Monthly Archives: December 2002

December 22, 2002 — Scott Johnson

I’m deleting my reference earlier

I’m deleting my reference earlier today to the new Martin Scorsese film, “Gangs of New York.” I went to see it this afternoon, and it’s probably a little soon to say it’s the worst movie I’ve ever seen, but–given the talent and money lavished on it–it’s definitely among the top ten worst movies I’ve ever seen. Movie audiences, with a sixth sense I do not fathom, appear to be staying »
December 22, 2002 — John Hinderaker

George Will writes about the

George Will writes about the Bush administration’s plan to put many government services up for bid, noting the success of this approach with the printing of next year’s budget. It is noteworthy that Al Gore’s “reinventing government” task force recommended competitive bidding for government printing years ago. The problem for the Clinton Administration was that, because the Democratic Party is utterly beholden to the public employee unions, such ideas could »
December 22, 2002 — John Hinderaker

This is great: InstaPundit pointed

This is great: InstaPundit pointed us to President Bush’s radio address to the Iranian people. This is exactly what we need to be doing–allying ourselves with the progressive forces in Iran, and broadcasting all the encouragement we can. The Mullahs should ultimately fall without any need for military action on our part, and there is no reason why we shouldn’t enjoy warm relations with the next government. »
December 22, 2002 — Paul Mirengoff

The Washington Post credits Virginia

The Washington Post credits Virginia Senator George Allen, son of the legendary Redskins football coach, with a leading role in the overthrow of Trent Lott. Allen will replace new Majority Leader Bill Frist as head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. If he’s anything like his father, we could see the Republicans obtaining Senate seats for draft picks. For Allen, as for his party, “the future is now.” »
December 22, 2002 — Paul Mirengoff

Sixty-six percent of Americans approve

Sixty-six percent of Americans approve of President Bush’s work, according to this Washington Post report on the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll. 75 percent of those polled view Bush as “a strong leader.” Although Ruy Teixeira, co-author of The Emerging Democratic Majority, believes that Bush’s high rating for leadership is “narrowly based on Sept. 11 and thus precarious,” the Post finds that “the view of Bush as a powerful leader »
December 22, 2002 — Scott Johnson

The Weekly Standard Web site

The Weekly Standard Web site has posted the holiday gift book recommendations of its editors and writers, and it’s a good one: “The Weekly Standard Holiday Reading Guide.” The new issue of the Standard has a fascinating cover story by Andrew Ferguson on the Lincoln assassination conspiracy. The magazine has kindly made the article electronically available: “The Last Battle of the Civil War.” »
December 22, 2002 — Scott Johnson

I vaguely remember Karel Capek

I vaguely remember Karel Capek as the author of a dystopian novel that at one time was lumped together with 1984 and Brave New World as a classic of the genre. Today’s Sunday New York Times Book Review has an interesting review of the first-ever biography of Capek with news of a related publishing project devoted to bringing his work out in English: “A Literary Comeback for Karel Capek.” »
December 21, 2002 — John Hinderaker

The New York Times is

The New York Times is trying to find an angle to attack Bill Frist; its efforts are mainly humorous. Today they played a game of “find the hidden racial slur.” If you can figure out what in the following anecdote is “racially insensitive,” as the Times characterized it, let us know: “Also in that campaign, Representative Harold E. Ford Jr., Democrat from Memphis, demanded that Mr. Frist apologize to African-Americans »
December 21, 2002 — Scott Johnson

On May 25, 1941, Commander

On May 25, 1941, Commander Ian Fleming entered the United States on a secret mission: to encourage the United States to centralize its intelligence operations in a single agency and to help choose the chief of the new agency. Mark Riebling tells the story with great skill in his timely book Wedge: The secret war between the FBI and the CIA. Fleming was a warrior for freedom and a friend »
December 21, 2002 — Scott Johnson

As an addled undergraduate college

As an addled undergraduate college student in love with the Beatles, the Byrds, the Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, and the Jefferson Airplane, I was instructed by a friend one day in 1972 to sit down and listen to a new three-record album set titled “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?” The album was issued under the name of the hippie folk group the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, but the album featured »
December 21, 2002 — Paul Mirengoff

Victor Davis Hanson returns to

Victor Davis Hanson returns to first principles in articulating the case for the war on terrorism through a series of questions and answers in National Review Online. To the question of whether we are winning, Hanson answers that “it is not even close so far.” With fewer than 100 casualties among American soldiers, Al Qaeda is “about half ruined,” the Taliban is gone, Iraq is terrified, and Syria, Libya, and »
December 21, 2002 — Paul Mirengoff

If the Republicans decide to

If the Republicans decide to take a principled stand against the evils of all forms of racial preferences, this piece by William Bennett can show them how the case should be articulated. As Bennett concludes, “We are all one people, living in one nation, and we need, finally, to act like it.” »
December 21, 2002 — Paul Mirengoff

Rocket Man, interesting speculation on

Rocket Man, interesting speculation on why the Republicans don’t take a strong principled stand against racial preferences. I’m not convinced that they are deterred by big business. I don’t think the commitment of big business to affirmative action runs very deep, and I suspect that most business leaders would not react one way or the other to a strong Republican stance against preferences. Residual guilt may play a role, although »
December 21, 2002 — John Hinderaker

Bill Frist is a nightmare

Bill Frist is a nightmare for the Democrats, but that won’t stop them from pounding away on the race issue for the next two years, with plenty of help from the mainstream media. This could be an endless thorn in the Republicans’ side, but it could also be an opportunity, if it finally leads the party to take an unequivocal, principled stand on the issue. If the Republicans will simply »
December 20, 2002 — John Hinderaker

The London Times reports that,

The London Times reports that, in an apparent change of policy, both the UK and the US have indicated they will begin feeding intelligence to the U.N. arms inspectors to assist their search for illicit weapons: “US officials confirmed that they would begin passing intelligence that will be drawn from the huge American surveillance operation on Iraq from spy satellites, communications intercepts and agents on the ground.” I assume the »
December 20, 2002 — John Hinderaker

National Review’s Joel Mowbray reports

National Review’s Joel Mowbray reports on the bungled affair of the North Korean scud missile shipment to Yemen. If Mowbray is right, the State Department is once again the culprit. »
December 20, 2002 — John Hinderaker

Here is Patty Murray’s attempt

Here is Patty Murray’s attempt to respond to the controversy over her weird bin Laden/day care speech at a Washington high school yesterday. It is pretty pathetic; it makes no reference to her speech, and therefore would be incomprehensible to anyone who didn’t know the story. And it concludes with a swipe at someone, but it is impossible to say who, or what it has to do with her mind-boggling »