Monthly Archives: July 2004

July 24, 2004 — Scott Johnson

This explains a lot

This just in: “Survey: 1 in 5 Germans drink [sic] to get drunk.” Over at No Left Turns Peter Schramm comments: “I have never understood how anyone can drink enough beer to become drunk.” The AP story on the survey helpfully includes the photo of Gerhard Schroeder above. Schroeder is depicted simultaneously illustrating the results of the survey and working out German foreign policy. »
July 24, 2004 — Scott Johnson

The joy of sax

One of Illilnois Jacquet’s albums rightly proclaimed “Jacquet’s Got It!” Jacquet’s 1942 solo on the song “Flying Home” immortalized him. (Click here for the story.) He was a key participant in several of Norman Granz’s legendary Jazz at the Philharmonic sessions. He played at the White House three times. He took a turn as artist-in-residence at Harvard. He was a vital artist. Well, he had it. Today Illinois Jacquet is »
July 24, 2004 — Scott Johnson

The burden of delusion

One of the most important books published this year is Taking Sex Differences Seriously by Steven Rhoads of the University of Virginia. Rhoads summarizes the research on the differences between men and women documented in the serious social science research of the past 30 or so years. The book is written for the intelligent layman, and is not dry or academic. The sheer, unapologetic political incorrectness of virtually every page »
July 24, 2004 — Scott Johnson

Portrait of a hustler

Noemie Emery is the first political analyst I have seen to invoke the Henry James component of John Kerry’s marital pursuits. She does so in an article that explores the Croesus-like dimension of Kerry’s married wealth: “John Kerry is different from you and me.” Emery writes of Kerry: He secured access to a fortune of over $1 billion by saying two words: “I do.” Unless one thinks ill of the »
July 24, 2004 — Scott Johnson

New information and gaping holes

In the new issue of the Weekly Standard Stephen Hayes scrutinizes the 9/11 Commission Report’s account of the Iraq-al Qaeda conection: “Only connect.” »
July 23, 2004 — Scott Johnson

Today’s feel-good graph

Below is a graph of the stock price of the New York Times. Gerard van der Leun posts the graph over at American Digest under the heading: “The roots of the New York Times gloom over the U.S. economy.” Glenn Reynolds asks: Was it something we said? (Courtesy of Instapundit.) »
July 23, 2004 — Scott Johnson

Lanny leaked it

Should we be surprised to learn that the Democratic attack on the White House for leaking the story of the Follies Berger is another lie? James Taranto collects the evidence in his Best of the Web Today column: On Wednesday National Review’s Jonah Goldberg fingers one suspect, Lanny Davis, a former special counsel to President Clinton: The fellow who broke the Berger story was John Solomon [of the Associated Press]. »
July 23, 2004 — Scott Johnson

One good unzip deserves another

Drudge has posted a link to an outstanding New York Sun editorial on the consequences of leaving Sandy Berger in charge of national security while Bill Clinton was busy — what was it? — saving the Constitution: “The boldness of the president.” The editorial summarizes the 9/11 Commission Report account of the opportunities foregone to seize or kill Osama bin Laden, and quotes Berger’s marginal notes on the last memo »
July 23, 2004 — Scott Johnson

Mrs. O’Leary’s cow

The Nashville Tennessean reports: “Police escort Fisk’s chief from plane.” »
July 23, 2004 — Scott Johnson

The illegal alien Angel Band?

The invaluable Michelle Malkin is not done with Annie Jacobsen’s terror flight on Northwest Airlines. Her latest installment is “A band of 14 illegal alien Syrians?” This can’t be true, can it? »
July 23, 2004 — Scott Johnson

Boogie to Baghdad

Over at NRO Byron York takes a look at “the connection” through the lens of the 9/11 Commission Report: “Boogie to Baghdad.” HINDROCKET adds: This one is not to be missed. Here is a sample: National-security adviser Sandy Berger suggested that the U.S. send just one U-2 flight, but the report says Clarke worried that even then, Pakistan’s intelligence service would warn bin Laden that the U.S. was preparing for »
July 23, 2004 — John Hinderaker

Selective Imagination

The Sept. 11 Commission says that the attacks were due, in part, to a “failure of imagination” on our part. My brother (the credit card magnate, not the prof) responds: “Would that be like a failure to imagine that Iraq could acquire nuclear weapons?” »
July 23, 2004 — John Hinderaker

Commission Confirms Condoleezza

I haven’t yet seen any comment in the news on this section of Executive Summary of the 9/11 Commission’s report, which describes the transition from the Clinton to the Bush administration: After the October 2000 attack on the USS Cole, evidence accumulated that it had been launched by al Qaeda operatives, but without confirmation that Bin Ladin had given the order. The Taliban had earlier been warned that it would »
July 23, 2004 — Scott Johnson

The Follies Berger

Roger L. Simon is the author of the entertaining Moses Wine series of mystery novels and a post-9/11 Democrat whom I admire greatly. Deploying his cosmopolitian wit, he has dubbed the Sandy Berger scandal “The Follies Berger.” In his most recent consideration of the evidence, he uses his background as a mystery writer to telling effect: “The Follies Berger – clue no. 304.” »
July 23, 2004 — Scott Johnson

Aiding and abetting

If you’ve watched the vile Joseph Wilson try to account for the numerous columns quoting or citing him for information that he was lying about — the assertion that he was “misquoted” or that the columnist “misattributed” the information to him has become his mantra — you might have wondered what the columnists taking Wilson’s rap might have to say. Matthew Continetti has the answer in his Standard Online column »
July 23, 2004 — Scott Johnson

Our favorite diplomat

Yale University Professor Charles Hill has retired from a distinguished career in diplomacy to become a great teacher of politics, literature and statesmanship. Today’s Wall Street Journal editorial page features his column on the 9/11 Commission. Although I quarrel with Professor Hill’s introductory description of the commission as “admirably bipartisan,” his column on the commission report may be the only one worth reading today. The Journal titles the column “Commissionism.” »
July 23, 2004 — Scott Johnson

Our second favorite Democrat

Country artist Toby Keith — he of the anthem “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue,” frequent performer for the troops — is in Boston for the kickoff of his summer tour tomorrow night. As part of a show including Montgomery Gentry and Jo Dee Messina, he is expected to draw an audience of 40,000 to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. In connection with the show, today’s Boston Globe runs an »