Now, this would be a change

The New Neo Posted on by

It would be so refreshing if only, instead of Obama’s “the dirty aggressive Republicans made me do it” announcement yesterday, he’d said something like this:

Back when I took the pledge to use public financing if my opponent did, I had no idea I’d have the astounding success I’ve had raising money. This gives me a tremendous advantage, and since I want to win, I’m changing my mind about what I said back then. Sorry, but I need to be practical here.

No sanctimonious claptrap about how highminded he’s being. No transparent distortion of his own motivations, or trashing of the opposition. Just the simple truth.

The WaPo isn’t pleased with Obama today

The New Neo Posted on by

I commented earlier, here and here, on the reasonableness of certain recent articles and editorials in the WaPo. Looks like it’s a real trend, because today the editors have published an editorial on Obama’s campaign financing reversal that contains not a word with which I would disagree, including the following excerpt (well, maybe I’d eliminate the word “little”): Continue reading →

On campaign financing pledge, Obama throws his former self under the bus

The New Neo Posted on by

Yesterday Obama channeled Emily Litella and said “never mind,” taking back his earlier promise to accept public financing for his campaign if his opponent would as well. In November of 2007 he not only made this pledge, but added “I will aggressively pursue an agreement with the Republican nominee to preserve a publicly financed general election.” He has not (see description of those negotiations here), and today he stopped even pretending that he would.

Well, so what? Promises, shmomises. Continue reading →

Keeping our hands clean: what the law has to say about it

The New Neo Posted on by

I was listening to a talk show last night in the car and heard an impassioned defense of the SCOTUS decision in Boumedine (see yesterday’s post for my opinion of the merits of the case).

The caller was not only in favor of the Court’s ruling to extend habeas corpus rights to noncombat enemy aliens in Guantanamo, he was clearly very moved by what he felt this meant for the country and the world. Continue reading →

The Celtics: and the last shall be first

The New Neo Posted on by

I used to follow the Celtics back in the heady days of the 70s and 80s, when they were the basketball franchise and their matchups against the mighty Lakers or Knicks rivaled the Red Sox/Yankees series’ for excitement.

Then there were the lean years, when I stopped watching or caring, not just about the Celtics but about basketball itself. It seemed the sport had changed and lost whatever it was that I’d enjoyed: finesse, teamwork, passing, outside shooting. Now it was all about power, fast breaks, selfishness, muscle. Some might find it just as interesting—or maybe more—than the old game, but I found it a crashing bore.

Plus, the Celtics had fallen on hard times. Continue reading →

Supreme Court: supreme overreach

The New Neo Posted on by

Here’s an excellent summary by law professor John Yoo of how the Supreme Court ruling in Boumediene v. Bush is a case of egregious judicial overreach:

First out the window went precedent. Under the writ of habeas corpus, Americans (and aliens on our territory) can challenge the legality of their detentions before a federal judge. Until Boumediene, the Supreme Court had never allowed an alien who was captured fighting against the U.S. to use our courts to challenge his detention…

The Boumediene five also ignored the Constitution’s structure, which grants all war decisions to the president and Congress. Continue reading →

Hey whitey, don’t be insulted

The New Neo Posted on by

It seems clear that the Michelle Obama “whitey” tape is merely an urban rumor and does not exist, except in the fevered minds and wishful thinking of some who oppose Obama. But even if it were found to be based in fact it turns out there’s no harm, no foul.

Who says so? The staff of the Chicago Tribune, that’s who. You see, “whitey” can’t be a racial slur, nor can it offend, because whites are not an oppressed group.

And anyone who thinks otherwise is just dumb, and therefore deserves to be insulted.

I’m not making this stuff up. Continue reading →

Pigs take wing: WaPo critical of Democrats on Iraq

The New Neo Posted on by

The Washington Post editorial page continues to show a remarkable surge of reason. The editors describe Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki’s recent trip to Iran and his insistence that he will not abide by Iran’s demands that he abandon the ongoing negotiations for a formal alliance between his country and the US. The newspaper points out that the Democrats have condemned this agreement even before it’s been drawn up.

The WaPo piece sounds as though the editors have woken up from a long period of sleep and are shocked—shocked!—that many leading Democrats are taking this stance. Continue reading →

Father’s Day: prose and poetry

The New Neo Posted on by

Tim Russert died two days ago, and he’s been mourned and eulogized by many since then. Quite a few of the tributes have made glowing mention of two books he’d written, both on the theme of fatherhood.

The first, Big Russ and Me, is a memoir about his down-to-earth, loving but undemonstrative, Greatest Generation father. The second is Wisdom of Our Fathers, a collection of letters about fathers that readers sent Russert in response to the first book.

I’ve read neither. But since so many of the heartfelt reminiscences about Russert—who seems to have been one of the rare genuinely warm, decent, and fairminded individuals ever to have risen to the top of the heap in the TV news business—recommended these two books, they sound as though they’d be an excellent thing to read or give as a gift on Father’s Day.

Father’s Day. A sort of poor stepchild to Mother’s Day, although fathers themselves are hardly that. They are central to a family.

Just ask the people who never had one, or who had a difficult relationship with theirs. Continue reading →

McCain’s lousy grades

The New Neo Posted on by

One of the points Obama supporters often make about McCain is that he must be dumb since he graduated 594th out of 599th in his class at the Naval Academy.

McCain’s low ranking is true. It’s also is true that McCain’s friends insist he “achieved” this status through design, not lack of intelligence; he did well in those subjects that interested him, such as history and literature.

In this respect he follows the tradition of none other than Winston Churchill, Continue reading →