By Jonathan Bronstein, Talk Radio News
Jonathan Bronstein talks to Paul Begala, a former political adviser to President Bill Clinton and political commentator. He explains the major components of President Obama’s health care plan. Additionally, he talks about how any health care reform must occur before August because Congress will lose its political momentum during their summer recess. (9:30)
By Jonathan Bronstein, Talk Radio News Service
Jonathan Bronstein recounts the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) recent comments during her weekly press conference. Pelosi asserted that the CIA knowingly lied to her and mislead the American people, and she even called for the creation of a Truth Commission in order to illuminate the facts about the CIA’s use of torture.
Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) responded to Pelosi’s allegations by warning her and other Democrats to be careful what they wish for because the commission’s discoveries may directly implicate them in the investigation.
Furthermore, Peter Brookes, an analyst for the Heritage Foundation, criticized the idea of a Truth Commission because he felt that it may hinder the CIA and other agencies from adequately protecting the American people.
But with each passing day the frustration of the American people mounts as they finally want to know what happened during the Bush Administration. (1:58)
By Jonathan Bronstein, Talk Radio News Service
If America is to remain an international superpower, it must control the world’s oceans, according to U.S. military and policy experts.
“The United States quite simply is a maritime nation,” said Michael Auslin, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. “Our future is possibly more tied up in the Pacific than with Europe.”
“The more power diffuses to the international system and Asia, the harder it will be to protect the global commons and the more difficult it will be to protect maritime security,” said Ashley Tellis, senior associate at with the Carnegie Endowment for Peace. Tellis said that the interests between rising nations, like India and China, are not all shared by the U.S. and would be unreliable partners who would almost certainly take advantage of any global cooperation.
Tellis is skeptical of the concept that international maritime cooperation “is essentially an idea that is pivoted on the notion of cooperation, and it works best in a world where all nations have common interests.”
Historically, the domination of the seas has been vital to the continuing strength and viability of powerful countries. But America’s role as a global hegemony is in jeopardy as Asian nations, like China and India, are taking militaristic actions to control large bodies of oceans.
In 1994, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea was officially enforced, which defines the rights and responsibilities of nations in their use of the world’s oceans. But before China signed the treaty, they extended their territorial waters to the continental shelf, which was much farther than the 12 miles stated in the original treaty.
America did not sign the agreement, which creates a global system of signals to aid in communication in order to prevent any misunderstandings.
According to Bernard Cole, a professor at the National War College, the Chinese view the situation as: America must “stay 200 miles off our coastline at all times and we won’t have any conflict.”
Japan is another major player within the Asian-Pacific region because of the strength of their economy and relations with America. But Japan itself is at a “crossroads toward rising or falling as a nation,” said retired Vice Admiral Hideaki Kaneda of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. “It is very critical in the long term to maintain this important maritime alliance for Japan and the United States.”
Jonathan Bronstein explores Israel’s recent test of their missile defense system, and what this means for the nation’s military capabilities. Two experts commented on this issue. Firstly, Richard Weitz, an analyst from the Hudson Institute, comments specifically on Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities and the possibility for Israel to implement first strike capabilities. Secondly, Benjamin Friedman, a scholar at the Cato Institute, comments on Iran being the greatest threat to Israel, but remains cautious on the military options which Israel should take. (1:59)
