Entries

An American Soldier in Paris

My French hosts took me out for a special meal at lunchtime. The gent sitting next to me was explaining the specials, written on a chalkboard; "And zis wan ees le poullet - zee chicken - served weeth zee pommes de terre wheech ees zee patoto - and zees wan is le bif-thtek served weeth le …

Written by Sean Linnane on Sunday October 23, 2011

I Come Not to Bury Obama But to Praise Him

“Vene, Vidi, Mori” Forgive the mangled Latin in both tense and person. Hilary Clinton’s delighted expression yesterday that “ We came, We saw, He died ,” echoing Caesar, delighted me. It is time for conservatives and Republicans to follow Pete Wehner at Commentary and begin praising Nobel …

Written by John Vecchione on Saturday October 22, 2011

The Day I Was Fired

On Thursday, out of nowhere, Ed told me that they were letting me go. This was not how this conversation was supposed to go. I walked into my boss’s office of my own volition to talk about a long-term project. I was bright, and cheerful, and putting on the semblance of being happy. I wasn’t …

Written by Galatea on Saturday October 22, 2011

Why Defend Exaggeration?

Breaking ... Jimmy Carter was not actually a nuclear engineer, and Ronald Reagan did not actually witness the liberation of concentration camps. Like a lot of politicians, President Obama very much included, Marco Rubio shaded his biography to make his life story slightly more compelling. …

Written by David Frum on Friday October 21, 2011

In the Financial Meltdown, Who Made the `Margin Call'?

This week, Kevin Spacey and Stanley Tucci lead an all-star cast (including Demi Moore, Simon Baker, Paul Bettany, and Jeremy Irons, plus rising Star Trek newcomer Zachary Quinto) in the latest cinema exploration of The Day The Money Died, Margin Call . Set over the course of a single day …

Written by Telly Davidson on Friday October 21, 2011

What if the GOP Candidates Were Athletes?

Some months ago, my column compared GOP presidential wannabes with famous athletes. The comparison that received the most attention was Sarah Palin/LeBron James (glitzy superstars tarnished by quitting). But the presidential field looked different then. Indeed, of the politicians in the piece, …

Written by Alan Hirsch on Friday October 21, 2011

The Fat Diaries: Running to Fight a Vitamin D Deficiency

This week we went from bright and sunny to grey, windy and freaking cold. My kind of weather! After hiding from summer for four months, my desire to run around outdoors with airplane arms going “whee” finally came to fruition. On days where you need headlights to see at 2 pm; when the wind …

Written by Monica Marier on Friday October 21, 2011

A Clownish Killer

It is perhaps a shame that no one will have a chance to interrogate Gaddafi and find out the details of his regime’s involvement in crimes like the destruction of Pan Am Flight 103, the equally appalling but less cited bringing down of UTA Flight 772 in 1989, the bombing of the Berlin discothèq…

Written by Jonathan Foreman on Friday October 21, 2011

More Problems With Ron Paul's Budget

Kenneth Silber is right to criticize Ron Paul’s proposal to abolish five federal agencies. That said, the specific example he picks, weather satellites, is, to me, only modestly compelling. Private companies are already involved in both the satellite launch business and the weather …

Written by Eli Lehrer on Friday October 21, 2011

Gaddafi: The EU's Border Fence

As millions of people around the world rejoice over the death of Muammar Gaddafi, one suspects that FRONTEX, the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union, may not share the same degree of enthusiasm. …

Written by Robin Tim Weis on Friday October 21, 2011

Alec Baldwin is not Worthless

Alec Baldwin visited Zuccotti Park last night and got drawn into an exchange with some of the wilder and woolier protesters. NY Mag describes one exchange which was caught on video: It's pretty clear that Baldwin, a liberal Dem, wanted to like what was going on there more than what he …

Written by David Frum on Friday October 21, 2011

Perry's New Gambit

Perry’s chances of winning the Republican nomination depend entirely on his ability to sell himself as a Teastablishment candidate. Perry has a ten-year record in Texas that shows an interest in governance, and he has way with sharp rhetoric (“treason”) that sends thrills up the leg of your …

Written by Zac Morgan on Friday October 21, 2011

Republicans Are For Clean Air, Too

Many Republican officeholders and would-be officeholders are telegraphing to voters an either-or message: They can have more jobs or they can have cleaner air. But they can't have both. Rhetoric about closing down EPA and removing bureaucrats' boots off industry's throat, however, is more about …

Written by Jim DiPeso on Thursday October 20, 2011

Tell Us How You Really Feel About Romney

Our friend John Vecchione this morning received a solicitation to donate money to Mitt Romney. He emailed me in despair: "I feel like the bride in an arranged marriage I can't get out of."

Written by David Frum on Thursday October 20, 2011

Good Riddance for Gaddafi

The most noteworthy aspect of the rebellion in Libya and today's death of Muammar Gaddafi is that it took so long. When the rebellion started last February -- catching the world by surprise, since it was spontaneous and without advance planning -- it was initially expected to be quick and …

Written by Peter Worthington on Thursday October 20, 2011

A False Correction on Reagan's Record

After I wrote my piece on why a candidate with Ronald Reagan's record would encounter problems if he were trying to become the Republican presidential nominee today, I received the following comment from Stan Greer of the National Right to Work Committee from the National Institute for Labor …

Written by Geoffrey Kabaservice on Thursday October 20, 2011

When the Senate Functioned

img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-105651" title="howardbaker" src="/files/wxrimport/2011-10/howardbaker2.jpg" alt="" width="535" height="340" /> Then, miracles of miracles, the amendment was debated and voted on. Next, another amendment might emerge from another Senator. And, so on. …

Written by Steve Bell on Wednesday October 19, 2011

The Thing Santorum Got Right

img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-105661" title="santorum" src="http://www.frumforum.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/santorum1.jpeg" alt="" width="534" height="340" />

Written by David Frum on Wednesday October 19, 2011

The Children Still Left Behind

In National Affairs , Fred Hess makes the point that over-emphasis on racial/class/ethnic "gaps" risks shunting aside most of what Americans should expect their schools to do. [D]isadvantaged and advantaged children have different educational needs and stand to benefit from different kinds …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday October 19, 2011

Immigration Attack Could Backfire on Perry

In the short term at least, it seems hard to deny that yesterday's debate was good to Rick Perry. The leading un-Romney contender, Herman Cain, sank underneath withering attacks on his 9-9-9 plan; his inability to defend the details of this plan with anything other than assertions that his …

Written by Fred Bauer on Wednesday October 19, 2011