Churchill
October 6, 2012 — Steven Hayward
Sir Winston puts his finger on why Obamaworld was shocked at Obama’s face plant in the debate on Wednesday (not to mention the entire phenomena of liberal “tolerance” and political correctness: . . . some people’s idea of [debate] is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone says anything back, that is an outrage.
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September 29, 2012 — Steven Hayward
Since the Obama Administration’s Middle Eastern misprision continues, perhaps another word of advice from Sir Winston, made in 1958, is in order: The Middle East is one of the hardest-hearted areas in the world. It has always been fought over, and peace has only reigned when a major power has established firm influence and shown that it will maintain its will. Your friends must be supported with every vigour and
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September 22, 2012 — Steven Hayward
Oh what the heck. I see Scott beat me to it this week. But really–can you ever have too much Winston? No, of course not. Especially during campaign season. From a 1950 WSC speech: I am sure that class hatred and class warfare, like national revenge, are the most costly luxuries in which anyone can indulge. And from a 1903 speech: You may, by the arbitrary and sterile act of
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September 22, 2012 — Scott Johnson
Now comes word that President Obama will have yet more to say about the Muhammad video, this time at the UN next week. What an embarrassment. This pathetic cowering has already become a tiresome ploy. It’s getting to be about time for Obama to do something more to show his solidarity with the Muslims rioting against the United States around the world. How about burning an American flag? Steve hasn’t
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September 15, 2012 — Steven Hayward
Not sure whether I have previously posted Churchill’s infamous passage about Islam from the original edition of The River War, but given the events of the past few days, it is fitting to post it again: How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The
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September 1, 2012 — Steven Hayward
With the Democratic National Convention dead ahead, this seems like a good time to take in Winston’s wisdom about what true Liberalism is, as a reminder of how far today’s “liberals” have corrupted a once-noble tradition. From a 1909 speech at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester: In my judgment, a Liberal is a man who ought to stand as a restraining force against an extravagant policy. He is a
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August 24, 2012 — Steven Hayward
Our pal Ramesh Ponnuru of National Review and Bloomberg News has a fun column up on Bloomberg a few days ago entitled “I’m Right, You’re Wrong, and Other Political Truths” that spoofs the degraded style of political argument in election season: I can’t stand the people on your side. Not you, particularly. You’re fine. It’s your side that’s ruining everything great about this country. Your side lies shamelessly. Your leaders
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August 18, 2012 — Steven Hayward
Paul Ryan has lots of company using one of the most frequently repeated Churchill quotes about America: “The Americans can always be trusted to do the right thing, once all other possibilities have been exhausted.” The only problem is, the quote may be spurious. That’s the tentative hypothesis of Richard Langworth, who is the most meticulous fact-checker of all things Churchill. (We’ve mentioned his excellent Churchill quotation book here before, and if you don’t have a copy, you
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August 12, 2012 — Steven Hayward
My planned installment for this week’s Churchill was derailed by the Paul Ryan news, and I was going to use the Hiroshima/Nagasaki bombings to pass along Churchill’s comments, made on August 16, 1945—only days after the Nagasaki bomb, but after Churchill had left the premiership following his defeat in the election the previous month. Here you will see Churchill anticipate the argument that has roiled ever since about the use
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August 11, 2012 — Steven Hayward
Behind Paul and John’s hesitation about Ryan is the doubt that it is possible to have an “adult conversation” in the heat of a presidential campaign, especially when you will have to fend off the adolescent fantasies of Obama-Biden and today’s infantile Democratic Party. It is a reasonable fear, and not brand new: conservatives have long warned against the dire consequences of reaching the moment where a critical mass of
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August 4, 2012 — Steven Hayward
What collection of WSC greatest hits would be complete without the passage from The Grand Alliance (volume 3 of his World War II memoirs) about the character of the United States: Silly people—and there are many, not only in enemy countries—might discount the force of the United States. Some said they were soft, others that they would never be united. They would fool around at a distance. They would never
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August 4, 2012 — Scott Johnson
Yesterday we posted David Gelernter’s response to Atlantic staff writer Conor Friedersdorf’s critique of “Why is this failed president above water?” Friedersorf’s critique of Professor Gelernter’s Power Line post is based on Obama quotes supposedly showing biblical echoes in Obama’s speeches and writings, contrary to a point Professor Gelernter makes in his post. Friedersdorf sent us a link to his critique and suggested that a correction was in order. Before
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July 31, 2012 — Scott Johnson
When Charles Krauthammer observed in his weekly Washington Post column this past Friday that Obama had begun his presidency by removing the bust of Winston Churchill from the Oval Office and returning it to the British embassy, White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer went ballistic. He vehemently denied that Obama had done so and accused Krauthammer of retailing a falsehood. The truth was pointed out to Pfeiffer during the day
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July 30, 2012 — Scott Johnson
Over the weekend we wrote about White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer’s meltdown, in which he accused Charles Krauthammer of retailing a falsehood about Obama’s (notorious) return of winston Churchill’s bust to the Brits in January 2009. Obama’s return of Churchill’s bust was a story that was widely reported at the time. Did Pfeiffer somehow miss it? Within hours of Pfeiffer’s post on Friday the British embassy in Washington confirmed
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July 28, 2012 — Steven Hayward
In light of the salience of the “special relationship” that Obama has no use for, it is fitting for the Power Line Weekly Winston to recall some of his thoughts on the matter. To be sure, about America Churchill did once say “toilet paper too thin, newspapers too fat!,” but we’ve solved that problem. (Has anyone noticed, for example, how thin the Los Angeles Times is these days?) So here’s one
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July 28, 2012 — Scott Johnson
One wonders if the Obama public relations team is on the verge of a nervous breakdown, whether Charles Krauthammer is inside their head, or whether Krauthammer has put them on the verge of a nervous breakdown. (Perhaps Dr. Krauthammer can draw on his psychiatric training to opine on that question.) In his weekly Washington Post column yesterday Krauthammer noted that “Obama started his presidency by returning to the British Embassy
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July 21, 2012 — Steven Hayward
The Hungarian-born historian John Lukacs has always written with great perception on Churchill, in at least four worthy books including The Last European War, The Duel, Five Days in May, and Churchill: Visionary, Statesman, Historian. In one of these books—I can’t lay my hands on the passage—he observes that much of Churchill’s difficulties with his colleagues in Cabinet derived from his American half, which was less patient and congenial to
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