Monthly Archives: March 2005

Media Alert

I’ll be on CNBC’s Kudlow & Company this afternoon, starting at around 4:40 central time, 5:40 eastern time, along with Hugh Hewitt and Glenn Reynolds. We’ll be talking about the Terri Schiavo case. »

Dowd and Cole race to the bottom

Which offering about the Terri Schiavo case is more foolish, this one by far-left professor Juan Cole or this one by the increasingly incoherent Maureen Dowd? Both argue the same thing — that by passing a law authorizing the federal courts to review the Schiavo case, the Republican-dominated Congress has adopted the tactics of Muslim fundamentalists and moved us closer to a theocracy. Cole may fancy himself a terrific Arab »

Congress be damned

Don’t miss Hugh Hewitt’s Weekly Standard piece about how the federal judiciary is flouting the law passed by Congress to provide de novo review of Terri Schiavo’s case while Terri is still alive to benefit for it. One can disagree, as I do, with the law Congress passed and still be appalled that federal judges are thumbing their noses at Congress. »

An intimation of tears

Yesterday RealClearPolitics posted a link to the article by Norman Podhoretz from the forthcoming (April) issue of Commentary: “Bush, Sharon, My Daughter and Me.” Davi Bernstein writes from Commentary regarding the article: It’s not only about Sharon’s disengagement, though it’s also a great introduction to it and the general situation and mood in Israel, it’s also about President Bush’s leadership. When Daniel P. Moynihan broke Podhoretz’s heart by joining the »

Slow learners

Thanks to Lucianne for sending her readers over to check out Rocket Man’s reporting on “the GOP talking points memo” with the notation that “ABC picks up where CBS left off.” The American Spectator’s Washington Prowler has picked up the scent and interviewed Republican Senate staffers: “Dirty Democrat pool.” The Prowler reports: “Republican leadership staffers now believe the document was generated out of the Democratic opposition research office set up »

ABC Checks Out

Confirming what we reported earlier today, ABC News has admitted that it knows nothing about the origins of the “GOP talking points” memo that it first published. An ABC source writes: the memo discussed a republican bill and was distributed to repulbican senators. That’s what we reported. we are obviously not going to divulge our multiple sources. I appeciate your questions, but believe you are approaching this from the wrong »

Inside the whale

Our friends at Commentary have released a sneak preview of the April issue to us. Given our interest in the unfolding events involving Harvard President Lawrence Summers, Commentary has forwarded the article by Harvard Professor Ruth Wisse — one of the few faculty members who spoke up for President Summers at the Harvard faculty meetings. The article is a first-hand account of events at Harvard as well as an analysis »

Who You Gonna Believe, Me Or Your Lying Eyes?

I think that the biggest reason why so many people have been passionately engaged in the Terri Schiavo case is the video footage that millions have seen. I think pretty much anyone who sees it thinks–she’s not dead. Severely disabled, yes. Dead, no. Deliberately starving her would be a terrible thing. That’s how I reacted to it, anyway. Predictably, mainstream news outlets are trying to defuse the video’s impact. Like »

Spirit of America, take 2

William Tucker is the prominent journalist and author of Progress and Privilege: America in the Age of Environmentalism, among other distinguished books. His most recent project is a play that he is seeking to export to an important audience. He writes: I’m a magazine writer – Weekly Standard, American Spectator, American Enterprise – but I’ve also written some plays. My most recent, “Founding Fathers,” is a dramatization of the Constitutional »

Factor this

Several readers have written to point out that Lanny Davis referred repeatedly to the “GOP talking points memo” during his interview on the O’Reilly Factor tonight. We know the crew at Fox News follows the blogosphere sufficiently to enforce O’Reilly’s prohibition against “spin.” C’mon, guys, it’s time to “factor” in the apparent skullduggery underlying that particular “talking points memo.” »

“Talking Points” Story Imploding?

ABC News, the original source of the story on the alleged “GOP talking points” memo now appears to be backing off the story. Blogger Josh Clayborn has been talking to ABC representatives, both on and off the record, and they are now telling him that they never meant to imply that the “talking points” memo originated with the Republicans–only that it was given to some Republican Senators. See his most »

A Fishy Story Gets Fishier

ABC News and the Washington Post have described–but not actually produced–a memorandum relating to the Terri Schiavo case which they have described as “GOP talking points” that were “distributed only to Republican Senators.” »

The Superpower myth myth

Bret Stephens alienated many conservative bloggers during the Eason Jordan affair. It wasn’t the position he took, but rather his tone. We were particularly unhappy about the gratuitous shot he took at Michelle Malkin. However, Stephens is still an excellent columnist, as he demonstrates in this review of clueless Clintonite Nancy Soderberg’s book, The Superpower Myth. I especially like his conclusion: Let’s not be all negative about this book, for »

Dinner with Mr. Cheney, Part Two

I’d like to follow-up on Trunk’s post from yesterday about Tod Lindberg’s dinner with Vice President Cheney, and the possibility that Cheney will run for president in 2008. No Power Line regular will be surprised to read that Cheney is my number one choice. I first speculated on the possibility of his candidacy back in early October of last year. Then, I said that the key issues were (1) will »

Big talk

Now that the Democrats don’t have to face the voters again for a while, and can pretend that push-polling by their media allies reflects public opinion, their backers can claim that the Republicans are out-of-step with what voters want. Here is a particularly nauseating example. »

Justice Kennedy in the batter’s box

By a vote of 2-1, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled against Terri Schiavo’s parents and their attempt to resume the feeding and hydration of their daughter. I haven’t yet reviewed the court’s decision. In my view, the district court, whose ruling the Eleventh Circuit upheld, ignored Congress’ clear intent in passing the legislation that provided federal court jurisdiction, basically because (like me) the judge didn’t agree with »

Threat to Stop Judicial Filibusters Fizzling Out?

The Washington Times reports this morning that Majority Leader Bill Frist may not have the votes to change the Senate rule that allows a minority of 40 Senators to block judicial nominations via filibuster. While some Republicans remain undecided, a nose count suggests that there may only be 49 supporters for the “consitutional option.” Sad, if true. »