Monthly Archives: August 2003

August 29, 2003 — Paul Mirengoff

Another reason why I love soccer

Derbies (pronounced darbies). These are not horse races; they are soccer matches between two teams from the same locale — Manchester United vs. Manchester City; Arsenal vs. Tottenham (the North London derby); Celtic vs. Rangers (the Glasgow derby); Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid; Inter Milan vs. A.C. Milan, and so forth. Beyond the college level, we haven’t really had this sort of thing in U.S. sports since the days of »
August 29, 2003 — Paul Mirengoff

Those who would rather be right than decent

The point about rooting against the U.S. in Iraq made from the conservative perspective by Victor Davis Hanson in the blog below was made, from a principled leftist perspective, by Norman Geras in the Wall Street Journal a while back. Here is what our favorite Marxist said regarding “those who seem so to relish every new difficulty, every setback for U.S. forces”: “What they align themselves with is a future »
August 29, 2003 — John Hinderaker

Janklow Charged With Manslaughter

One of the principal facts of South Dakota politics over the past twenty-five years has been the enduring popularity of Bill Janklow, currently the state’s lone Congressional representative. But Janklow’s career appears to be over; he has been charged with second degree manslaughter in connection with a fatal car accident in rural South Dakota. Janklow ran a stop sign while driving 70 or 75 mph in a 55 mph zone »
August 29, 2003 — Paul Mirengoff

The liberation of Iraq as a zero-sum game

Victor Davis Hanson asks “who wishes the United States to succeed in rebuilding Iraq along lines that will promote consensual government, personal freedeom, and economic vitality.” His answer — “hardly anyone other than the Iraqi and American people.” What about the U.N.? “After its decade-long impotence where it came to disarming Saddam, and the circus last winter concerning the American invasion of Iraq, its officials will now have no interest »
August 29, 2003 — Paul Mirengoff

Moving to friendlier climes

Courtesy of Real Clear Politics, Daniel Henninger of the Wall Street Journal reports an often-overlooked story — the growing exodus from states controlled by Democrats. California has become the most striking example. The extent to which citizens are voting with their feet has been masked to some extent by the “feet voting” in Central America (no wonder the Democrats are so pro- immigration). But even mass immigration can no longer »
August 29, 2003 — Paul Mirengoff

No principled deed goes unpunished

Charles Krauthammer on the scandalous treatment of William Pryor, President Bush’s court of appeals nominee. Pryor, Alabama’s Attorney General, just oversaw the removal of the Ten Commandments from the Alabama state courthouse, even though he profoundly disagrees with the ruling that required the removal (when was the last time any Democrat of note did anything this principled?). This was consistent with his long record of enforcing laws with which he »
August 29, 2003 — Scott Johnson

Who was Ismail Abu Shanab? Part 2

Today’s FrontPage has an important column that follows up on the look we took at the Hamas charter on the occasion of Israel’s assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Abu Shanab. The column is “Hamas and the UN.” »
August 28, 2003 — Paul Mirengoff

The newspaper of record-breaking errors

Yesterday, I received the September issue of Commentary. It features an excellent piece by Joshua Muravchik called “The Neoconservative Cabal” that I don’t think is available on the net at this time. I hope to discuss Muravchik’s piece in some detail within the next few days. Tonight, though, I just want to highlight this passage that deals with a New York Times article about the “cabal’s” alleged Straussian connection: “The »
August 28, 2003 — John Hinderaker

Arnold’s Interview

Oui magazine–now there’s a name from the past! Here is the complete interview; warning, it’s not for the faint of heart. I’m afraid it will severely disillusion all those who thought that 1970’s bodybuilders were doing Bible study between sets. Actually, I think Arnold’s bodybuilder/Hollywood past largely inoculates him against these revelations (and others yet to come, no doubt). The real issue, I think, is Arnold’s liberal position on many »
August 28, 2003 — John Hinderaker

So Far, Americans Resist Hysteria

The latest Gallup Poll results, released today, are encouraging. President Bush’s approval rating is holding steady at 59%, and by a 63%-35% margin, respondents say Iraq was “worth going to war over.” Significantly, that margin hasn’t budged through a summer of bad headlines. The only apparent impact of a summer of media hysteria is that currently, 50% say things are going very well (6%) or moderately well (44%) in Iraq, »
August 28, 2003 — Paul Mirengoff

Today’s silliest of the web

has got to be this piece by Amy Sullivan about the prospects of Gen. Wesley Clark. Sullivan maintains that Clark can “win the primaries” and hence the nomination. She reaches this conclusion based on one erroneous premise after another. First, she proclaims that there is no real frontrunner. That was true a few months ago, but Howard Dean (apparently running away from Kerry in New Hampshire) is clearly the frontrunner »
August 28, 2003 — John Hinderaker

Another Contender for Worst of the Web

There’s no shortage of ridiculously bad articles on the web today; here’s another contender for today’s worst. British Labour MP and former Trade Minister Brian Wilson writes about Cuba in the Guardian: “Cuba isn’t perfect – but it is living proof that it is possible for a third world country to combat poverty, disease and illiteracy.” Actually, Cuba hasn’t so much combatted poverty as made it universal. According to the »
August 28, 2003 — Paul Mirengoff

“I managed good, but boy did they play bad”

This is the title of a book by Jim Bouton about baseball managers. The quotation is from Rocky Bridges, the legendary ex-major league utility infielder and minor league manager. I thought of Bridges when I read this obscene piece of “analysis” in the Washington Post about the apparent failure of the road map for peace. The article suggests that the road map (at least as drafted by the State Department »
August 28, 2003 — John Hinderaker

PR, Good and Bad

This is a nice story: a couple in Baghdad named their baby “George Bush” “to show their appreciation for U.S. efforts to force Saddam Hussein out of power.” On the other hand, we have this: “U.S. Miscalculated Security for Iraq.” That’s the headline not in the New York Times, but in the Washington Times. And the story appears to be based not on leaks by Democratic moles buried in the »
August 28, 2003 — Paul Mirengoff

A fourteen year old boy encounters the black middle class — and greatness

Today is the 40th anniversary of the great civil rights march on Washington. Which means it’s the occasion for every wind-bag in America of a certain age to provide personal thoughts and recollections (which is fitting enough because during the march itself it seemed like every wind-bag in the civil rights movement gave a speech, until Martin Luther King finally redeemed the event with The Speech). Having marched that day, »
August 28, 2003 — Scott Johnson

Live from the APSA convention

What, you may understandably ask, is APSA? It is the American Political Science Association — the professional academic society of the political science professiorate — and it is celebrating its centenary at its annual convention commencing today and continuing over the weekend. This year the APSA convention is meeting in Philadelphia, where I have come to attend the panels sponsored by the Claremont Institute. The Claremont Insititute is itself an »
August 28, 2003 — John Hinderaker

Hardball Politics In Minnesota

Minnesota politics once had a reputation for civility. Of course, that was when the Republican Party was weak and could be relied on to roll over in a pinch. Times are different now; under the leadership of Bill Cooper and Ron Eibensteiner, the Minnesota Republican Party has become one of the strongest and best-organized parties in the country. Republicans now control the Governorship and the state House, and will probably »