-a-Lago search is not merely an institutional defense against political pressure. It’s a window into something far deeper and far more troubling: a nation struggling with betrayal, broken trust, and the quiet fear that the threat to justice may not come from enemies on the outside, but…
Syria, Sacrifice, and the High Cost We’re Too Quick to Call “Waste”
The deadly attack on American personnel in Syria—and President Trump’s pledge of a decisive response—has once again forced the country to confront a question we never seem to settle: What is worth the cost? Every time U.S. service members are killed abroad, the debate begins almost instantly. Why are we there? What are we gaining?…
Mixed Signals in the War on Drugs
The U.S. scored a hard-fought win with the guilty plea of Joaquín Guzmán López — son of infamously brutal cartel boss Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán — a leader in the cartel faction known as “Los Chapitos.” He admitted overseeing massive trafficking of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and other narcotics into the United States. That’s the kind…
America’s Security Strains, Congressional Shakeups, and the Search for Serious Leadership
If the last week of news has taught us anything, it’s this: America is juggling more security concerns and political reshuffling than a circus clown with stage fright. From Afghan nationals making threats on TikTok to a loyal Trump-aligned congressman hanging up his boots, the moment feels… busy. And not the peaceful, sipping-sweet-tea-on-the-porch kind of…
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