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David Keene

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David Keene

keene123@washingtontimes.com

Editor at Large — David Keene, a trusted adviser to presidents, a longtime champion of personal liberty and one of conservatism’s most respected voices, is the former opinion editor of The Washington Times. An author, columnist and fixture on national television, Mr. Keene has championed conservative causes for more than five decades while offering advice to Republican presidents and countless candidates. He additionally served as chairman of the American Conservative Union and president of the National Rifle Association.
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Columns by David Keene

People look at the the bodies of three persons shot dead after an overnight shooting in the Pétion Ville neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, April 1, 2024.(AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

Violent gangs and drug distributors now control Haiti

Then-President Donald Trump may have painted with too broad a brush when, in 2018, he cavalierly described some Third World nations as "s---hole" countries, but in singling out Haiti, he was dead on.

April 15, 2024

Propped up Biden illustration by Linas Garsys / The Washington Times

Ailing presidents moving on from the White House can be a relief

President Biden is not the first president propped up by staffers when their boss's failing health compromised his abilities -- when he was no longer capable of doing his job.

April 10, 2024

CBS and the erosion of journalism illustration by Greg Groesch / The Washington Times

The despicable case of Catherine Herridge and her sources

Media giants are paring back to save money these days, but CBS's decision to let widely admired Catherine Herridge go surprised those who admire her work.

March 4, 2024

CPAC welcomes Trump supporters illustration by Alexander Hunter/The Washington Times

Once-important CPAC now welcomes Trump supporters only

Today's CPAC is for admirers of former President Donald Trump only -- unbelievers are quietly or not so quietly disinvited.

February 26, 2024

Deteriorating mental state of President Joe Biden illustration by Alexander Hunter/The Washington Times

The deteriorating mental states of President Joe Biden and Justice Thurgood Marshall

Watching President Biden's news conference last week, I couldn't help but think back to the time my youngest daughter met Justice Thurgood Marshall.

February 13, 2024

National Rifle Association and Wayne LaPierre illustration by Greg Groesch / The Washington Times

Second Amendment supporters owe Wayne LaPierre a debt of gratitude

American gun owners learned to look to the NRA and Wayne LaPierre for leadership in defending their rights.

February 6, 2024

Politicians and hypocrisy illustration by Greg Groesch / The Washington Times

From Moscow to Washington, politicians found guilty of hypocrisy

Hypocrisy doesn't seem to bother many politicians these days.

January 19, 2024

U.S. and Israel bashing in Doha, Qatar illustration by Alexander Hunter/The Washington Times

U.S.-Israel bashing at the Qatar-sponsored Doha Forum

Arab activists and government officials gathered this month in Qatar's capital city, Doha, days after the U.S. used its veto in the U.N. Security Council to kill a demand for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.

December 25, 2023

Donald Trump and Theodore Roosevelt illustration by Greg Groesch / The Washington Times

Donald Trump and Teddy Roosevelt: Our nation has seen this before and survived

Progressive believe the upcoming elections will be not about foreign policy, immigration or inflation, but about whether democracy itself will survive.

December 18, 2023

Communication cables, file illustration credit: JesperG via Shutterstock.

The vulnerability of our undersea cables

Within hours of the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, the British navy cut five German undersea cables, making it impossible for Berlin to communicate with its embassies or others outside Europe.

December 11, 2023

In this photo provided by the Moroccan News Agency (MAP), Morocco's King Mohammed VI, center, accompanied by his son Crown Prince Moulay Hassan, left, and brother Prince Moulay Rashid addresses the Nation in a speech aired on TV, at the Royal Palace in Tetouan, Morocco, on Monday July 29, 2019. Morocco’s king is calling for a government reshuffle, seeking “new blood” and saying the country’s current development policy isn’t doing enough to meet Moroccans’ needs. In a speech Monday night marking his 20 years on the throne, King Mohammed VI reproached the Islamist-led government and tasked Prime Minister Saad-Eddine El Othmani with proposing new government candidates in the fall. (Moroccan Royal Palace via AP)

King of Morocco’s new energy ploy amounts to greenwashing thuggery

One has to hand it to the king of Morocco, who, like his father, never gives up -- even when he's wrong and all the world knows it.

November 27, 2023

Palestinians look for survivors following Israeli airstrike in Nusseirat refugee camp, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Doaa AlBaz)

Is Israel overreacting? Let’s not forget who started this war and why

The pundits and so-called experts busily explaining to all who will listen that Israelis are acting irrationally in the wake of Hamas' Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel dismiss the loss of life and barbarity of that attack.

October 31, 2023

Biden's Obedient News Media Puppy Illustration by Greg Groesch/The Washington Times

Hypocritical press takes orders from the White House on covering Biden impeachment inquiry

If reporters had made any effort to determine the validity of the allegations as they surfaced, Congress might not have been forced to begin the current impeachment process at all.

September 20, 2023

This combination of photos shows former President Donald Trump, left, and President Joe Biden, right. Biden and Trump are preparing for a possible rematch in 2024. But a new poll finds a notable lack of enthusiasm within the parties for either man as his party's leader, and a clear opening for new leadership. The poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds a third of both Democrats and Republicans are unsure of who they want leading their party. (AP Photo/File)

Voters are stuck between a rock and a hard place with 2024 presidential candidates

Much of the American electorate is unhappy with the prospect of being forced to choose between Presidents Biden and Trump when they go to the polls in 2024.

July 20, 2023

Illustration on American voters' reaction to "Woke-ism" by Alexander Hunter/The Washington Times

In today’s America, the future for conservatives looks bright

Corporate executives ensconced in isolated high-income enclaves around the country believe the American public shares their new "woke" values.

June 12, 2023

Illustration on electric vehicle supporters and Toyota by Alexander Hunter/The Washington Times

Smug environmentalists’ effort to oust Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda

In March 2006, the "South Park" episode "Smug" aired on television's Comedy Central. Those who saw and applauded it enjoyed a takedown of the environmentalists' then-love affair with the Toyota Prius.

June 8, 2023

Boring Presidential Campaign Illustration by Greg Groesch/The Washington Times

Biden vs. Trump again: An uninspiring 2024

The political world has realized for some time that President Biden's best shot at another four years in the White House flows through a rematch with former President Donald Trump.

May 30, 2023

Soviet Communist party leader Leonid Brezhnev makes a point to U.S. President Richard Nixon during a walk through the grounds of Brezhnev's dacha on the Black Sea in Yalta, June 30, 1974. (AP Photo)

Biden’s policies smack of our pre-Reagan dealings with USSR

The Biden administration's suggestion that it might be wise to entice China into helping broker a cease-fire or settlement to end the Russo-Ukrainian war smacks of the pre-Reagan establishment dealings with the Soviet Union.

May 10, 2023

Illustration on the enduring National Rifle Association (NRA) by Alexander Hunter/The Washington Times

National Rifle Association alive and thriving, 5 million members strong

Those who have been busily predicting the demise of the National Rifle Association must have been shocked as more than 77,000 NRA members flocked to Indianapolis for the group's annual meeting.

April 25, 2023

Florida gun laws and concealed carry Illustration by Linas Garsys/The Washington Times

No evidence that guns for self-defense lead to crime

The knee-jerk White House reaction to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signing legislation making Florida a "constitutional carry" or permitless carry state was predictable.

April 11, 2023