Monthly Archives: November 2008

November 26, 2008 — John Hinderaker

Happy Turkey Day

Some turkeys are just pardoned, but others are actually rewarded, as Michael Ramirez notes; click to enlarge: To comment on this post, go here. »
November 26, 2008 — Paul Mirengoff

Injudicious

Readers may recall that a few minutes before Attorney General Mukassey collapsed during his speech to the Federalist Society last Thursday, a heckler in audience shouted that Mukasey is a “tyrant.” Readers may also have been surprised to learn that the heckler was a judge, namely Justice Richard Sanders of the Washington Supreme Court. I had my own strange encounter with Justice Sanders early in 2007. I was invited to »
November 26, 2008 — John Hinderaker

The Times Does History (Again)

America’s reporters and editors think that you should be guided by them because they’re smarter or more knowledgeable than you are. Daily experience, though, contradicts that claim. From today’s New York Times corrections section: A report in the City Room column on Tuesday about politicians who have served as both United States senator from New York and secretary of state misidentified the president who was in office when Alaska was »
November 26, 2008 — John Hinderaker

Terror Attacks in India

At least 78 people have been killed and many more wounded in a series of coordinated terrorist attacks in Mumbai. An unknown group called the Deccan Mujahideen has claimed responsibility. In separate attacks, terrorists stormed two luxury hotels and reportedly targeted Americans and Britons, although undoubtedly a large majority of victims were Indians. At last word, the terrorists are still holed up in the hotels. This is the Taj Hotel, »
November 26, 2008 — Scott Johnson

Minnesota Senate Recount, Update IX

The Coleman campaign has just issued the following press release that confirms the nightmare scenarios sketched out by John Fund in his Wall Street Journal column today: ST. PAUL – Hours after the Franken campaign failed to convince the Minnesota State Canvassing Board to intervene on its behalf, Senate President Harry Reid (D-Nev) supported Franken’s attorney’s statement that they are prepared to take the Minnesota election to the U.S. Senate »
November 26, 2008 — Paul Mirengoff

Hope and change down the road

John writes that, in light of Obama’s staffing decisions, “it now appears that the Obama administration will represent a continuation of Bush-era policies on taxes, response to the current financial crisis, and national security policy, including Iraq.” In my view, it is important to look separately at the key areas implicated (to whatever degree) by the staffing decisions Obama has made so far. I take some comfort in the selection »
November 26, 2008 — Paul Mirengoff

Dartmouth sued again over board-packing

Several Dartmouth alumni have sued Dartmouth, claiming it has violated an 1891 agreement that conferred upon alumni the right to select 50 percent of the Board of Trustees. The 1891 agreement was between Dartmouth and its Association of Alumni (AoA), which previously filed a suit against Dartmouth for the breach. However, the AoA withdrew the lawsuit after the alumni voted in a slate of officers that had pledged to do »
November 26, 2008 — John Hinderaker

Back to the Future

Today Barack Obama named former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker to head Obama’s newly-created Economic Recovery Advisory Board. Volcker served as Chairman of the Fed from 1979 through 1987. As such, he worked closely with Ronald Reagan to tame the inflation that ravaged the American economy in the late 1970s and beginning of the 1980s. Reagan reappointed Volcker in 1983. Change you can believe in! To comment on this post, »
November 26, 2008 — Scott Johnson

Is Secretary of State Clinton unconstitutional?

On questions of constitutional law, Professor Michael Stokes Paulsen has long since established himself as one of our foremost authorities, and perhaps the wittiest. Eugene Volokh has now posted Professor Paulsen’s thoughts on the esoteric constitutional question raised by the prospective appointment of Senator Clinton to serve as Secretary of State. Professor Paulsen writes: Is Hillary Clinton Unconstitutional?” In a word, Yes — or, to be more precise, a Secretary »
November 26, 2008 — John Hinderaker

Hope and Change

With confirmation that Bob Gates will stay on as Secretary of Defense, it now appears that the Obama administration will represent a continuation of Bush-era policies on taxes, response to the current financial crisis, and national security policy, including Iraq. There are still, of course, major areas where mischief may be done; health care and the environment are obvious examples. But it is curious that so few of Obama’s supporters »
November 26, 2008 — Scott Johnson

Minnesota Senate Recount, Update VIII

The Franken campaign and its allies such as Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie and Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman are now focusing on rejected absentee ballots. In today’s Star Tribune Kevin Duchschere shows that Ritchie is improvising in advance of the state Canvassing Board meeting today which will consider the treatment of rejected absentee ballots. Ritchie solicited the advice of Freeman et al. for the handling of rejected absentee »
November 25, 2008 — John Hinderaker

Minnesota Senate Recount, Update VII

A correspondent who has been working non-stop in the trenches since the Senate recount began describes Al Franken’s most recent strategy: document every “error” or “problem” that occurs in the course of the recount, to prepare to attack the process if Franken loses: Being involved daily on the count I can see Franken’s strategy has changed from upping the frivolous challenges to meticulously documenting the mistakes in each precinct. They »
November 25, 2008 — Paul Mirengoff

Churlish

Max Boot surveys Obama’s national security team and writes, “only churlish partisans of both the left and the right can be unhappy with the emerging tenor of our nation’s new leadership.” I guess that makes me a churlish partisan. It’s been clear to me since before Obama named anyone to his national security team that the incoming administration would not, in the short run, rock the boat on foreign policy »
November 25, 2008 — John Hinderaker

Minnesota Senate Recount, Update VI

It seems that the pace of the Minnesota Senate recount is slowing, with 82 percent of the ballots reportedly now recounted. It seems pretty clear that the votes the Franken campaign had hoped to uncover aren’t there, so far. By the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s count, Norm Coleman’s lead has lengthened slightly to 231 votes. The Franken campaign now claims that it has learned of several hundred “missing ballots” around the »
November 25, 2008 — Scott Johnson

Remembering the Rich pardon, part 2

Last week when John Hinderaker appeared on Hannity & Colmes, he assumed the unaccustomed role of an innocent bystander to Lanny Davis shouting down Andrew McCarthy. McCarthy testified to the indefensible role played by presumptive Attorney General nominee Eric Holder in facilitating the outrageous pardon of Marc Rich by Bill Clinton. Davis didn’t exactly scare off McCarthy, but he did prevent him from citing particulars in his case against Holder. »
November 25, 2008 — Scott Johnson

“A good day for the Marine Corps”

Michael Ledeen highlights this stirring account of Marines fighting in Afghanistan: FARAH PROVINCE, Afghanistan — In the city of Shewan, approximately 250 insurgents ambushed 30 Marines and paid a heavy price for it. Shewan has historically been a safe haven for insurgents, who used to plan and stage attacks against Coalition Forces in the Bala Baluk district. The city is home to several major insurgent leaders. Reports indicate that more »
November 24, 2008 — Paul Mirengoff

History makes way for Obama-worship at the New York Times

Obama-worship remains the order of the day at the New York Times, and the Times is more than happy to rewrite history on behalf of the candidate it worked so hard to elect. Consider this piece by David Sanger. Sanger’s thesis is that Obama’s selections, reported selections, and rumored selections for key posts in his administration indicate that he will govern from the center right of his party. That case »