Monthly Archives: May 2008

The “J Street” deception

“J Street” is the name of a new lobbying group and political action committee that says it will represent the interests of liberal American Jews. Its premise is that sensible mainstream of pro-Israel American Jews have been ill-served by the main pro-Israel lobby in the U.S. — the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). J Street regards AIPAC as pushing a right-wing agenda. By contrast, J Street’s “sensible mainstream” agenda »

Does Barack Obama know his friends?

Barack Obama has professed himself “deeply disappointed” in Father Pfleger’s merciless racial mockery of Sen. Clinton from the pulpit of Obama’s church in Chicago. Although Obama has known Pfleger for some 20 years and Pfleger has been involved in Obama’s campaign, Obama’s statement sounds detached from Pfleger and the substance of Pfleger’s remarks. It is almost as though Obama and Pfleger are at best distant acquaintances. This afternoon Obama announced: »

We’re Glad He Clarified That

We noted yesterday that the Barack Obama campaign arrogantly dismissed John McCain’s suggestion that the two candidates go to Iraq together. This morning, Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs clarified that Obama isn’t necessarily averse to traveling to Iraq–he was there once, for two days in 2006–it’s just that he and McCain have different agendas when they talk to our commanders and soldiers there: You know, I don’t think we’ll be taking »

He’s Funnier Than I Thought

These days, Al Franken is one of the more reliable sources of good news, if you’re a Republican. On the brink of endorsement by the DFL party, Franken has suffered one blow to his image after another, due to his own business incompetence and checkered past. The latest is a pornographic article he wrote for Playboy magazine eight years ago. Somewhat to my surprise, Franken’s fellow DFLers seem genuinely concerned »

Revisionist History

Scott McClellan’s appearance on the Today Show this morning had elements of comedy, as McClellan wanted to talk about bipartisanship while Meredith Vieira desperately prodded him to say something controversial, or, failing that, something specific. The most concrete anti-Bush statements were quoted by Vieira, from McClellan’s book, under the headline “Weapons of Mass Destruction:” Bush and his advisers knew that the American people would not support a war launched primarily »

Pass the plate and dump in your 401(k) money

As I noted in this post, Jeremiah Wright isn’t the only religious figure from whom Barack Obama draws inspiration. Obama also has ties with Rev. Michael Pfleger, the Catholic pastor at St. Sabina on the south side of Chicago. Like Wright, Pfleger is is a supporter of Louis Farrakhan. Post below is video of Rev. Pfleger preaching at Obama’s church. Pfleger argues that whites must give up their 401(k) money »

An inconvenient question reappears

Blogging has changed some in the six years we’ve been doing it, but for me the essence remains the same. You read, see, or hear something that offends you and then, after a period of steaming, write what you hope is a pointed but under-control refutation. My friend and law partner Dan Joseph has seen me in mid-process several times on the way to work, Washington Post in hand, on »

Motor City Madness

We met up with Mrs. John Conyers when an eighth grade visitor to the Detroit City Council chambers instructed her in the basics of civil discourse. Mrs. Conyers put up a bit of a fight, but 13-year-old Keiara Bell had the better of the argument. On Tuesday Katherine Rosman caught up with the story in the Wall Street Journal. It turns out that Mrs. Conyers is a key City Council »

Another Press Secretary Gives A Contrary View

I noted earlier today that Tony Snow, who succeeded Scott McClellan as White House press secretary and did a far better job, came away deeply impressed by President Bush. As an antidote to today’s frenzy over McClellan’s hatchet job, here is an interview that I did with Snow in October 2006. He talks about President Bush beginning at around the six minute mark. Just click to play. Kathryn Lopez notes »

Two questions for our Dartmouth readers

As the election for executive positions on the Dartmouth Association of Alumni draws to a close, we on Parity Slate have received two disturbing reports. First, a few alums have said they did not receive ballots. When one of them inquired about this, the college informed him that he has been classified as “not interested” in receiving it. Second, some alumni say they have received mail from the “Dartmouth Undying” »

A legend in his own mind

During his commencement address at Wesleyan College this weekend, Barack Obama told the assembled graduates: But during my first two years of college, perhaps because the values my mother had taught me –hard work, honesty, empathy – had resurfaced after a long hibernation; or perhaps because of the example of wonderful teachers and lasting friends, I began to notice a world beyond myself. I became active in the movement to »

Blindly Committed to Defeat

John McCain invited Barack Obama to go with him on a trip to Iraq; Obama’s spokesman, Bill Burton, responded dismissively: John McCain’s proposal is nothing more than a political stunt, and we don’t need any more ‘Mission Accomplished’ banners or walks through Baghdad markets to know that Iraq’s leaders have not made the political progress that was the stated purpose of the surge. The American people don’t want any more »

Is this book really necessary?

When Scott McClellan was the president’s press secretary, I usually winced when I heard him speak. The wincing finally ended when Tony Snow replaced McClellan. Now, with the publication of his new book, we get the chance to wince once more. It’s an opportunity I intend to pass up. It will be interesting, though, to compare the degree to which the MSM reviews and reports on McClellan’s book with the »

Brzezinski’s fantasy realism

When he is not accusing American Jewish leaders of McCarthyism, Zgibniew Brzezinski keeps busy by advocating the appeasement of Iran. In this Washington Post op-ed, for example, Brzezinski (along with William Odom) writes: Given Iran’s stated goals — a nuclear power capability but not nuclear weapons, as well as an alleged desire to discuss broader U.S.-Iranian security issues — a realistic policy would exploit this opening to see what it »

Looming Disaster

Next week, the Senate will vote on the Lieberman-Warner cap-and-trade climate control bill. The proposed statute is a nightmare that would devastate our economy. The Wall Street Journal calls it “the most extensive government reorganization of the American economy since the 1930s.” The EPA estimates that by 2030 it will reduce GDP by 0.9% to 3.8%, and that is based on assumptions that appear hopelessly optimistic. Even the EPA’s assumptions »

Inspired by Rush

In his Impromptus at NRO this morning, Jay Nordlinger notes that a friend of his has purchased a rare, signed baseball card featuring Fidel Castro. Jay adds that his friend has noted on the Castro card that the man is a dictator, murderer, and tyrant: “He has even noted that Oscar Elías Biscet, the imprisoned dissident, won the Presidential Medal of Freedom (from GWB, of course).” Taking a page from »

The Kennedy-Khrushchev Conference for Dummies

As Charles Krauthammer noted last week, since the Democrats’ CNN/YouTube debate lst summer, Barack Obama has been touting the wisdom of presidential meetings with America’s sworn enemies during his first year in office. In Portland on May 18, Obama portrayed President Kennedy’s summit conference with Khruschev in Vienna as one of the presidential meetings that led to the triumph of the United States in the Cold War (video above, via »