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From the Left: Trumps Anti-Obama Doctrine

President Trumps first foreign-policy crisis came with Bashar al-Assads use of chemical weapons against Syrian civilians last week. So, asks Susan Glasser at Politico, whats the Trump Doctrine? Apparently, its to be the anti-Obama. Several Republicans in contact with Trumps foreign-policy team have told Glasser that this is the common thread connecting not just the Syria strike but also other projects like Israeli-Palestinian peace (after Obamas attempt failed) and Trumps outreach to Putin when he and Obama were on the outs. And the Syria strike did its job. As one former Obama official told Glasser: Our administration never would have gotten this done in 48 hours. Its a complete indictment of Obama.

Foreign Desk: The High Cost of Assads Rule

Whether or not the US strikes are the beginning of a process that will lead to Bashar al-Assads ouster, its worth taking stock of the increasing cost of his 17-year rule, say Nicholas Blanford and Scott Peterson in the Christian Science Monitor. His country has been devastated, the economy ruined, an estimated more than 400,000 people are dead, and the conflict has created the largest refugee crisis Europe has witnessed since World War II. At this point, Assads regime controls only about 35 percent of Syria, with the rest carved up between various Arab and Kurdish militias and the extremist Islamic State. And if he stays in office, it is difficult to see which countries or what global institutions would be willing to bankroll a multi-billion dollar reconstruction process with Assad still enthroned in the presidential palace.

Historian: Dems Should Follow Bill Clintons Example

David Greenberg says if Democrats want to recover while in exile, they should read Michael Tomaskys new biography of former President Bill Clinton, who rescued Dems from oblivion. Writing in the Washington Monthly, Greenberg notes that Clintonian moderation and triangulation get a bad rap on the left. There was the 1994 crime bill that included both Republican tough-on-crime measures and left-wing features like an assault weapons ban, support for community policing, and the Violence Against Women Act. And though liberals today decry welfare reform and banking deregulation, the booming prosperity over which Clinton presided, combined with his progressive tax and distribution policies, meant that for the first time since the 1960s, the lowest quintile of earners saw their lot improve during his presidency.

From the Right: The Fight Over Filibustering Legislation

The failure of a proposed deal to avoid nuking the filibuster for Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch probably cost Democrats more, writes Ed Morrissey at Hot Air: The numbers involved made it pretty clear that Republicans would have a hard time reassembling enough votes in this session to kill the filibuster for a different nominee. So why were they united now? First, Gorsuch was obviously well-qualified. Second was the Democrats rush to attack him personally despite his display of judicial temperament during the hearings, which indicated that this was obstructionism for obstructions sake. Plus, Democrats have much to lose in the near term, Morrissey writes, because now the legislative filibuster could be in danger, especially with tough fights on appropriations, tax reform and health care on the near horizon.

Yale Professor: Your Interview Probably Doesnt Matter

Job and admissions interviews are useless, declares Yale School of Management assistant professor Jason Dana in The New York Times. In 1979, a medical school in Texas admitted an extra 50 students whod earlier been rejected after their interviews, yet they did just as well as the other students. Dana and his colleagues recently tested interviewers ability to predict grade-point average and those interviewers G.P.A. predictions were significantly more accurate for the students they did not meet. The interviews had been counterproductive. Until we replace unstructured interviews with something else, we should be humble about the likelihood that our impressions will provide a reliable guide to a candidates future performance.

Compiled by Seth Mandel

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Trump's anti-Obama doctrine and other notable comments - New York Post