Monthly Archives: February 2004

Please bore us with the facts

Rich Lowry explains that the economic numbers “are among the best friends [President Bush] has,” and that Bush needs to start touting them, as Bill Clinton did to great effect during his 1996 campaign. Perhaps the president is waiting for the job numbers to improve, as they seem almost certain to do. However, he shouldn’t wait much longer. »

The Radicalism of John Kerry

WinterSoldier.com, a Free Republic project, is dedicated to defending Vietnam-era soldiers and exposing John Kerry’s anti-American past. It’s worth a look. Winter Soldier has somehow come up with some very interesting documents, which the site links to. Here is one that I found especially interesting, minutes of a meeting of the Executive Committee of Vietnam Veterans Against the War that Kerry attended as “NE Rep.” For those of us who »

Kerry, Edwards to Marry

By the way, I’ve been in San Francisco all week on business, which is why I haven’t posted much. John Kerry and John Edwards have been in California, too, as has Rosie O’Donnell. So I’m sort of in the belly of the beast, which allowed me to pick up one scoop. While they were in San Francisco, Kerry and Edwards sensed a mutual attraction they had not previously experienced. Caught »

Economic Growth Continues

Revised data indicate that the economy grew at a 4.1% rate in the fourth quarter, making the last two quarters of 2003 the strongest back-to-back quarters since 1984. Nevertheless, consumer sentiment plunged in January. I don’t know how to account for that fact, other than by the relentless pessimism of the Democratic candidates, as reflected in daily news coverage. In 2000, Democrats accused George Bush of “talking the economy down” »

The Manchurian candidate?

The Washington Post carries a story based on the new book by former Air Force Secretary Thomas Reed, describing some of the audacious efforts President Reagan authorized to sabotage the economy of the Soviet Union: “Reagan approved plan to sabotage Soviets.” On the other hand, National Review Online yesterday posted Ion Mihai Pacepa’s account of one set of KGB “active measures” to sabotage American foreign policy that is relevant to »

Dr. Pence’s diagnosis

Dr. David Pence is a former draft resister who served a year in federal prison for his beliefs. He’s also my friend. Despite the personal sacrifice he made for for his stand against the war, David now simply says, “I am ashamed of my role in those not-so-glorious ’60s.” Tomorrow’s Minneapolis Star Tribune carries David’s column: “Antiwar activists who got it wrong.” David contrasts the support and respect he received »

The UN and the Jews

I just got around to reading Anne Bayefsky’s brilliant article in the February issue of Commentary magazine: “The UN and the Jews.” This article is important and rich beyond immediate comment. For the moment I can only commend it to your attention and ask you to consider it at your leisure. »

The passion of Billy Jack

I am a huge fan of Mel Gibson. I love just about everything of his that I’ve seen, but I especially loved his version of “Hamlet.” Watching it, I had the feeling that I understood Hamlet himself for the first time. In retrospect I think he achieved that effect through an intelligent editing of the play to focus on Hamlet’s grief. Since “Hamlet,” I have approached any movie that has »

It’s the jihad, stupid!

Mark Steyn’s column in the new Spectator (UK) magazine captures the substance of just about every thought I have on the presidential campaign and the Democratic field: “It the war stupid.” Registration is required for access to the article, but it is worth it. Here we skim a few highlights: Edwards has nothing to say about the war, and nobody seems to mind. That »

The tie that binds

The Washington Times has a good article on the internal contradictions of John Kerry’s asserted positions against gay marriage, against the Defense of Marriage Act, and against a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union between man and woman: “Kerry expects to walk a fine line on gay marriage.” The Boston Globe story emphasizes Kerry’s support of an amendment to the Massachusetts constitution banning gay marriage: “Kerry backs state ban »

From the mixed up files of John Kerry

The Standard Online features the next installment of our radio hero Hugh Hewitt in “The Kerry files, part 3.” Hugh’s column should be read together with the New York Times article on the service Max Cleland is performing as John Kerry’s talisman on the campaign trail: “For ex-senator, Kerry race is chance to rejoin the battle.” The article notes: On Wednesday, Mr. Cleland began appearing in television advertisements for Mr. »

Don’t tell daddy

Today’s FrontPage carries Katherine Kersten’s account of the campaign to let the sunshine in at this year’s Nobel Peace Prize Forum held at St. Olaf College this past weekend: “St. Olaf’s Nobel Peacenik Prize.” We have it on good authority that the college has lost some major donors as a result of the events recounted here, and that the president of the college has expressed his displeasure directly to the »

Let it all in

Tony Blankley argues that “all details matter when it comes to the presidency.” Thus, he believes that “voters should know about drunk-driving records, marital relations, college cheating, war records, old resume enhancements and all the other bric-a-brac of a life about two-thirds lived »

Politically incorrect

From the Yale Diva we learn that John Edwards isn’t as sensitive a guy as we had supposed: The Center for Disability Rights knocked Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards »

Going for the gold

The Israeli Defense Forces, Shin Bet, and police have raided banks in Ramallah and El-Bireh to seize vast quantities of money intended to fund Palestinian terror. Officials pored over hundreds of bank accounts and seized money from Europe, the United StateS, Iran, Syria, and Jordan intended to fund Hizbullah, Islamic Jihad, and Hamas. PLO officials expressed disapproval. “This is provocation; they are asking for Palestinian retaliation,” said Tayeb Abdel Rahim, »

The anti-semitism of the intellectuals

George Will takes up the subject that we at Power Line continue to obsess over — the left’s anti-semitism. (The column appears under a title that refers to “anti-semitic chic,” but I think Will is talking about something too profound to be called chic). Will starts his piece by observing that “It used to be said that anti-Catholicism was the anti-Semitism of the intellectuals. Today anti-Semitism is the anti-Semitism of »

The defense rests

Robert Samuelson has a good piece in the Washington Post about “the phony jobs debate.” As Samuelson explains, presidents can’t do much to influence short term job creation. Indeed, Samuelson argues, “John Kerry and John Edwards must grasp a president’s modest job-creating powers; otherwise, they wouldn’t be fit for the White House. Their jobs obsession is dishonest expediency.” Nonetheless, as Samuelson seems to recognize, presidents will always be held accountable »