Category: The Dish

Taking Ron Paul Seriously

The condescension to and mockery of the sole Republican candidate who seems to care about individual liberty has begun to tick me off. Chris Matthews can be heard groaning "Oh, God," after Paul spoke of the "original intent" of the Founders with respect to the Constitution. And in the YouTube clip below, Rudy Giuliani actually seems to be guffawing after Paul’s defense of habeas corpus. I’m glad Paul’s supporters are fighting back on the web. He deserves more respect than he has gotten thus far, not least because compared to the pandering of his competitors, Paul actually seems to believe what he says. And what he says has more to do with conservatism than the crap the rest of them are peddling. Here’s a clip worth watching again:

Quote for the Day

"The only religious aspect of Qutb’s thought is his belief that the Koran is the unmediated word of God, a belief that he does not, because he cannot, justify. For him, the will of God is indisputably known without any need of interpretation, and in fact he knows it. It isn’t difficult to see, then, that in the name of the destruction of all political authority and of the lordship of man over man in obedience to God’s will, Qutb thinks he ought to be total dictator, and that he is as obsessed with the here and now as any Marxist.

It is the same old story. As Dostoyevsky said, starting out from limitless freedom, we end up with total despotism," – Theodore Dalrymple in an essay whose title is engraved on Karl Rove’s heart, "There Is No God But Politics."

Blair and Responsibility

Blairpetermcdiarmidgetty

A fitting assessment in some respects:

A responsible politician not only grasps the fact that even the purest of motives may necessarily have unintended consequences but is aware that outcomes are the ultimate arbiter of any political decision. The mark of a responsible politician is the ability to appreciate the inherent ambiguity of consequences and suffer in silence, because, as Runciman points out, ‘the test of politics is whether you can cope with the knowledge that you are not as good as you would like to be.’

Tony Blair thus becomes the antithesis of a responsible politician, not only asking for validation on the basis of intention but making his public struggle with guilt a part of the justification itself.

Bush, of course, has evinced no sign of any struggle with guilt. It seems a concept utterly alien to him.

(Photo: Peter McDiarmid/Getty.)

Confession of the Day

"Why, only yesterday James Joyner and I were getting facials and talking about how Glenn Reynolds was using this awesome new foundation that really brought out his cheekbones (but what is the deal with this fashion choice?). Then it was off to a manny-peddy with Kevin Drum, who scored some cutting-edge Clinique products gratis because of his constant beauty blogging (though, man, could Drum be any bitchier about Andrew Sullivan’s fashion choices?)," – Dan Drezner, on a roll. Yes, he’s making fun of the MSM. So 2004 of him.

In Kafka’s Court

The case of AP photographer Bilal Hussein really is a disgrace. Smeared by Michelle Malkin as a terrorist-supporter, defended by his bosses, we now hear this:

Paul Gardephe, the lawyer handling the case for the AP, said the military recently acknowledged to him that it has no evidence to support earlier allegations that Hussein was involved in a plot to kidnap two other journalists.

Kathleen Carroll, executive editor of the AP, said, "The sort of rolling set of allegations that arise and then disappear without the benefit of a trial … or any kind of an official court proceeding is what is distressing to all of us here." She spoke during a panel discussion in connection with World Press Freedom Day. Officials have what they believe to be information that links Hussein to insurgent activity, but most of the evidence is classified and cannot be released publicly, said Col. Gary Keck, a Pentagon spokesman.

Orcinus has some choice comments.