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Trump’s cry that America is fighting ‘endless wars’ is a canard

WASHINGTON — President Trump has defended his shameful abandonment of our Kurdish allies in Syria, declaring that “I was elected on getting out of these ridiculous endless wars” that have left America “bogged down, watching over a quagmire.” Listening to the president, Americans might think that we still have large numbers of U.S. troops fighting on fronts across the Middle East. We do not. The days when we deployed hundreds of thousands of troops in the Middle East are long gone. Today, we have 14,000 troops in Afghanistan, about 5,000 in Iraq and just 1,000 in Syria. That ...

Don’t put your feet up

Dear Annie: Every day, I see kids in the front passenger seat with their feet on the dashboard. This is incredibly dangerous. In a low-impact crash that does not signal air bag deployment, this body position has moved the seat belt, assuming it’s being used, off the waist and onto the abdomen, and near the throat. Worse, though, is the knees are in completely the wrong orientation to flex and move with the force of the crash. Air bags deploy beginning with moderate crashes, defined as hitting a parked car at about 20 mph. In other words, almost every crash deploys the air bags. An ...

The presidency and war power

Readers of this column are familiar with the concept of the separation of powers, which James Madison crafted as integral to the Constitution. That concept mandates that Congress writes the laws, the president enforces them, the courts decide what they mean and interpret them, and the three branches of government don’t step on each other’s toes. The separation of powers also recognizes that the Constitution reposes unique authority in each branch and, at times, in each house of Congress. For example, only the Senate can confirm judges and ambassadors and ratify treaties. Only the ...

Doesn’t want to share title

Dear Annie: I’ve been divorced for a long time. My ex-husband, “Joe,” is living with “Sue.” She is the one who broke us up. I don’t care about that part anymore; she can have him. I’m upset because my granddaughter got married recently, and they gave Sue a corsage, too. When I saw them give it to her, I said to myself, “What the heck?” My other daughter was with me and she said, “Get over it, Ma.” I was hurt but said nothing. After the wedding, when they were taking pictures, they said, “Let’s have the grandparents.” Sue walked up with my ex. Again, I ...

The Senate GOP’s no-win scenario

In response to news reports over the weekend that at least one additional administration whistleblower has come forward to say what he or she knows about President Trump’s Ukrainian schemes, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham tweeted, “I’ve seen this movie before — with Brett Kavanaugh. More and more doesn’t mean better or reliable.” Graham’s raw political spinning has a fatal flaw. Graham wants to tar the whistleblowers as part of a partisan campaign. But their motivation is largely irrelevant now because the bulk of the allegations have already been corroborated by ...

No need to be friends

Dear Annie: My boyfriend broke up with me pretty suddenly and over the phone right after spring semester ended. We haven’t talked over the summer, and now that school started this fall, it’s been pretty awkward. I still have feelings for him and a lot of questions. Since we haven’t talked to each other for about four months, I don’t know how to start talking to him again. I don’t even know if talking to him is a good idea. After he broke up with me, he said he still wanted to be good friends, and I told him that I honestly didn’t think I could be friends with him. I ...