Recent Jim Lichtman Commentaries

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Who Writes This Stuff: Jim or A.I.?
With the incredible rise of artificial intelligence comes a set of questions, among them: Did the writer write the text, or did A.I.? Or… maybe a little bit of both. It’s an important question, because it goes to the heart of authorship: the difference between a writer’s voice and style, and an artificial one that may sound correct, but too...
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March 23, 2026
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Adversity and Perseverance
“How you climb a mountain is more important than reaching the top.”— Yvon Chouinard “Every new adjustment is a crisis in self-esteem”—Eric Hoffer “Retreat, Hell! We’re just advancing in another direction.”–General O.P. Smith, UN Forces Leader, Korean War. “I think and think for months and years. Ninety-nine times, the conclusion is false. The hundredth time I am right”–Albert Einstein. “Of...
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February 16, 2026
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My Dinner with Jefferson, Hamilton and Madison
In June 1790, I attended an extraordinary dinner. Through a tear in the fabric of time, I found myself seated at a small table with three revolutionary figures: Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison. While the dinner itself was real, it was reconstructed by author Charles A. Cerami in Dinner at Mr. Jefferson’s. Even if the precise words spoken...
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January 8, 2026
Facts Matter
In recent years, many news stories have come under fire for misrepresenting or distorting facts, fueling public skepticism about the credibility of mainstream reporting. While I write commentaries—not straight news—I strive to ensure that my opinions are firmly grounded in verifiable facts. On June 7, I wrote a commentary titled A Day of Love—a Weekend of Force, reporting on the...
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June 26, 2025
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Hard Truths
“[President Trump] then engaged in an unprecedented criminal effort to overturn the legitimate results of the election in order to stay in power.”—Final Report on the Special Counsel Investigation into Efforts to Interfere with The Lawful Transfer of Power Held on January 6, 2020 Despite the release of special counsel Jack Smith’s report, one thing is clear: amid the relentless...
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January 15, 2025
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For Family and Country
Rain Delay. Hope to be back soon. (The original title of this piece was, It’s Citizenship, Stupid! But Sister Mary Aloysius would never allow me to suggest anyone was stupid.) In 2017, President Donald Trump was on his way from the White House to Texas when he told a reporters this: “I think the press makes me more uncivil than...
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January 29, 2024
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From the Vault
Back on it, September 8, 2020! While I’m on vacation, I thought I would go to the vault for commentaries from times past. It’s Ethics, Stupid began in 2008, so I’ll start there. The Janitor – March 2008: Watching George Clooney in Michael Clayton, I quickly picked-up on the ethical aspects common in several of his films. January 20,  » Read...
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July 27, 2020

Read Some of the Most Recent Articles
The Latest... And Often Greatest
He Just Does His Job
I’ve been listening to and watching Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia for more than a year now: his speeches, his questions in Senate hearings,...
Why Donald Trump Has Pulled Me Back In—Again
Last August, I wrote that I was “stepping back from the chaos” of Donald Trump. I meant to write about his presidency only when his...
Scott Pelley Responds
During a contentious staff meeting at 60 Minutes, Scott Pelley spoke out sharply, criticizing the judgment and decision-making of CBS News editor in chief Bari...
The Clock is Still Ticking. But Now It’s Ticking for CBS
I began watching 60 Minutes when it premiered on September 24, 1968, when Harry Reasoner and Mike Wallace introduced a new kind of television journalism:...
God Has Chosen Donald Trump
At a Trump-backed Christian prayer rally on the National Mall in Washington on May 17, officially called Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise...
The White House as Profit Center
There was a time—not very long ago—when public service required sacrifice. In 2006, when President George W. Bush nominated Hank Paulson, then C.E.O. of Goldman...