Rachel Marsden is a columnist with Human Events Magazine, and Editor-In-Chief of GrandCentralPolitical News Syndicate, distributing to over 3,000 newspapers nationwide. She is also a media and political campaign strategist and TV/radio commentator. Her first political book will be published in 2009. rachel@rachelmarsden.com http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden http://media.townhall.com/TownHall/icons/TH-feed-icon-128x128.gif http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden TownHall.com, Where your opinion counts. 128 Copyright (c) 2012 Townhall.com, A Salem Communications Web. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED jim.dearras@townhall.com (Jim De Arras) Tue, 15 May 2012 19:04:00 GMT Tue, 15 May 2012 19:04:00 GMT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ While your co-workers hover around the water cooler debating whether it matters if Mitt Romney bullied some kid in his youth, a formerly First World nation called Greece is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. Why, you... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2012/05/15/waiting_for_a_european_santa_claus f4cf8832-1078-4e9b-96d9-bda5d4e2359c Tue, 15 May 2012 19:04:00 GMT France has elected only the second Socialist president in its history -- the first being Francois Mitterrand, who spent 14 years in the driver's seat back when French presidential terms lasted seven years rather than... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2012/05/11/why_france_elected_a_socialist_president 7e98d676-48e8-4f83-a173-292e9bddd4b4 Fri, 11 May 2012 15:57:00 GMT A Russian source recently brought an obscure but disturbing article to my attention. Published last month by a little-known online journal called the Oriental Review, the piece, "Active Endeavour And Drug... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2012/05/01/lame_attempts_to_shut_off_afghan_heroin_spigot_have_been_futile 2a992f8c-ead2-450c-825b-35b724b8fafb Tue, 01 May 2012 18:18:00 GMT Are the French getting their Tea Party on? That's what an outsider looking at the country's first-round presidential voting results might have been led to believe. But, as with many things French, the reality is très... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2012/04/24/the_truth_about_frances_farright_electoral_surge e12309ff-38db-494d-91df-1058e8dbbb9c Tue, 24 Apr 2012 17:35:00 GMT There's a scene in the movie "Pretty Woman" where the kindhearted hooker played by Julia Roberts asks her client, portrayed by Richard Gere: "Who do you want me to be?" Regardless of who she might really be, she... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2012/04/18/the_pretty_woman_strategy_for_political_victory 46035a5c-bf2f-4bd5-be21-854f737b6985 Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:48:00 GMT By now you've likely heard about the infamous Las Vegas convention bash during which federal civil servants at the General Services Administration indulged in various frivolities to the tune of $823,000 of... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2012/04/10/the_gsa_scandal_and_throwback_civil_service_culture 434265a5-b026-4199-aeaa-cc9d99b9fdd2 Tue, 10 Apr 2012 19:30:00 GMT Last week, Mitt Romney described Russia as America's "No. 1 geopolitical foe," prompting Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to respond: "I think it's somewhat dated to be looking backwards instead of being realistic... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2012/04/03/romneys_russia_remarks_and_the_dangers_of_dumbed_down c9f8b415-8851-42f7-b9a9-b532734d6a7a Tue, 03 Apr 2012 20:53:00 GMT In France, an Islamic terrorist has likely hijacked the agenda for the remainder of the French presidential race. That terrorist is 23-year-old Mohammed Merah, a Franco-Algerian from Toulouse who was fatally riddled... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2012/03/27/terrorist_hijacks_french_elections 4cef2e8d-e360-4168-b822-7a87a09220ce Tue, 27 Mar 2012 17:31:00 GMT After being bombarded with news of Third World problems for so long, I figured it was time to give a bit of equal time to First World suffering. Every so often I reach a boiling point with modern Western culture and... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2012/03/20/first_world_problems a09ffb00-6b0b-4992-88cc-ed9c5e0bc218 Tue, 20 Mar 2012 14:15:00 GMT French President Nicolas Sarkozy was elected five years ago by promising to modernize France's societal infrastructure and bring it more into line with America's: less government reliance, more freedom in life and work.... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2012/03/13/sarkozys_cry_for_help 98f11ea8-8406-4c38-b7e2-811303c6b2a4 Tue, 13 Mar 2012 16:23:00 GMT So Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has just been re-presidented for at least another six years, during which we can all watch his newly tucked eyes migrate back to where they used to be. And as surely as a pound... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2012/03/06/russia_reputined 797bf2a2-bd3e-4114-a359-978e091a76b0 Tue, 06 Mar 2012 19:24:00 GMT As promised in December, WikiLeaks has begun to release a stash of documents related to the modus operandi of the "private intelligence" sector, using Texas-based Stratfor as a case study. Claiming to have hacked... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2012/02/29/new_wikileaks_stash_a_frightening_view_of_government_intelligence 122f7b74-18ed-4ef1-b10f-393af92654aa Wed, 29 Feb 2012 21:21:00 GMT In less than two weeks, Russians go to the polls for a presidential election exercise. The overwhelmingly likely outcome: Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will dust off the old stationery from his first two terms as... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2012/02/21/twitter_mentality_is_a_threat_to_america 5df2748e-de88-45d0-bbf3-735600c1f1c0 Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:19:00 GMT I can't believe that I actually agree with something President Obama has done. Granted, I'm one of those conservatives who has never subscribed to the full-meal-deal checklist, preferring to critically consider whether... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2012/02/14/obama_has_it_right_on_birth_control c5868626-b4b2-49d0-b6c6-7bd705dce168 Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:39:00 GMT Mitt Romney appears to have all the foreign-policy savvy of someone who once visited Euro Disney, and it's freaking me out. Not to say that President Obama is any more knowledgeable on that front, but at least he seems... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2012/02/07/romney_is_dangerously_naive_on_foreign_policy 66231334-6a24-471e-9bd3-a45598ba79df Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:47:00 GMT The Fitch Ratings agency has downgraded the credit of another five European countries -- Belgium, Cyprus, Italy, Slovenia, and Spain -- citing "the financing risks faced by eurozone sovereign governments in the absence... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2012/01/31/will_any_part_of_europe_save_itself 9c186dee-4dcc-46be-ae46-5418974209a4 Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:03:00 GMT As increased globalization forces countries to pretend that they like playing with all the other kids in the playground despite fearing they'll have their toys stolen, never has there been more blatant self-interest... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2012/01/25/globalization_survival_of_the_phoniest ff6ab2c1-4292-459d-80e2-09a7087dfba0 Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:14:00 GMT Once again, socialism has put a silver fork in itself. Standard & Poor's has downgraded France's AAA credit rating, giving the country the side-eye on its claims to have its debt under control. This means the country... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2012/01/18/socialism_bombs_out_again 4dd2f160-82d6-4a1f-afe1-59623d35088c Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:43:00 GMT Two items have recently burst onto the media scene: a movie called "The Iron Lady" about one of the greatest women in history -- former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher -- and a growing European recall of breast... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2012/01/10/margaret_thatcher_and_the_plague_of_fake_female_empowerment 0a4e865e-ef46-4fb7-a213-cb428f134bd3 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:31:00 GMT Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's reaction to Moscow protesters perfectly illustrates how the former Soviet spy chief can masterfully leverage classic subversion strategies typically found in espionage to... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2012/01/03/putin_stymies_protesters_with_subversion_strategies 4a33ae1e-bcc1-4135-9b64-eb13b2651db4 Tue, 03 Jan 2012 21:18:00 GMT In a victory for common sense, America's top trading partner has become the first country to bail on the Kyoto Protocol before the nearly $7 billion in noncompliance costs comes due next year. Thus ends a pointless and... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2011/12/21/canada_and_the_kyoto_protocol_who_says_quitters_never_win f9847f4c-9c22-4737-bfe5-6ec8780ee29a Wed, 21 Dec 2011 05:01:00 GMT I've had it with this useless, ongoing charade to "save Europe." It's time to get serious and consider jailing and impeaching some of these European Union member leaders for requisite incentive. Last week's EU show... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2011/12/13/punish_overspending_european_leaders 9b0761ea-78ea-4dea-bfb0-6566284d17bc Tue, 13 Dec 2011 20:30:00 GMT WikiLeaks has begun time-releasing documents related to the global private intelligence industry. What exactly is this field, and what do you, as a citizen, need to know about it? So far, the published open-source... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2011/12/06/spy_games b9db75c5-db27-44de-bc1f-49b97afe0dc1 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 20:43:00 GMT Global leaders are set to meet in Durban, South Africa, from Nov. 28 to Dec. 9, in an attempt to figure out how to continue their fight against "climate change" when the first Kyoto Protocol commitment period ends in... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2011/11/30/an_alternative_agenda_for_the_durban_environmental_summit d777dc36-7be1-4a3b-b33a-e1106a88b88f Wed, 30 Nov 2011 05:01:00 GMT Canada's conservative prime minister, Stephen Harper, understands that energy means influence and independence. It would be tough to argue that Canada is on some kind of power trip, and it's not difficult to... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2011/11/22/us_and_europe_threaten_their_own_energy_independence b9969d56-1674-480b-ae74-1d30fe2bc7fb Tue, 22 Nov 2011 18:20:00 GMT My new book, "American Bombshell: A Tale of Domestic and International Invasion," has just been published almost in lockstep with poor Texas Gov. Rick Perry's Republican-primary debate gaffe. It's convenient timing,... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2011/11/15/perry_debate_gaffe_highlights_hyperfocus_on_image bd254e64-e85e-4e8a-aec7-a65417b143bf Tue, 15 Nov 2011 16:22:00 GMT The slogan for last week's G-20 meeting here in France was "New World, New Ideas." It should have been "Same World, Bad Ideas." High drama played out in front of the world press as members of the G-20 family squabbled... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2011/11/08/the_g-20_dysfunctional_family_reunion 009f5387-9b10-46c9-ac70-738899194f44 Tue, 08 Nov 2011 19:33:00 GMT Russian's non-Putin President Dmitry Medvedev (a.k.a. President Placeholder) met with a group of small businessmen in Moscow over the summer to discuss their challenges. One can only imagine where to start. So Medvedev,... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2011/11/01/america_now_more_pro-civil_service_than_russia e441dd09-262b-4c8a-adc8-5136b64b6539 Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:04:00 GMT Because it's the U.S. Army's Energy Awareness Month, it may be a good time to remind President Obama of oil's importance to economic security, and the role that wartime leadership and image play in getting your hands on... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2011/10/25/obama_risks_an_oil_opportunity efd0d7a2-9857-4c55-a598-8ca4b7a1b172 Tue, 25 Oct 2011 18:15:00 GMT Being a geopolitical analyst and forecaster often means having to explain to people in America how and why a single event in Africa, Russia or China will directly impact them. One such event is the French presidential... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2011/10/18/why_every_american_should_care_about_the_french_presidential_race 53713e93-9ada-4601-9108-d7bce7bdad63 Tue, 18 Oct 2011 19:11:00 GMT Since I first broke the news of the Occupy Wall Street protest plans over a month ago, events, as predicted in that column, have turned into a cluster-hug of groups and causes. A collective of union members, antiwar... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2011/10/11/wall_street_and_its_occupiers_both_state_welfare_junkies 4b4e1322-1946-4413-b4bb-95b04bb2d8ca Tue, 11 Oct 2011 19:38:00 GMT In September 2010, the German news magazine Der Spiegel explained that Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has a "soft spot for the Arctic," with Putin saying Russia "will put huge amounts of money... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2011/10/04/russias_arctic_embrace_cold_war_reloaded 68d900dd-5f29-40fe-9a29-ad41f66b8768 Tue, 04 Oct 2011 20:05:00 GMT To gauge President Obama's lack of direct involvement on the international stage, you only have to look at the popularity polls in Europe, where his approval numbers still soar at around 75 percent. In Europe, leaders... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2011/09/27/american_voices_obamas_international_outsourcing 6c20db4b-b6b6-41bc-9591-c170bed1ee66 Tue, 27 Sep 2011 18:38:00 GMT As a conservative in favor of limited government, I'm often asked what kind of government intervention I do support. The answer is simple: I'm in support of people doing anything they want in a free and... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2011/09/20/your_rights_end_where_mine_begin 68e59cb5-3f76-4b79-917c-dced1c101f1a Tue, 20 Sep 2011 18:30:00 GMT An American icon -- the Coca-Cola brand -- almost went to war to free common sense, which was being held hostage by the French government and knee-jerk socialism. Now, I realize this column is about... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2011/09/14/coca-cola_vs_socialism d90a087e-5be0-4026-bde2-9f874a752ea7 Wed, 14 Sep 2011 04:01:00 GMT A "flash point" in law-enforcement terms is "a point at which someone or something bursts suddenly into action or being." One such point sits just ahead on the horizon in America, with various leftists and anarchists... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2011/09/06/will_leftists_attempt_to_ignite_america_create_a_spark ae1da749-06b3-42b1-aa6a-05d38a96386a Tue, 06 Sep 2011 19:16:00 GMT Does Barack Obama care that the terrorist convicted only a decade ago of killing 189 Americans is reportedly running around Libya? The Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, was tried in the U.K. and then... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2011/08/30/go_get_the_lockerbie_bomber_from_libya ceb197fb-d0e6-4f84-8600-18e91bbbe3fe Tue, 30 Aug 2011 14:36:00 GMT Habemus Papam. That's what the Vatican says when it elects a new pope. It also should be what delegates scream at the Republican convention when the party's presidential candidate is chosen, because not even papal... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2011/08/23/republican_primaries_a_guide_to_vetting_candidates_sex_lives be4f255e-1be9-4cf1-a0c6-79137dbb7f5a Tue, 23 Aug 2011 16:47:00 GMT The riots that have ravaged urban England take root in phenomena that aren't exclusive to that country but are increasingly on the rise everywhere. Could the same thing happen in America? Of course it could. And here's... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2011/08/16/could_the_london_riots_happen_in_america 4b33226b-e667-431c-a3e2-7270222b5649 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 18:00:00 GMT Ipsos has just released a poll measuring citizens' perception of immigration in 23 countries. Despite what politicians around the world would have their countrymen believe, the average person isn't buying the benefits... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2011/08/09/a_disconnect_on_immigration cd934b38-6d81-46ab-a420-a9c145605e68 Tue, 09 Aug 2011 15:32:00 GMT Lone Nordic nutbar Anders Behring Breivik kills nearly 80 people in a terrorist attack linked to his frustration with growing multiculturalism. Suddenly, media reports around the world are mistakenly calling it an... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2011/08/02/so,_i_guess_were_all_terrorists_now 94337b5c-57c8-463e-9328-eb23f6de73ce Tue, 02 Aug 2011 17:38:00 GMT Hundreds of United Nations global warming scientists just met in France via Earth-destroying air travel, ironically at a time of unseasonably cool temperatures across France, to once again justify their funding.... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2011/07/26/global_warming_panel_to_earths_rescue,_on_our_dime fb2ff06b-97c6-4f2d-bd91-f806831bb330 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 19:33:00 GMT If online comments and e-mails from friends are any indication, the overwhelming feeling about the American debt crisis here in Europe is that if Barack Obama is now in a position of having to raise the debt ceiling or... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2011/07/19/bush_still_a_bogeyman_to_europeans d41abe87-7b0d-4202-a9c8-50409b615b6f Tue, 19 Jul 2011 16:27:00 GMT A judge has lifted former International Monetary Fund Seducer-in-Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn's house arrest, releasing him on his own recognizance while retaining his passport until the end of proceedings. While the... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2011/07/05/the_difference_between_truth_and_justice be4bfeb5-e803-44fb-9dc5-7191fa7a6593 Tue, 05 Jul 2011 17:12:00 GMT Walking around the world's largest air show, I've discovered that there is no economic crisis if one is willing to look hard enough to escape it. The Paris Air Show should be dubbed "The World Capitalism Festival,"... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2011/06/28/where_the_jobs_are 08a0e212-f532-4e19-b904-f54ad35931b9 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 15:46:00 GMT As a free-market, limited-government conservative, I find the total implosion of the Greek economy to be the most stunning example of everything I've ever tried to warn about in regard to socialism. Despite the rest of... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2011/06/21/wholl_volunteer_to_save_the_socialists 233a66d1-735b-41e6-8b6b-a2ddcac35b81 Tue, 21 Jun 2011 17:39:00 GMT Democratic New York Congressman Anthony Weiner decided to take some photos of himself minimally burdened by cloth, send them to a few girls he met online, then complain that his phone was hacked when the details... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2011/06/14/how_to_survive_a_political_sex_scandal 9523a161-eeba-4d90-9b63-3561c98743ab Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:42:00 GMT As Barack Obama inches toward reforming the immigration mess in America -- whenever that might be -- here's a stunning example of political rhetoric over substance. The idea comes courtesy of far-right leader Marine... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2011/06/07/the_stupidest_immigration_reform_idea_you_havent_heard_about 4f2ec7e5-13fe-490f-a375-92ead9de1a6e Tue, 07 Jun 2011 16:09:00 GMT Apparently there's good money to be made as a professional socialist. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former International Monetary Fund chief and the French Socialist Party's former best hope for president, now sits in a... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2011/05/31/dsk_proves_theres_shocking_wealth_in_being_a_socialist c2afbd18-1a75-49b7-b1ee-ee1b6acc70db Tue, 31 May 2011 19:44:00 GMT A few years ago, if Americans had been asked to name the world's most conservative countries, Canada likely wouldn't have been on most people's list. But as so many previous top contenders, including the USA, slide into... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RachelMarsden/2011/05/24/canadas_harper_a_role_model_for_conservative_victory_in_the_usa d2984804-445e-461f-a5d6-852c9dd832d0 Tue, 24 May 2011 18:11:00 GMT