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Ben Wolfgang

Ben Wolfgang

bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com

Ben Wolfgang is a National Security Correspondent for The Washington Times. His reporting is regularly featured in the daily Threat Status newsletter.
Previously, he covered energy and the environment, Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in 2016, and also spent two years as a White House correspondent during the Obama administration.
Before coming to The Times in 2011, Ben worked as political reporter at The Republican-Herald in Pottsville, Pa.
He can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Ben Wolfgang

Anti-war activists march down Pennsylvania Avenue to voice opposition to proposed U.S. involvement in the Syrian civil war. (Andrew S. Geraci/The Washington Times)

Obama edges toward Russian plan for Syria to turn over chemical weapons

Facing overwhelming opposition from the public and fears in Congress that he lacks a sound military plan, President Obama backed away Monday night from his proposed missile strike against Syria and said he would pursue a Russian proposal to put Syria's chemical weapons under international control.

September 9, 2013
President Obama gestures while speaking during a "Civil Society Roundtable" with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender activists, Friday, Sept. 6, 2013, in St. Petersburg, Russia. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Obama continues push for Syria strike upon G20 return

Days before Congress is set to vote on resolutions authorizing military strikes in Syria, President Obama on Saturday again set out to assure Americans that the nation will not become bogged down in another Middle East conflict.

September 7, 2013
President Obama during his news conference at the G-20 Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Sept. 6, 2013. (Associated Press)

Obama: ‘I was elected to end wars, not start them’

While saying he sympathizes with current public distaste for more war, President Obama on Friday made the case that the U.S. must live up to its global responsibilities, and for the first time raised the possibility that additional military action — beyond what's on the table now — may be necessary if Syrian President Bashar Assad uses chemical weapons again.

September 6, 2013
Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Sen. Saxby Chambliss, Georgia Republican, arrives on Capitol Hill for a closed-door briefing with national security officials on the situation in Syria on Sept. 5, 2013. President Obama has requested congressional authorization of military intervention in Syria in response to last month's alleged sarin gas attack in the Syrian civil war. (Associated Press)

In U.S. and around world, doubts grow over attack on Syria

President Obama, traveling in Russia, struggled to make his case to skeptical foreign leaders for military strikes in Syria, while his administration faced growing opposition from Congress back home, where head counts Thursday showed his war plan in danger of being defeated.

September 5, 2013
"The international community's credibility is on the line" with Syria, President Obama says during a news conference in Stockholm on Wednesday, a day before traveling to Russia for a Group of 20 summit. (Associated Press)

Obama says ‘red line’ on Syria belongs to the world

Seeking to enlist more global partners for a U.S. military strike against Syria, President Obama on Wednesday found himself in a fresh debate over whether he was backing away from his own "red line" on the use of chemical weapons by the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

September 4, 2013
President Barack Obama pauses during his joint news conference with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2013, at the Rosenbad Building in Stockholm, Sweden. The president said international community and Congress credibility on the line on response to Syria. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Obama makes fiery case for action in Syria

Making his most passionate plea to date for military strikes in Syria, President Obama on Wednesday said the credibility of the United States — and that of the international community as a whole — is on the line, and a failure to act against the regime of Bashar Assad will embolden war criminals, dictators and despots for years to come.

September 4, 2013
Secretary of State John Kerry, left, talks to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2013, prior to the start of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Syria where they testified. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Senators agree on Syria resolution granting Obama strike authority

Key senators struck a deal Tuesday night on a resolution granting President Obama the authority to conduct military strikes in Syria as long as they happen within 90 days and are limited to enforcing the administration's "red line" prohibiting chemical weapons use.

September 3, 2013
House Speaker John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican, speaks to reporters outside the White House on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2013, following a meeting between President Obama and congressional leaders to discuss the situation in Syria. Mr. Boehner said he will support the president's call for the U.S. to take action against Syria for alleged chemical weapons use and said his Republican colleagues should support the president, too. (Associated Press)

White House wins over top lawmakers on Syria

Making the case that the U.S. must intervene in Syria, House leaders from both sides of the aisle said Tuesday they'll back President Obama's plan for military strikes against the regime of Bashar Assad.

September 3, 2013
President Obama, flanked by House Speaker John Boehner (left), Ohio Republican, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, speaks to media in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Sept. 3, 2013, before a meeting with members of Congress to discuss the situation in Syria. (Associated Press)

Obama lobbies Congress, defends plan for Syria strike

Meeting with top lawmakers at the White House, President Obama on Tuesday morning defended his plan for a "proportional" response against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad and pledged to continue working with Congress to achieve at least some level of consensus on military action.

September 3, 2013
The Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station will shut down by end of 2014. Much like coal, nuclear power — once heralded as the future of U.S. energy — now is fighting to compete with natural gas prices near record lows. (Associated Press)

Nuclear power industry starts to sputter out

The closing of Vermont's only nuclear power plant is the latest challenge to an industry struggling to retain its niche in America's long-term energy future.

September 2, 2013