I think he should have been a blogger. Oh, I don’t mean he shouldn’t have written his novels. I’m referring only to the last year or two of his life, when he became very politically active as a result of … Continue reading →
Michael Totten has drawn our attention in this post to an article by James Wolcott. Totten writes that Wolcott is beating up on liberal hawks (he singles out Roger L. Simon in particular) for making common cause with conservatives by … Continue reading →
A lot of people think George Orwell is special. I’m one of them. I first read Orwell’s books Animal Farm and 1984 when I was about twelve years old. The latter was good for many nightmares–I don’t recommend giving the … Continue reading →
I know I’ve written quite a bit about the book Radical Son, in which David Horowitz details the process by which he changed from activist leftist to neocon (see here and here for examples of my posts). But the book … Continue reading →
In the comments section of my recent post about the direction of political change, neuroconservative asked: I wonder what you (and the other neos here) think your younger self would have made of your older self? More broadly, how do … Continue reading →
In today’s NY Times (registration only, of course) there is a book review featuring a Vietnamese novelist who is new to me, Duong Thu Huong . Huong, 58, is an excellent example of a changed mind, not to mention a … Continue reading →
Christopher Hitchens made some interesting statements in this interview (via Seekerblog). Here’s Hitchens describing an experience he had while in Iraq in the aftermath of the Gulf War, at a time when he positively hated George Bush Sr.: I was … Continue reading →
On June 21, the NY Times published this article headlined, “Some politics may be etched in the genes.” Wow, I thought. What are neocons, genetic mosaics? However, it turns out the research was more about concepts that influence politics than … Continue reading →
I’ve just finished Radical Son. Those who recommended it to me were correct; it’s a fascinating account of one of the biggest political “changers” of recent times. David Horowitz was way to the left of me in his “before” shot, … Continue reading →
As I wrote earlier, I’ve been reading David Horowitz’s autobiography of political/psychological change, Radical Son. Now, at two-hundred-plus pages into the work and only halfway through, I think Horowitz could have used a more ruthless editor. But the book remains … Continue reading →
Speaking of changing political opinions, I just found out that one of Charles Krauthammer’s earliest political gigs was as a speechwriter for Walter Mondale (see bio on left sidebar in the link).
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