Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment
Distinguished Fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment; former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy (2005-2009)
PROFILE
Eric Edelman
Guest
FROM Eric Edelman
To the Point
A Possible Nuclear Deal with Iran Divides Traditional Allies Nuclear talks will resume tomorrow between Iran, the US and five other countries, and the rhetoric is heating up on all sides of the issue. While the US says an agreement is "close," France says Iran's path to a bomb would still be too easy. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the deal is a threat to its very existence, and Arab nations — including Saudi Arabia — are taking Israel's side. In Congress, Republicans, and some Democrats, say it's time to increase economic sanctions, not to relax them, as the proposed agreement would do. Why are the US and traditional partners so divided? Is a deal or the lack of a deal most likely to lead to war?
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To the Point
Ex-FBI Director Comey tells his side of the story Today, former FBI Director James Comey came close to calling the President who fired him a liar. The White House denied the claim and called it insulting, but Republican Senators did not challenge Comey’s truthfulness. Many questions remain: did the President try to obstruct a federal investigation? Later, we’ll go behind the “velvet rope” for a look at 5-Star health care for the richest Americans.
To the Point
Replacing Obamacare: Now you see it… now you don’t As the Senate deliberates replacing Obmacare, health coverage for millions of people is at stake. There've been no public hearings, and a draft measure won't be made public. Is the House version so unpopular that that Senate is hiding a version that looks much the same?
To the Point
Is the threat from Russia missing from the Russia meddling probe? There's much being made about the Trump administration's possible ties with Russia. But the bottom line is Russia's effort to influence American democracy. Do the President and his aides care enough to take action before voters go back to the polls?
To the Point
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.