The probabilities are strong that Barack Obama will be signing an historic healthcare bill sometime next week. It’s a big win for the President. It’s a huge expense for America.  more

PJTV has a super-sarcastic (and longggg) video up in which Bruce Bartlett and I are mocked and derided as out of touch with ordinary Americans for questioning the knowledgeability of tea party protesters. A lot of chortling on set. I chortled along with the hosts, but for different reasons.  more

Michelle Malkin put up a blogpost last night in defense of Sean Hannity, which ends with a little jibe at yours truly: “Does David Frum realize what an ass he has made of himself?”  more

So at the end of a day of reporting, we have good news and bad news. Sean Hannity has not billed a charity for his planes or hotel suites or other extravagant expenses. The bad news: as we investigated the charges this morning, it became evident that almost nobody in the conservative world except us and American Spectator’s John Tabin was working this beat.  more

We’ve spent the day exhaustively investigating the Hannity/Freedom Alliance story. Reporting shortly…  more

Tonight in New York City, Talkers magazine will honor Sean Hannity for the outstanding community service of his Freedom Concerts. Should be an interesting evening!  more

At Forbes.com today, Bruce Bartlett crunches the numbers on our FrumForum tea party survey, and discovers a view of the world at variance with some basic economic realities.  more

UPDATED: Debbie Schlussel posted a disturbing story credibly alleging serious financial improprieties at Sean Hannity’s Freedom Concerts. Today, Freedom Alliance has released a statement responding to her allegations.  more

In his speech at the San Francisco World Affairs Council Thursday, California GOP Senate candidate Tom Campbell wisely argued that America must send a strong message to the world and in particular its enemies that when one of our allies is attacked we will come to their defense.  more

My old boss Bob Bartley used to advise all economic forecasters: “If you give a number, don’t give a date. If you give a date, don’t give a number.”  more

FrumForum obtains exclusive advance excerpts from Senate candidate Tom Campbell’s foreign policy address in San Francisco. Read Campbell’s statements on Afghanistan, terror detainees, and Israel here.  more

Latest data point: Bart Stupak’s complaint’s in today’s Politico. In many times and places, men have braved death to stand up and fight for their beliefs. In the United States in 2010, nobody suffers such a fate – but your office may have to take a lot of phone calls at odd hours of the day.  more

My latest column for The Week argues that just as in 2000, when Yasser Arafat abandoned peace talks and went to war, today the inflated expectations of the Palestinian people will again prevent their leaders from making the realistic compromises necessary to achieve a peace deal.  more

Even if Palestinian leaders want a peace deal, the inflated expectations of their people—underscored by militants with guns—all but certainly preclude one.  more

Matt Yglesias makes an (apt) point today in comparing the social and cultural differences between the U.S. and Canada.  more

Back in the 1980s, the United States and Japan settled differences over currency reasonably amicably. But Japan is a friend and ally. China is something else.  more

There is a lot of buzzing in the blogosphere about Virginia Attorney General Cuccinelli’s campaign-season statements about the Obama birth certificate. Listening to this, I don’t hear Cuccinelli agreeing with the birther madness. I hear a politician striving to avoid disagreement.  more

My latest column for CNN.com argues that the peace process itself may be prolonging the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  more

The most dangerous cause of instability in the Middle East is the so-called peace process itself.  more

It was at University College, London, that underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was radicalized. But instead of dealing with its extremist problem, the school has cut off all cooperation with British police except when required by law to do so.  more