Monthly Archives: January 2009

January 22, 2009 — John Hinderaker

A Jaundiced View

Paul and I did our more-or-less-weekly “Power Line Report” on PJTV this afternoon. We have a lot of fun doing it, and I think the shows we’ve done so far have been fun and informative. If you haven’t checked out PJTV, it’s worth a look. For one thing, we all agree that the liberal media are a disgrace, and economically many liberal news outlets are in the toilet. But what »
January 22, 2009 — Paul Mirengoff

Venial versus mortal sins in a Treasury Secretary

At one level, at least, it’s difficult to understand why Timothy Geithner is a lock to be confirmed as Secretary of Treasury. Geithner, after all, did not pay the taxes he owed on his IMF income even though he received reimbursement from the IMF for the money he should have paid to the government. And, as Secretary of Treasury, Geithner will be in charge of the IRS. One might think »
January 22, 2009 — Scott Johnson

How far am I from Canaan?

Today is the anniversary of the birth of Sam Cooke. Cooke was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi on January 22, 1931, grew up a son of the church in Chicago, and died a violent death under tawdry circumstances in Los Angeles on December 11, 1964. In the beginning, writes Cooke biographer Joe McEwen, Cooke was black America’s favorite gospel singer. At age 19 Cooke replaced the lead singer — his idol »
January 22, 2009 — John Hinderaker

Symbolism Only Goes So Far

Today Barack Obama issued an entirely symbolic executive order, directing that the terrorist detainee facility at Guantanamo Bay be closed within one year. Gitmo, of course, was created in answer to the question, What are we going to do with captured terrorists? Now, with that facility slated for closure, the question arises once more. It arose, in fact, in Press Secretary Robert Gibbs’ first press conference today. I found this »
January 22, 2009 — John Hinderaker

Public Cooling On Warming

There isn’t a lot of good news these days, but here is one item: Rasmussen reports that a plurality of Americans now understand that human activity is not the chief cause of global warming: Forty-four percent (44%) of U.S. voters now say long-term planetary trends are the cause of global warming, compared to 41% who blame it on human activity. Seven percent (7%) attribute global warming to some other reason, »
January 22, 2009 — John Hinderaker

Back In Business

Was Israel’s attack on Gaza a success or a failure? It’s probably too early to tell, but this isn’t a good sign: Palestinian tunnelers are back in business, repairing smuggling tunnels to Egypt that were damaged by Israeli bombs and missiles, and building new ones: Abu Rahman’s own tunnel was quite seriously damaged, and 10 workers were shoveling underground to get it working again. “It should take about a month, »
January 22, 2009 — John Hinderaker

From Russia With Love

A former CIA agent who infiltrated Iran’s Revolutionary Guards writes at Pajamas Media, citing the deputy head of the Iranian parliament’s foreign affairs and national security commission, that Russia has begun supplying Iran with components for its S-300 surface-to-air missile systems. This is Russia’s best anti-missile technology; as recently as July, Defense Secretary Gates said it was highly unlikely that Iran would obtain such technology: The mullahs who rule over »
January 22, 2009 — Scott Johnson

MCLU v. TIZA

The Muslim American Society is a front group for the Muslim Brotherhood, out of which the genocidal terrorist group Hamas emerged. The Minnesota chapter of the Muslim American Society has been the source of local controversies involving the purported observance of Sharia in public facilities. The MAS Minnesota is perhaps best known as the proponent of the fatwa prohibiting Muslim taxi drivers from transporting travelers carrying alcohol from the Minneapolis-St. »
January 21, 2009 — Paul Mirengoff

“Majesty” or truth?

Last week, the Supreme Court, in the case of Herring v. United States, limited slightly the applicability of the exclusionary rule. The exclusionary rule is the doctrine under which evidence obtained in the absence of a proper search is excluded from criminal trials. My friend Bill Otis, a former Justice Department lawyer and an occasional Power Line contributor, is an expert on the exclusionary rule. So I asked him to »
January 21, 2009 — John Hinderaker

They Hope He’s a Liar, Apparently

In many respects, Barack Obama’s inauguration speech, like his national security appointments, signaled that his administration will be more or less George Bush’s third term, at least in foreign policy. That’s not a big surprise to those of us who knew that Obama’s foreign policy pronouncements during the primary season were silly, but the Left has been more or less in a state of shock for a while now, and »
January 21, 2009 — John Hinderaker

MCLU Sues TIZA

We have written a number of times, including here, about a Muslim charter school in Minneapolis called TIZA, which appears to be operating as a religious school at taxpayer expense in violation of the First Amendment. TIZA is not alone in this regard, as other Muslim charter schools in the Twin Cities seem to be doing the same thing. Today the Minnesota Civil Liberties Union sued TIZA and the Minnesota »
January 21, 2009 — Paul Mirengoff

NewMajority launched

David Frum’s new website, NewMajority, is up and running. It will feature commentary and investigative reporting. Frum’s commentary, consistently among the very best to be found in any medium, will feature prominently. Frum explains the goals of NewMajority this way: Our goal here at NewMajority.com is to renew and reform our Republican party and the conservative philosophy – so that we can again earn the confidence of the American people »
January 21, 2009 — John Hinderaker

She’s Back!

News reports that Caroline Kennedy had withdrawn from consideration for the New York Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton were premature. Family sources now say that Caroline wavered, but has decided to continue her quest for a Senate seat. The significance of this story is that Al Franken once again has competition for the title of “least qualified Democratic Senate hopeful.” UPDATE: She’s in…she’s out…she’s in…and, as of this morning, »
January 20, 2009 — John Hinderaker

Schadenfreude

The New York Times, scrambling to stay in business, has accepted a $250 million investment from Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Helú: Under the terms of the deal, Mr. Slim, who already owns 6.9 percent of the Times Company, would invest $250 million in the form of six-year notes with warrants that are convertible into common shares, the company said in a statement. The notes also carry a 14 percent interest »
January 20, 2009 — Paul Mirengoff

Presidential Power — the revisionism begins today

For at least six years, the liberal and MSM narrative on executive power has been fixed — President Bush sought too much of it and, because the courts consistently rejected his claims, Bush’s power grab ultimately proved destructive of presidential power. In presenting this narrative, the MSM was even able to enlist Bush administration legal advisors. Thus, John Bellinger of the State Department has claimed that “the executive authority [was] »
January 20, 2009 — Paul Mirengoff

Presidential Power — the revisionism begins today

For at least six years, the liberal and MSM narrative on executive power has been fixed — President Bush sought too much of it and, because the courts consistently rejected his claims, Bush’s power grab ultimately proved destructive of presidential power. In presenting this narrative, the MSM was even able to enlist Bush administration legal advisors. Thus, John Bellinger of the State Department has claimed that “the executive authority [was] »
January 20, 2009 — Paul Mirengoff

Celebration today, vigilance tomorrow

David Horowitz may not have seen it all, but he has seen more than just about all of us, and from both sides of the political divide. Here, he offers his view of how conservatives should view the ascension of Barack Obama: Yesterday was Martin Luther King’s birthday, which is America’s only national holiday to honor an American citizen. The day before, which was Sunday, the incoming Obama administration staged »