Monthly Archives: January 2003

Today Nelson Mandela and Jimmy

Today Nelson Mandela and Jimmy Carter both attacked President Bush. In a sense, this is a peak moment for the President–anyone who is despised by both the worst President of the 20th Century and the most overrated man of the 20th Century must be on the right track. As between Mandela, the Communist cop-killer, and Carter, the weak-kneed President and treasonous ex-President, there is little to choose. I guess I »

Last fall we watched with

Last fall we watched with dismay as Senate Democrats on the Judiciary Committee did a number on Miguel Estrada, President Bush’s outstanding nominee to the United States Court of Appeals. Now, the Washington Post, which called Estrada’s confirmation an easy decision, reports that the Judiciary Committee has approved Estrada’s nomination by 10-9 vote on pure party lines. The nomination will go to the full Senate, where Democrats will continue their »

Amen, Deacon. By the tortured

Amen, Deacon. By the tortured logic of Kinsley and other Democratic apologists, it would have been impossible to fight against Germany in 1942–what about Japan?–and equally impossible to fight against Japan–what about Germany? When Iraq has been dealt with–very, very soon–we will turn our attention to North Korea. Needless to say, these same critics will then have new objections to interpose. How can we go after North Korea when Iran »

The Administration will apparently pull

The Administration will apparently pull out a lot of the stops–certainly not all–to make an impression on the U.N.’s Security Council next week. According to Newsweek’s Michael Isikoff, the evidence to be unveiled by Colin Powell will include National Security Agency intercepts of Iraqi officials plotting to evade the U.N.’s inspectors. I guess this is a good thing, but I have to wonder: is there anyone who doubts that Saddam »

The Washington Post got one

The Washington Post got one column for the price of two today. Michael Kinsley and E..J. Dionne turned in basically the same pettifogging piece about President Bush’s State of the Union address. Both were troubled by Bush’s comments about the evil nature of Saddam Hussein’s regime. If this is why Bush wants to attack Iraq, they wonder, then shouldn’t we also attack a host of other oppressive regimes throughout the »

The Washington Post on the

The Washington Post on the “war dilemma'” facing Democratic presidential hopefuls. Dan Balz captures the dilemma nicely: “The Democratic candidates are struggling to balance their desire to appeal to next year’s primary voters — a majority of whom oppose going to war with Iraq — and their determination to establish their credentials as future commanders in chief, and their own records urging action to confront the Iraqi leader.” Yes, I »

Thomas Sowell dissects the New

Thomas Sowell dissects the New York Times’s claim that tax cuts “shower benefits” on the wealthiest taxpayers. »

I am again reporting live

I am again reporting live (courtesy of the Heritage Foundation’s mobbed Internet Row) from the thirtieth annual Conservative Political Action Conference, a conference at which President Reagan spoke seventeen times. This is the first time I have attended the conference, and it is an eye opener. It appears to be oversubscribed by about thirty percent. During the standing room only presentations this afternoon by Oliver North and Ann Coulter, hundreds »

The following colloquy between Judge

The following colloquy between Judge William Young and Richard Reid, the shoe bomber, took place immediately after Judge Young pronounced sentence yesterday. It is worth reading: “This is the sentence that is provided for by our statutes. It is a fair and a just sentence. It is a righteous sentence. Let me explain this to you. “We are not afraid of any of your terrorist co-conspirators, Mr. Reid. We are »

Italian police, apparently executing a

Italian police, apparently executing a “routine sweep against illegal immigration,” arrested twenty-eight Pakistakis–all apparently living in a single apartment–after finding: “800 grams (28 ounces) of explosives, 230 feet of fuse and various electronic detonators crammed behind a false wall. Islamic religious texts, photos of ‘jihad’ (holy war) martyrs, piles of false documents, maps of the Naples area, addresses of contacts around the world and more than 100 mobile telephones were »

The idea of a White

The idea of a White House event honoring Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson sounds to me like a great one. But American poetasters with Euroweenie envy effectively killed it: “Forum called off after poets plan to protest.” From the evidence presented in the article, I believe that should be “poets.” »

The awesomely clear-sighted Charles Krauthammer

The awesomely clear-sighted Charles Krauthammer seems a tad optimistic to me this morning, but I love the sentiment: “UN, RIP.” The column acutely describes the Orwellian nature of the United Nations without quite getting to the heart of the matter. The heart of the matter seems to me to lie in the charter of the UN; like Rosemary’s baby, the organization is misconceived. Krauthammer’s column nevertheless provides a lot of »

The Washington Post has a

The Washington Post has a good, gritty, generally positive report on the terrorist-by-terrorist progress of the war. »

Deena Burnett testifies in Germany.

Deena Burnett testifies in Germany. Read this, please. »

Damn, I was thinking that

Damn, I was thinking that was one of my better predictions. Easy come, easy go! If you can keep your kids’ names straight, Deacon, your memory is better than mine. But we should keep listening to Dafydd ab Hugh–whether that’s his real name or not (I’ve always assumed it is), he’s generally right. One comment on the Israeli political scene: what is striking to me is how few seats the »

I’m not into the “corrections”

I’m not into the “corrections” thing, but when the same post contains two errors, it’s time to come clean. Yesterday, in commenting on a fine article about the Israeli elections by Meyrav Wurmser, I suggested that, with the hit the Labor party took, Israel may no longer have a two-party political system. Of course, Israel never has had a two party system. I meant to say, as Wurmser did, that »

Tony Blankley wonders which of

Tony Blankley wonders which of President Bush’s enemies is more foolish, Saddam Hussein or Tom Daschle. Here’s a hint, Tony — it’s Daschle. »