Over the last century, American liberals have often supported a strong executive branch while conservatives have usually fought against giving additional power to the White House.

We constantly hear about various regulatory or legislative issues in Washington with the hope that something will be done to correct any given problem, but all too often the result is caught up in conflicting opinions or politics and never resolved.

WASHINGTON -- Ramadi falls. The Iraqi army flees. The great 60-nation anti-Islamic State coalition so grandly proclaimed by the Obama administration is nowhere to be seen. Instead, it's the defense minister of Iran who flies into Baghdad, an unsubtle demonstration of who's in charge -- while the U.S. air campaign proves futile and America's alleged strategy for combating the Islamic State is in freefall.