Monthly Archives: October 2006

A vanguard stymied

So far, 2006 has not been my favorite election cycle. Still, I’m getting some pleasure from the left’s displeasure about what’s going on in Connecticut with Ned Lamont. The wealthy anti-war candidate is now trailing Senator Lieberman by double digits and, given Lamont’s seemingly dead-in-the-water status and the fact that Lieberman is still a Democrat, the national party seems largely uninterested in assisting Lamont further. Naturally, the infantile left blogosphere »

I guess they do things differently in Durham

The district attorney prosecuting three Duke lacrosse players accused of rape has admitted that he and his assistants have not interviewed the accuser about the facts of the case. »

The Mitt still fits

Mitt Romney recently met with the senior fellows of the Hoover Institute, including Victor Davis Hanson. Here’s Hanson’s report: For about one hour, he heard some tough inquiries, answered without notes, kept his cool, and talked analytically rather than in platitudes. I was impressed, and came away thinking that being a conservative governor in Massachusetts must have sharpened his debating skills and given him insights about dealing with the therapeutic »

A toss-up in Maryland?

Charlie Cook has changed his call on the Maryland Senate race from “leans Democratic” to “toss-up.” Here’s how Cook sees it: Despite a crowded September 12 Democratic primary, most political observers have looked at this race as the incumbent party’s to lose. Maryland is a solid blue state that hasn’t elected a Republican to the Senate since 1980 and the political climate should only make this race harder for Steele. »

Ted Kennedy — KGB collaborator?

Ted Kennedy has acknowledged that Ronald Reagan “will be honored as the president who won the Cold War.” But if a letter from the head of the KGB to Soviet leader Yuri Andropov is authentic and accurate, then Kennedy offered to work with the Soviets to undermine the very efforts by Reagan that brought us that victory. The letter, dated May 14 1983, features in a new book by Paul »

Of thee I sing

If William Shakespeare were to return and run for the Senate, his works would provide a field day for literate opposition researchers. The Sonnets alone would sink him, not to mention King Lear — Act IV, scene 6. Is this any way for a king to talk? GLOUCESTER The trick of that voice I do well remember: Is ‘t not the king? KING LEAR Ay, every inch a king: When »

Tangled Webb

In a brilliant piece of reportage, Andrew Ferguson portrays the cognitive dissonance among Virginia Democrats to which James Webb and his Senate campaign have given rise. Ferguson warms up on the theme of the Democratic warrior: What has made Webb acceptable to the Democrats of Arlington, however unevenly, is his furious opposition to the war in Iraq, which he declared early, before there was even a war to oppose, in »

Waters of March

In Brazil, “Waters of March” (as the original Portugese lyrics suggest) herald the end of the summer. So it’s not entirely inappropriate to jump start the day with this magnificent song. It’s the bossa nova, it’s the Antonio Carlos Jobim, it’s the Jane Monheit, it’s the arrangement, it’s the promise of spring, it’s the joy in your heart! »

An insecure fence?

Yesterday, President Bush signed a law committing our government to build about 700 miles of fence along the border with Mexico. Doubts have been raised as to (a) whether fencing of this magnitude will actually be built and (b) even if it is, whether it will substantially reduce the flow of illegal immigrants. The very name of the legislation, “The Secure Fence Act,” suggests to me a certain insecurity about »

Blind spot

Secretary of State Rice has one when it comes to the Palestinians. Joel Mowbray exposes it. »

Can’t anybody here play this game?

That’s what Detroit Tiger manager Jim Leyland must be wondering after his team lost the World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals 4 games to 1. Looking more like their 2003 incarnation, the Tigers committed 8 errors (5 by pitchers) and scored only 11 runs in the five games. At least they were better than the 1966 L.A. Dodgers who, in 4 games, committed 6 errors while scoring 2 runs. »

A word from Sergeant Thul

Sergeant David Thul writes from Iraq to update us on the status of the library that has been stocked with gifts from Power Line readers: Scott- The Power Line library system, both the main and the branch offices, are still going strong with donations coming in almost every day. We now also have a growing selection of DVD movies and books on CD. In fact we have about reached the »

The Good Guys Don’t Always Win…

…but one race where the good guy–OK, she’s not exactly a guy–is going to win is in Minnesota’s 6th District, where Republican Michele Bachmann is running for Mark Kennedy’s Congressional seat. Michele is a very smart, energetic and dynamic tax lawyer–I know, it sounds unlikely, but it’s true–whereas her opponent, Patty Wetterling, has never held public office and has little if any knowledge of the issues. Wetterling’s sole claim to »

Lynne Cheney Blitzes Blitzer

Lynne Cheney has written several children’s books. Her latest, Our 50 States, has just been published, and Mrs. Cheney is on a book tour promoting it. Earlier today she did an interview with Wolf Blitzer of CNN. Blitzer, though, wanted to talk about anything but the book. He started by quizzing Mrs. Cheney about her husband’s purported enthusiasm for waterboarding, and went from there to repeating Democratic talking points to »

The audacity of gibberish

For a sense of the hype surrounding Barack Obama (including the “messianic connotations” of his very name) check out this love letter from the Harvard Political Review. »

Cracks Are Beginning to Appear…

…in the Democrats’ confidence about the election. Cases in point: two stories from the front page of today’s New York Times. The first headline reads, G.O.P. Moves Fast to Reignite Issue of Gay Marriage. The article is written from the typical liberal perspective, which assumes that social issues like gay marriage are, for some reason, illegitimate, but are trotted out every two years for political gain by the Republicans: The »

The Obama boomlet

Even though the 2006 election has yet to take place, nearly everyone is buzzing about Barack Obama’s prospects in 2008. Even Charles Krauthammer has taken up the subject. Obama’s fans, including his “campaign manager” Tim Russert (hat tip, Michael Barone) see him as a “different kind of Democrat” with a “compelling life story.” I’m not clear on why Obama is a different kind of Democrat. Ben Nelson and Tim Johnson »