Into the home-stretch in the Tory party leadership election. It seems pretty clear to me who should get it. Ken Clarke is an affable fellow but clearly about thirty years behind his party. He’s actually more enthusiastic about joining the euro and merging Britain into a larger E.U. entity than Tony Blair is. His policy proposals – which largely consist of setting up ‘commissions’ to explore new ideas – are strikingly empty of any intellectual credibility. This is either because the guy hasn’t thought very much about policy (except for his zeal for European integration) or because his actual thoughts are so statist that the party would balk at them. They’d balk anyway on his European stance. Imagine if a Republican leader took as his signature issue an increase in taxes across the board. That’s how diametrically alien to his own party Ken Clarke is – on the central question of Europe. William Hague politely came out this week in opposition. Margaret Thatcher, with her usual talent for understatement, said a Clarke victory would be a disaster. She’s right, of course. That leaves the little known Iain Duncan Smith – a man who has at least the appearance of a policy back-bone and an awareness of the party he leads. I can’t say I’m enthusiastic. Just by the clipped, tony sound of his voice, he seems a throwback to an England long since left behind. But what choice do the Tories have? It truly is a pitiful situation.
MUST-READ: A scintillating “Breakfast Table‘ on Slate. In its second riveting day.
LETTERS: How cool are Jay and Silent Bob?; the Ancient Greeks and gay marriage.
A NEW CONDIT LOW: Quite what has gotten into Deroy Murdock I don’t know. Not so long ago, he simply declared Condit guilty of murder because it was “obvious.” Now, he’s urging a campaign to force the guy to resign. His latest ugly piece has assertions like: “Ironically, merced is Spanish for “mercy,” a concept apparently utterly alien to Condit.” Huh? He asserts, without any proof, that Condit has destroyed “evidence.” Evidence of what? Then there’s: “Gary Condit is performing the impossible: making Bill Clinton look like a model of virtue and probity.” Again: huh? Murdock perorates by urging Americans to “drag this degenerate from power.” A conservative for the vigilante lynch-mob. And Murdock thinks Condit is degenerate?
The Dish 