Source: The American Conservative
by Doug Bandow

“President Joe Biden has made a habit of putting the interest of foreign governments before that of the American people. Like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Biden took office talking of his commitment to human rights and determination to turn MbS, as the crown prince is known, into a ‘pariah.’ Now the administration is proposing to turn the U.S. military into a modern Janissary corps, a bodyguard for the thousands of royal princes who rule over their countrymen. It is well past time to stop deferring to the KSA.” (05/09/24)

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/biden-offers-to-turn-u-s-military-personnel-into-saudi-royal-bodyguards/

Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Eldar Mamedov

“On May 2, U.S. law enforcement indicted Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) on charges of taking at least $360,000 in bribes from companies controlled by the government of Azerbaijan. In exchange for money, Cuellar would attempt to shape the U.S. foreign policy towards Azerbaijan by spreading narratives favorable to that nation’s interests through speeches and legislative measures. While the challenge of undue foreign interference in U.S. politics is not new, the case of Azerbaijan highlights a particular vulnerability in U.S. foreign policy: Washington’s fixation on inflexible alliances and enmities provides a fertile ground for foreign actors to exploit it to promote their own parochial agendas that have little to do with U.S. interests.” (05/09/24)

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/cuellar-azerbaijan/

Source: Law & Liberty
by John G Grove

“Comprehensive politics is characterized by a tendency to focus on the aggregate social conditions of the whole. It is monistic, seeing social life as a fundamental unity: the overriding goal of political activity is to make the various parts of society conform to the vision or contribute to the mission of the whole. In the words of Robert Nisbet, this kind of political community seeks to bring ‘all lives, all ends, all values, and all means into total articulation with one another.’ Comprehensive politics implies a plasticity of human beings, who are the product of their broader social context. … While comprehensive politics starts with a dream of what could be, constitutional politics starts with what is: the actual people, institutions, and authorities of any given society.” ()5/09/24)

https://lawliberty.org/comprehensive-or-constitutional-politics/

Source: Hoover Institution
by Bill Whalen

“As California hasn’t witnessed a competitive presidential race since the late 1980s and the twilight of the Reagan era, it’s tempting to assume that the Golden State yet again will not be a questionable factor in 2024’s outcome. That said, let’s take a look at the significance of presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s qualifying for this fall’s California ballot, now that the 70-year-old Kennedy — the nephew of a martyred president and the namesake son of a fabled presidential contender who famously battled for California’s Democratic delegates back in the summer of 1968 before he himself was assassinated — has secured the nomination of the American Independent Party. Could RFK Jr. actually carry the Golden State come November? Don’t bet on it.” (05/09/24)

https://www.hoover.org/research/will-rfk-jr-hold-sway-california