Steve Chapman
Editorial Board Member and Columnist
My Role
Steve Chapman writes a twice-weekly column on national affars, which is syndicated in some 50 newspapers across the country, and writes editorials on legal issues, economics, and foreign relations. He also does a blog that appears on the Chicago Tribune web site.
Born in Brady, Texas in 1954, Chapman grew up in Midland and Austin. He attended Harvard University, where he was on the staff of The Harvard Crimson, and graduated with honors in 1976. He has been a fellow at the American Academy in Berlin and the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, and has served on the Visiting Committee of the University of Chicago Law School.
Chapman, who is married, has two sons, a daughter, and three stepsons. He lives in the suburbs of Chicago.
Born in Brady, Texas in 1954, Chapman grew up in Midland and Austin. He attended Harvard University, where he was on the staff of The Harvard Crimson, and graduated with honors in 1976. He has been a fellow at the American Academy in Berlin and the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, and has served on the Visiting Committee of the University of Chicago Law School.
Chapman, who is married, has two sons, a daughter, and three stepsons. He lives in the suburbs of Chicago.
My Biography
Steve Chapman writes a twice-weekly column on national and international affairs that is syndicated in some 50 papers. A member of the Tribune editorial board since 1981, came to the Tribune from The New Republic magazine, where he was an associate editor. He has contributed articles to several national magazines, including Slate, The American Spectator, The Weekly Standard, Reason, and National Review. He has appeared on numerous TV and radio news programs, include The CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, and National Public Radio’s Fresh Air, Talk of the Nation and On Point.
My Recent Articles
A sober approach to drunk driving
5/23/2013
The downside of a tighter DUI standard In its new report on how to reduce drunken driving deaths, the National Transportation Safety Board states its goal in the title: "Reaching Zero." The agency thinks it is irreproachable to try to ensure that no one ever dies in an alcohol-related accident. In fact, it's a utopian goal requiring excessive compulsion in the pursuit of unattainable perfection.
Medical marijuana: Will Quinn go along? 5/20/2013
A bill to legalize the medical use of marijuana has passed the Illinois General Assemly and now goes to Gov. Pat Quinn, who has yet to disclose whether he'll sign it. But based on his comments today, I'm betting he will.
The Nixon false equivalence 5/19/2013
His IRS scandal was not like Obama's "The only thing new in the world is the history you don't know," said Harry Truman, who made it his task to absorb a lot of it. Many people who have not followed his example are not averse to using what little they do know, with the inadvertent effect of exposing how much they have to learn.
Medical marijuana at last? 5/17/2013
Illinois can't be accused of rushing to embrace medical marijuana: The first state to allow it did so in 1996, and the General Assembly is only now getting around to approving the idea. Whether it will become law is not clear: It now goes to Gov. Pat Quinn, who has yet to say if he will sign it.
Plugging leaks the right way 5/16/2013
The administration vs. The Associated Press When it comes to prosecutors' investigations of leaks, you can count on journalists to dispense with impartiality and scream bloody murder. Upon learning that the Justice Department had seized the phone records of its reporters, The Associated Press said there could be "no possible justification" for the intrusion. The Newspaper Association of America agreed, "These actions shock the American conscience." ...
The downside of a tighter DUI standard In its new report on how to reduce drunken driving deaths, the National Transportation Safety Board states its goal in the title: "Reaching Zero." The agency thinks it is irreproachable to try to ensure that no one ever dies in an alcohol-related accident. In fact, it's a utopian goal requiring excessive compulsion in the pursuit of unattainable perfection.
Medical marijuana: Will Quinn go along? 5/20/2013
A bill to legalize the medical use of marijuana has passed the Illinois General Assemly and now goes to Gov. Pat Quinn, who has yet to disclose whether he'll sign it. But based on his comments today, I'm betting he will.
The Nixon false equivalence 5/19/2013
His IRS scandal was not like Obama's "The only thing new in the world is the history you don't know," said Harry Truman, who made it his task to absorb a lot of it. Many people who have not followed his example are not averse to using what little they do know, with the inadvertent effect of exposing how much they have to learn.
Medical marijuana at last? 5/17/2013
Illinois can't be accused of rushing to embrace medical marijuana: The first state to allow it did so in 1996, and the General Assembly is only now getting around to approving the idea. Whether it will become law is not clear: It now goes to Gov. Pat Quinn, who has yet to say if he will sign it.
Plugging leaks the right way 5/16/2013
The administration vs. The Associated Press When it comes to prosecutors' investigations of leaks, you can count on journalists to dispense with impartiality and scream bloody murder. Upon learning that the Justice Department had seized the phone records of its reporters, The Associated Press said there could be "no possible justification" for the intrusion. The Newspaper Association of America agreed, "These actions shock the American conscience." ...