Author Archives: Paul Mirengoff

December 10, 2009 — Paul Mirengoff

From Obama, a pleasant surprise

President Obama’s Nobel Prize acceptance speech was, I thought, a mostly pleasant surprise. It’s a long oration, too long, and there is much legitimately to pick at. But fundamentally I think Obama delivered a mostly thoughtful discussion (as these things go) of how to reconcile our lofty ideals with the existence of evil, and how to reconcile the occasional need to go to war (including at times for humanitarian reasons) »
December 10, 2009 — Paul Mirengoff

Sarkozy’s message to France’s Muslims — the good, the bad, and the ugly

Earlier this week, French President Nicolas Sarkozy addressed French Muslims in a statement published in Le Monde. As is often the case with Sarkozy, the statement is a mixed bag of good and not-so-good ideas. I like this part: I address my Muslim countrymen to say I will do everything to make them feel they are citizens like any other, enjoying the same rights as all the others to live »
December 9, 2009 — Paul Mirengoff

You gotta love this

According to Politico, President Obama’s support has declined to the point that only 50 percent of voters now say they prefer having him as President to George W. Bush. Forty-four percent say they’d rather have Bush. In one sense, this isn’t very surprising. Most people probably don’t believe they are better off economically than they were, on average, during the Bush presidency. In fact, it’s not clear that most people »
December 9, 2009 — Paul Mirengoff

Did Obama expose his own mendacity?

President Obama began his speech about the economy at the Brookings Institution yesterday by discussing how dismal the economic outlook was a year ago when he was president-elect: Almost exactly one year ago, on a frigid winter’s day, I met with my new economic team at the headquarters of my presidential transition offices in Chicago. And over the course of four hours, my advisors presented an analysis of where the »
December 9, 2009 — Paul Mirengoff

This day in baseball history

On December 9, 1959, the Chicago White Sox traded Johnny Callison to the Philadelphia Phillies for Gene Freese. This was part of the White Sox’s campaign to shore up their pennant winning club with power, in order to stave off the expected challenge of the New York Yankees, and win the World Series. As part of the same campaign, they had already traded Norm Cash and John Romano for Minnie »
December 8, 2009 — Paul Mirengoff

Senate votes down Nelson anti-abortion amendment

The Senate just rejected (“tabled”) an amendment sponsored by Ben Nelson and Orrin Hatch that would have provided tougher anti-abortion language in the health care reform bill. The vote was 55-45. Senator Nelson has been pretty clear that he won’t vote for the Dems’ bill without the kind of language he unsuccessfully attempted to insert. Without Nelson and Lieberman, Harry Reid will have to hold onto Blanche Lincoln and win »
December 8, 2009 — Paul Mirengoff

The Washington Post hates Joe Lieberman

In a ridiculously partisan bit of writing, even by Washington Post standards, Lois Romano and Alec MacGillis introduce a piece about Sen. Joe Lieberman this way: Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (Conn.) has once again inserted himself into the middle of an inflamed partisan debate, raising questions about his motives, his ego and his fickle allegiance to the Democratic Party, which forgave him after he supported Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for »
December 8, 2009 — Paul Mirengoff

Democracy 2.0

Many years ago, I learned that under the American model of governance, Congress (the representative of the people) enacted legislation; the executive branch implemented the legislation; and the Supreme Court became involved, in rare instances, at the back end of the process. However, this model has, in a sense, been reversed when it comes to regulating carbon dioxide — a matter of enormous potential consequences for both the environment and »
December 7, 2009 — Paul Mirengoff

Cover-up at the Obama-Holder Justice Department

This Washington Times editorial brings us up-to-date on the growing scandal at the Obama-Holder Justice Department over the New Black Panther case. As the Times reminds us, that case involves paramilitary-garbed Panthers caught on videotape engaged in intimidating activities outside a Philadelphia polling booth on Election Day 2008. A judge was ready to enter a default judgment against the Black Panthers, based on a case brought by career Justice Department »
December 7, 2009 — Paul Mirengoff

Good news from Celtic Park, and Goodison

The rivalry between Glasgow soccer giants Celtic United and Rangers is among the fiercest in all of world soccer. That’s because, in addition to the intercity aspect, the rivalry has a religious dimension – Celtic is the Catholic team; Rangers is for Protestants. I’ve always tilted towards Celtic; not for religious reasons but because for a few years I occasionally watched Celtic matches with members of a club of Celtic »
December 7, 2009 — Paul Mirengoff

Different mission, same plan with a difference

Yesterday, the Washington Post reported that, about a month into the discussions about what military strategy to employ in Afghanistan, the administration decided that the mission Gen. McChrystal had based his proposal on was not the right mission. Consistent with administration policy as of March, McChrystal’s view of the mission was to defeat the Taliban and protect the population. In October, however, the administration concluded that the first component of »
December 6, 2009 — Paul Mirengoff

Climategate — the Washington Post’s take

This was a big weekend for the Washington Post. In a front-page story today, it exposed, albeit almost sub silentio, the incompetence of the Obama administration’s decision-making process with respect to Afghanistan. And in a front-page story yesterday, it reported, for the first time I believe, on Climategate. Why did it take the Post so long to provide an account of Climategate? It seems to me that the authors, David »
December 6, 2009 — Paul Mirengoff

Washington Post quietly reveals Obama’s incompetence in developing Afghan plan

The Washington Post presents a detailed version of the lengthy process that finally resulted in President Obama’s decision to send more troops to Afghanistan. The early paragraphs track the White House’s self-congratulatory line that Obama’s close attention to detail resulted in the speeding up of troop deployment, thus creating a true “surge.” This is consistent with Obama’s attempt, in his speech at West Point, to excuse the three months it »
December 5, 2009 — Paul Mirengoff

The stakes in Afghanistan

Amotz Asa-El, in the Jerusalem Post, delivers a devastating takedown of the Obama administration, both with respect to domestic and foreign policy. According to Asa-El, these policies have two things in common: (1) for Obama, oration is “not a way to announce plans, it [is] the plan itself” and (2) just as Obama won’t ask Americans to sacrifice anything economically, he won’t ask much from the rest of the world, »
December 5, 2009 — Paul Mirengoff

When your captors are idiots you can talk them into releasing you without even lying

Thomas Joscelyn reports that former Guantanamo detainee Ibrahim Suleiman al Rubaish has emerged as a leading ideologue and theologian for al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula – one of the strongest al Qaeda affiliates in the world. Rubaish was capture on the front lines at Tora Bora. We held him at Gitmo from late 2001 until December 2006. Then, the government transferred him to Saudi Arabia where he was placed »
December 4, 2009 — Paul Mirengoff

Two related developments at Dartmouth

The trial judge heard oral argument today on Dartmouth College’s motion for summary judgment in the suit of certain Dartmouth alums against the College for breach of the 1891 agreement. The lawsuit seeks to restore to alums their historic right to elect half of the Board of Trustees. According to Joe Asch, who was present at the hearing, the judge did little to indicate which way he will rule. This »
December 4, 2009 — Paul Mirengoff

World Cup draw is kind to U.S. and England

The draw for the 2010 World Cup has just been completed. It populated the eight groups of four teams that will compete to make the Round of 16. Two teams from each of the eight groups will make it to that round. The two teams I will be rooting for — the U.S. and England — ended up in the same Group. Moreover, both caught what looks like a big »