I let rip on the academic Stalinists baying for Summers’ blood on the Chris Matthews Show this weekend. I cannot believe the hysteria. Well, actually, the sad things is I can believe it. But if Summers goes down, the chilling effect on intellectual freedom in this country will be intense. That’s what the far left … Continue reading HEADS UP
In mulling over the Social Security crisis-unlike a few folks I admire, I’m convinced that there is one-it occurred to me that conservatism is deeply unpopular. This might sound odd in light of President Bush’s reelection, the endless hand wringing among liberals, and the obliteration of the Democratic Party in the white South. I can … Continue reading CONSERVATISM IS DEEPLY UNPOPULAR
Mike’s encounter with the new world of the collective blog-brain can be read here. Thanks for helping. I particularly admire this observation: What floored me was not just the volume and speed of the feedback but its seriousness and sophistication. Sure, there were some simpletons and some name-calling nasties echoing rote-learned propaganda. But we get … Continue reading KINSLEY RESPONDS
“Radical Islamists were surely watching in July when the Senate voted on procedural grounds to do away with the Federal Marriage Amendment. This is like handing moral weapons of mass destruction to those who use America’s decadence to recruit more snipers and hijackers and suicide bombers. One vital goal of the war in Iraq, and … Continue reading DERBYSHIRE AWARD NOMINEE
Yes, their record of appeasing dictators goes back a long way: A July 23 editorial in London’s Daily Telegraph points out that “BBC journalism exhibits the same ‘agenda-setting’ mentality… The BBC’s bias against the war led it into grotesque distortion of reality.” History repeats itself. Winston Churchill’s access to the radio broadcasting state monopoly in … Continue reading THE BBC VERSUS CHURCHILL
I’ll never forget my once-in-a-lifetime meeting with Michael Oakeshott. I’d written most of my doctoral dissertation on the great man’s work by the time I actually met him so you can imagine the pressure of the day and the anticipation. He didn’t disappoint me but I think I disappointed him. At one point he asked … Continue reading WHILE I WAS AWAY
“The legacy of Harry Potter in popular culture remains to be seen – those who’d burn the books as demonic are encouraged to get library cards pronto – but at present, despite its sophomoric awkwardness, the film of Chamber of Secrets is a welcome delivery of childlike wonder for a planet of ever-increasing ugliness. We’ve … Continue reading BEGALA AWARD NOMINEE
I must say I found Adam Shatz’s long essay in the Nation about the Left’s response to 9/11 to be pretty fair, comprehensive and occasionally fascinating. What its conclusion amounts to, I think, is that the crime of 9/11 has still not finished throwing that diverse coalition we call the Left into a deep and … Continue reading THE REELING LEFT
Here’s one last August entry from Camille Paglia, who has filled in for me manfully this past month. It’s a dissection of the decline of the Left in America and elsewhere. Some sharp points as always. I’m really grateful for her contributions. The last one garnered 75,000 visits in a single day. From the hammock, … Continue reading A CAMILLE AUGUST
Despite the mounds of ink expended on the current president of the United States, he’s still in many ways a mystery. Before September 11, he was widely ridiculed in the press – especially abroad – as a know-nothing, word-mangling, privileged hick who barely won the election. After September 11, his measured and calm response to … Continue reading THE RELUCTANT PRESIDENT
The Dish 