Monthly Archives: March 2007

The Master’s Voice

Earlier today, Pejman Yousefzadeh posted this YouTube video at RedState, under the title, “You can’t kill us all.” It’s an excerpt from a speech Ronald Reagan delivered to the British Parliament at the time of the Falklands crisis. It seems, really, like a relic of another world, but it wasn’t so long ago. And it is timely today in the context of the U.K.’s effort to figure out what to »

The sleeping giant awakens

A few weeks ago, in a piece called “The Sleeping Giant,” I speculated that the efforts of leftist bloggers and other anti-war types to derail Hillary Clinton will likely fail, as Clinton benefits from a feminist backlash. My claim was: [Hillary’s feminist] record, coupled with the desire of feminists to elect a female president, likely will count for much as [she] competes for the votes of leftists in her party. »

Dimming the Lights to Cool the Globe

A hallmark of liberalism is its preference for words over action, symbolism over reality. The latest example comes from Sydney, Australia, where people turned out their lights for an hour to “register concern about global warming:” The Sydney Opera House’s gleaming white-shelled roof was darkened Saturday night along with much of the rest of Australia’s largest city, which switched off the lights to register concern about global warming. The arch »

Hostage-Taker In Chief

England’s Sun newspaper has information about the Iranian kidnapping of British sailors and Marines that I haven’t seen elsewhere; it apparently comes from Whitehall: Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi is the all-powerful chief of the Revolutionary Guards, the military fanatics holding our Royal Navy heroes. Intelligence sources believe the kidnapping of 14 men and one woman last week could be Safavi »

A public intellectual returns to the public

Peter Wehner, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Strategic Initiatives, is leaving the White House after six years. Wehner started out as a speechwriter. I understand that he helped write the president’s memorable address at the National Cathedral after the attack on 9/11. In 2002, Wehner moved into the top strategy position at the White House. In that capacity, as the Washington Post’s Peter Baker puts it, he »

Peanuts

Sam Ryskind is rapidly becoming my favorite editorial cartoonist. Here is his latest; click to enlarge: »

Lewis Carroll on foreign affairs

Roger Kimball turns to Lewis Carroll and Lord Salisbury to illuminate Iran’s current depredations. »

Strange new respect

I offer my tip of the hat to presidential candidates Bill Richardson and Mike Huckabee in light of their mentions in this Wall Street Journal article on the candidates’ wardrobes: New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson faces a sartorial problem partly due to his ever-fluctuating weight. He insists on buttoning his suit jacket, which often looks like it’s about to burst open. “It’s pretty obvious we don’t have an image consultant,” »

He’s your (Zoo) Daddy

Over at the Power Line Forum, Zoo Daddy has posted a pointed comment in this thread on “The case of the flying imams: CAIR speaks.” Zoo Daddy writes: Mr J, thanks for staying on top of this story. I read both of The Becket Fund »

From our friends in Iraq

We continue to hear from readers who are themselves in Iraq, or who have friends or relatives in Iraq, with messages responding to “To our readers in Iraq.” We have posted two messages from Marine Gunnery Sergeant Steven Krueger (here and here). Yesterday we also heard from his mother: I am the mother of Gunnery Sgt Krueger, and I want to thank you so much for publishing Steve’s letter. I »

The perils of cronyism

David Frum has lots of good thoughts about the firing of the eight U.S. attorneys and where things stand for Alberto Gonzales. I agree with his all of his points except for his concurrence with the Washington Post’s suggestion that Gonzales should seek an earlier date for his congressional hearing. This “scandal” was ginned-up by the Senate Dems, and Gonzales’ mistakes, which have also been overblown, don’t justify treating this »

“Why didn’t you guys defend yourselves?”

That was the politically incorrect question posed by Lt. Cmdr. Erik Horner of our Navy in response to the surrender by 15 British sailors in Iraqi waters to Iranian forces. Diana West argues all-too plausibly that the answer has much to do with modern British (and presumably Western) culture. Our culture war isn’t just about our culture; in a world this dangerous, it may also be about our survival. To »

Pelosi to Brits: Drop Dead!

Yesterday we wrote about Nancy Pelosi’s refusal to allow House Resolution 267, a call for the release of the captured British sailors and marines who are being held in Iran, to be voted on by the House of Representatives. Despite pressure from Republican Congressmen, Pelosi remained adamant and the House adjourned today without considering the resolution: The omission by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is being noted by some Republicans, »

Unstoppable Global Warming

During the second hour of Saturday’s radio show, we interviewed Dennis Avery, co-author of Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1500 Years. It was a good conversation, with up to the minute data along with some of the basics, for those who are new to the controversy–or who didn’t know there is a controversy. Click on the graphic below to order the book from Amazon. In the third segment we talked about »

A good time

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the Media Research Center’s awards dinner. This is an annual event (but my first time attending) at which the MRC recognizes the year’s most preposterous liberal media commentary. The MRC deserves great credit for paying the attention necessary to dredge up the year’s worst quotes, from which a large group of judges (I was one) determines the worst. The quotes are hardly »

The Democrats Were Against Cut and Run Before they Were For It

A few months before the Iraq war began, Joe Biden and Chuck Hagel toured the Middle East, including Kurdish Iraq. They wrote this op-ed in the Washington Post: The United States will face enormous challenges in a post-Saddam Hussein Iraq, as well as broad regional questions that must be addressed. These are both matters that members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee have been focusing on for some time. During »

The latest on the teapot tempest

“Ex-Aide Contradicts Gonzales on Firings.” That’s one of two lead headlines in this morning’s Washington Post. The Post goes on to explain that the aide in question, Kyle Sampson “spoke with Gonzales at least five times about the plan to dismiss selected U.S. attorneys [whereas] Gonzales has at times portrayed himself as more detached from the process of developing a list of prosecutors to be dismissed.” But the process that »