Monthly Archives: November 2002

In the second year of

In the second year of its return to life, the Claremont Review of Books has become my favorite periodical publication, period. The Review is published by the Claremont Institute and shares the central aim of the Institute–the restoration of the founding principles of the United States to their rightful place in our public life. (Our friend and faithful reader Bruce Sanborn is the chairman of the Institute.) As a publication, »

Minnesota Republican Governor-elect Tim Pawlenty

Minnesota Republican Governor-elect Tim Pawlenty has named a 16-person transition team full of friends of ours. The St. Paul Pioneer Press account is particularly astute: “Pawlenty fills transition team with moderate, conservative Republicans.” The article notes the connections of several of the transition team members to Minneapolis’s conservative think tank, the Center of the Amerian Experiment. Rocket Man is the immediate past chairman of the Center; both he and I »

More on the Wellstone death

More on the Wellstone death rally: The St. Paul Pioneer Press carries the AP’s interesting retrospective on the Wellstone death rally: “Wellstone memorial was political theater almost from the start.” »

We are delighted to report

We are delighted to report that the Minneapolis police have made arrests in connection with the murder of 12-year-old Tyesha Edwards. The Star Tribune has posted its account as “Police make arrests in Tyesha Edwards shooting.” We have written a column prompted by the Edwards murder that is critical of the mayor, the chief of police, the Democrats who have ruled Minneapolis for the past 20 years, and the Star »

In addition, there is this

In addition, there is this Washington Times editorial on the Louisiana Senate race. The Times makes the essential point that Mary Landrieu’s voting record is not that of the “independent voice for Louisiana” she claims to be. Unlike her colleague Senator Breaux, Landrieu consistently votes with Tom Daschle and against President Bush. And, though she is certainly independent of the president, she is quite dependent on the trial lawyers, and »

In contrast to the Post,

In contrast to the Post, the Washngton Time’s editorial section is, as usual, full of valuable material. For example, here is Frank Gaffney’s fine piece about Saudi Arabia. As Gaffney explains, whatever was the case with the Saudi ambassador’s wife, there is simply too much Saudi money being funneled into the Islamofascist cause. Gaffney cites the following ominous enterprises that benefit from Saudi largesse: prison recruitment programs aimed at transforming »

There’s not much of value

There’s not much of value in the Washington Post’s editorial section today, although Trunk and Rocket Man may want to take a shot at this latest attempt to wage class warfare by our pet target E.J. Dionne. And the letters section contains this from Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League about Egyptian television’s anti-semitic blockbuster. The Egyptian Ambassador apparently has claimed that the show contains only a few anti-semitic references. »

I know I should be

I know I should be happy today, what with FrontPage publishing my piece (thanks for all your help, Trunk). However, it’s hard to stay upbeat after reading Amir Taheri’s piece for National Review Online about French anti-Americanism. The depressing thing is not the anti-Americansim, it’s the fact that we have permitted a knee jerk anti-American nation to influence our approach to Iraq. In the past, I have suggested that France »

David Horowitz’s terrific online magazine

David Horowitz’s terrific online magazine FrontPage features a brilliant column by our own Deacon–“The Cheating Heart of the Democratic Party.” It is this morning’s must-read column, although it appears on FrontPage in impressive company including columns by Daniel Pipes and Ronald Radosh as well as a symposium with Angelo Codevilla, Radek Sikorski and Joel Mowbray. Great quote: “[K]ey Democratic leaders now regard issues and rules not as serious things in »

William Safire on the contest

William Safire on the contest between Sharon and Netanyahu for leadership in the Likud Party. The winner of that contest will almost surely win the general election in January and lead Israel for the next few years. Safire clearly likes both but prefers Sharon. I’m inclined to agree. I like Netanyahu’s harder line, but trust Sharon more. Keep in mind that Natanyahu wasn’t such a hard-liner when he was in »

After a not very glorious

After a not very glorious first two years, the Administration seizes the free-trade high ground with a dramatic proposal for all WTO countries to eliminate tariffs on manufactured goods by the year 2015. Can they pull it off? I don’t know, but no one is doing very well betting against President Bush these days. »

Late last night I saw

Late last night I saw what must have been the second debate between Landrieu and Terrell (it’s not the case that someone from Power Line is always awake; it just seems that way). I must say that I thought Landrieu did well in that debate. She is more telegenic than Terrell and is a more confident speaker. Terrell comes across as far more negative, but I suppose that’s normal in »

Mark Steyn’s latest is “A

Mark Steyn’s latest is “A bombing pause–for 12 months?” »

Michael Ledeen describes the “potentially

Michael Ledeen describes the “potentially earth-shaking events in Iran” over the last week. Ledeen notes that “Last Friday something like half a million Iranian citizens took to the streets to demonstrate their disgust with the regime of the Islamic Republic….Contrary to what little you have been able to read in the popular press, these demonstrations were not limited to Tehran, but spread all over the country, with amazing results.” Ledeen »

Newsweek’s Fareed Zakaria on “why

Newsweek’s Fareed Zakaria on “why it’s now or never with Iraq.” Zakaria shows just how bad the U.N. resolution is. It is not enough to go to war, under the resolution, if Saddam Hussein makes a false or incomplete declaration regarding his weapons of mass destruction. Iraq must also fail to “comply and cooperate” in the inspection process through which the U.N. tries (but maybe not that hard) to find »

The Terrell/Landrieu race is heating

The Terrell/Landrieu race is heating up; today’s Times-Picauyne story, reporting on the candidates’ latest debate, is headlined: “Latest Debate Smacks of Brawl as Landrieu, Terrell Go On Attack.” They’re not kidding: Terrell’s introductory statement blasted Landrieu as ineffective and accused her of voting with Ted Kennedy. Landrieu countered by expressing outrage at Terrell ads attacking Landrieu for buying a mansion in Washington, saying–in what seems to be a non sequitur–“I »

Roll Call reports that Democratic

Roll Call reports that Democratic Kentucky Congressman Ken Lucas is talking to Dennis Hastert and other Republicans about switching parties. »