Which comes first, democracy or security? It’s a trick question, like the one about the chicken and egg. The truth is they must come simultaneously. And ay, there’s (as Hamlet would say) the rub, because in chaotic third-world nations—Pakistan comes … Continue reading →
Ah yes, the election. It seems I can’t ignore it after all. The news is all about the decline of the old frontrunners (Clinton, Giuliani) and the rise of the new challengers to frontrunner status (Obama, Huckabee), the candidates de … Continue reading →
My first thought late last night on hearing the news of Chavez’s defeat in yesterday’s referendum was, “Great (and surprising)!” My second thought was a more cynical one: “How bad must the defeat really have been for Chavez to announce … Continue reading →
The headlines blared the recent Australian election news: “Bush Loses Another War Ally” (Chicago Tribune) and “Ally of Bush is Defeated in Australia” (NY Times) were typical. And true, as far as they go. Prime Minister Howard was indeed a … Continue reading →
Advice for the Democrats, from Clive Crook (love that name!) of the Financial Times: Up to now, Democrats have been stinting in their recognition that the situation in Iraq has improved: “Yes, violence is down a bit, but .”‰.”‰.” That … Continue reading →
Michael Goodwin points out that, in their latest debates, the Democratic candidates seem to be “sleepwalking through history” about the war on terror: What was once a bipartisan concern about the new phenomenon of lethal nonstate actors such as Al … Continue reading →
Reader Chris White comments sarcastically on yesterday’s thread: And the other big fault of Democrats in Congress is ”¦ they’re being politicians. Of course, there are no politicians on the right. On the right there are only pure patriots who … Continue reading →
I’ve written a great many posts on the tireless efforts of Democrats in this Congress to stop the Iraq War in the face of the fact that they simply don’t have the votes necessary to override Bush’s vetoes. I’ve described … Continue reading →
The problem that began for Hillary Clinton in the debate a week ago seems to be lingering on. According to Yuval Levin at The Corner and Mickey Kaus at Slate, the issue is not so much her position on the … Continue reading →
Ah, the compromises politicians will make. Now it turns out that New Yorker Giuliani, the quintessential Yankee fan, is rooting for the Red Sox in the World Series. This has earned him no end of condemnation. It’s also a bit … Continue reading →
This Congress has one of the lowest approval ratings in modern memory. Perhaps that’s because it has accomplished so very little. Then again, perhaps that lack of success is a good thing, seeing the caliber of many of the bills … Continue reading →
Michael Hirsh, who thinks Giuliani is suspect for cozying up too much to those nasty, unpopular neocons, offers an interesting quote in his recent Newsweek piece [emphasis mine]: [Giuliani]’s positioning himself as the neo-neocon,” jokes Richard Holbrooke, a top foreign-policy … Continue reading →