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Articles by Stephen Dinan

First lady Michelle Obama addresses the Democratic National Convention on Sept. 4, 2012, its opening night, at the Time Warner Arena in Charlotte, N.C. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)

First lady Michelle Obama hails husband at DNC

First lady Michelle Obama pleaded with voters Tuesday to reward her husband with re-election, telling delegates at the Democrats' convention that President Obama comes from humble beginnings and was able to reach the White House by taking advantage of the same kind of government assistance he is defending on the campaign trail.

September 4, 2012
Rep. Carolyn Maloney of New York addresses the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Abortion issue sets tone 
for attracting women at DNC

Inside the convention hall Tuesday, Democrats affirmed themselves as the pro-choice party, delivering the most detailed discussion of contraceptives and reproductive health in major-party political history and adopting a platform that defends abortion, including taxpayer funding for the procedure.

September 4, 2012
Puerto Rico delegates cheer for former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush at the Republican National Convention at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

Spanish-language media ‘obsessed’ on immigration issue

For most voters, the Republicans' nominating convention has been filled with speeches about jobs, the economy, federal spending and President Obama's record. But for Hispanic voters getting their news from the Spanish-language press, the view is very different — and decidedly unsympathetic to the Republican Party.

August 30, 2012
Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday. He had delegates laughing with a his string of one-liners poking fun at both President Obama and Mitt Romney. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

Zingers, one-liners punch up speeches

Hitting the right comedic note in a convention speech can be tough, but Paul Ryan, the Republican vice presidential nominee, had delegates laughing Wednesday night at his string of one-liners poking fun at both President Obama and Mitt Romney.

August 30, 2012
Mitt Romney accepts the nomination of the Republican Party for president of the United States at the Republican National Convention at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

Romney accepts GOP nomination at RNC, vows leadership, ‘lots of jobs’

Mitt Romney on Thursday accepted the nod to lead an ever-more conservative Republican Party against a powerful but politically vulnerable incumbent, telling a national audience that this year’s election comes down to jobs and President Obama’s failure to create enough of them.

August 30, 2012
Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan waves Aug. 29, 2012, before speaking to delegates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla. (Associated Press)

Ryan says ticket won’t ‘duck the tough issues,’ will repeal Obamacare

Capping his meteoric rise to the heights of the Republican Party, Paul Ryan accepted the party's vice presidential nomination Wednesday, saying he considered it "a calling" at a time when the country needs to make tough decisions — and pledging that he and Mitt Romney won't shirk from them.

August 29, 2012
Former President George W. Bush begins his speech, Monday, Aug. 27, 2012, during the annual Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum at the Columbus Convention and Trade Center in Columbus, Ga., Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/The Ledger-Enquirer, Mike Haskey)

Republican convention seeks a break from Bush’s years

The Republican convention may occasionally dip into the weeds this week, but it will do its best to stay away from the Bushes — as in former President George W. Bush, who still casts a long shadow over the party he led for a rocky eight-year tenure.

August 28, 2012
With New Jersey announcing their votes, Mitt Romney receives enough delegate votes to put him over the top as the Republican nomination for the next president of the United States at the Republican National Convention, Tampa, Fla., Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

Christie vouches for Romney: ‘Solutions will not be painless’

Kicking off Republicans' 2012 nominating convention with a piercing critique of American political life, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Tuesday politicians and voters alike have "become paralyzed" by an inability to live within limits, and he challenged both groups to accept that there are some promises government should not make, and cannot meet.

August 28, 2012
** FILE ** Judson Phillips, founder of Tea Party Nation. (Associated Press)

Embracers of the Constitution are baffled by what’s really in it

They say they stand for a return to constitutional principles, but it turns out tea party supporters are just as confused as to what rights and powers are in the federal government's founding document, according to the latest The Washington Times/JZ Analytics poll.

August 27, 2012
President Obama steps off the Marine One helicopter upon arrival on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Sunday. His convention is next week. (Associated Press)

Obama, Romney in dead heat as voter bases stick

Heading into their nominating conventions, President Obama and Mitt Romney are dead even — down to a tenth of a percent — in the latest The Washington Times/JZ Analytics Poll, which also shows independents, the critical swing group, beginning to pick sides.

August 26, 2012
** FILE ** In this Aug. 16, 2012, photo Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney writes on a white board as he talks about Medicare during a news conference in Greer, S.C. As they rush towards their party conventions, the rival presidential campaigns are trying to invigorate core supporters while reaching out to a sliver of undecided voters who harbor doubts about President Obama yet aren't sold on Romney. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Seniors boost Obama over fears of GOP Medicare cuts

Voters believe Mitt Romney and other Republicans are more likely to cut Medicare than President Obama and congressional Democrats, according to the latest The Washington Times/JZ Analytics survey, released Sunday.

August 26, 2012
Joel Jimenez (right) and Issac Page remove an awning outside the Tampa Convention Center, which will serve as the media center for the Republican National Convention, in Tampa, Fla., on Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012. Precautions were being taken in anticipation of Tropical Storm Isaac. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

GOP packs events into three days

It's not as if Republicans didn't see this storm coming. In fact, Tampa, where the GOP is preparing to gather for its quadrennial nominating convention, previously was rejected for exactly this reason.

August 26, 2012
Republican Rep. Lamar Smith, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, is charging that the Obama administration has “falsified” deportation records to artificially boost numbers by adding Border Patrol apprehensions to the total. (Associated Press)

Deportation statistics said to be inflated

The Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee is charging that the Obama administration has "falsified" deportation records to artificially boost numbers — a move critics of the Homeland Security Department have long suspected.

August 23, 2012
Retiring Rep. Ron Paul will hold a “We Are the Future” rally Sunday in Florida, where he promises a “speech the Republican National Convention doesn’t want the rest of America to hear.” (Associated Press)

In Paul they trust as he leaves political stage

One way to measure Rep. Ron Paul's ascendance as a political player is to compare the cold shoulder he got from rival Republican presidential candidate John McCain in 2008 with the cozier embrace he has received from 2012 presumptive nominee Mitt Romney.

August 23, 2012
The Capitol building in Washington, D.C. (Associated Press)

Deferring on budget no longer an option, CBO says

Congress' chief scorekeeper warned Wednesday that the country's top lawmakers can't continue to put off big decisions on the budget and the economy much longer, and said either path — belt-tightening now or even deeper cuts later — will be painful.

August 22, 2012
**FILE** Members of the group Casa de Maryland rally June 15, 2012, outside the White House in Washington to support President Obama's announcement that the U.S. government will stop deporting and begin granting work permits to younger illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children and have since led law-abiding lives. (Associated Press)

Obama’s immigration move gives states spending and ID headaches

President Obama's new non-deportation policy has thrown many of the thorniest immigration questions back into states' laps, as governors and legislators now must decide whether to issue driver's licenses or allow in-state tuition at public colleges to the illegal immigrants who will be given an iffy legal status.

August 16, 2012