Entries

Talking to Ourselves

Danny Finkelstein has a superb column in today's Times on Sarah Palin and the Republican Party. He writes: "[Palin] has worked out that she can have an entire career, a public voice and a good income entirely by pleasing the Republican base." Danny Finkelstein, one of the intellectual …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday July 15, 2009

The Baffling Bureaucracy in the Dems' Health Care Plan

Today, the Senate's Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee approved, on party lines, a healthcare reform bill. I examined the plan and released a detailed flow chart of the proposed Democratic government-run healthcare bureaucracy. Today, the Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions …

Written by Hon. Kevin Brady on Wednesday July 15, 2009

Killing Al Qaeda? That's Their Job

The New York Times reported that: "the Central Intelligence Agency developed plans to dispatch small teams overseas to kill senior Qaeda terrorists" and... for some incredible reason the plan was never carried out! On Monday, the New York Times reported that: Since 2001, the Central …

Written by Sean Linnane on Wednesday July 15, 2009

Democracy in Albany 3: The Restoration

Last week, after a month-long struggle for control of the Empire State’s upper legislative house, the Democratic conference found its way back to majority status. There’s been an unusual peace in Albany this week. Describing the end of the Cold War, Charles Krauthammer once proclaimed, “It …

Written by Tom Qualtere on Wednesday July 15, 2009

The Purges Will Continue Until the Membership Reaches Zero

Over at the Ace of Spades blogspot, the main blogger criticized Palin as a quitter - was criticized by his readers - and reacted by... quitting. The issue: the Ace blogger resented being "lumped in with David Frum." Conor Friedersdorf offers a fascinating analysis of the counter-reaction in the …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday July 15, 2009

True Story

I was at a business event today to speak about the condition of the Republican party. One of the attendees told me that her best friend had recently lost her husband after a long and happy marriage. I was at a business event today to speak about the condition of the Republican party. One of the …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday July 15, 2009

Sotomayor's New Excuse for Affirmative Action

During her Senate confirmation hearings yesterday, Judge Sonia Sotomayor invented an entirely new justification for affirmative action. During her Senate confirmation hearings yesterday, Judge Sonia Sotomayor invented an entirely new justification for affirmative action. In response to a …

Written by Eric Trager on Wednesday July 15, 2009

Iran: The Regime Still Crumbles

For a time it looked as if the regime had successfully suppressed dissent in Iran. Not so says Robin Wright in today's Washington Post : "What happens next will be determined by three factors: leadership, unity and momentum." For a time it looked as if the regime had successfully suppressed …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday July 15, 2009

Why Scientists Hate Republicans

The Pew Research Center has come out with a poll comparing scientists’ attitudes (on scientific and other matters) with those of the general public. Among its revelations was that Republicans comprise 6 percent of scientists. The Pew Research Center has come out with a poll comparing scientists…

Written by Kenneth Silber on Wednesday July 15, 2009

The Hearings Ritual

The Sonia Sotomayor hearings are following a form as rigid, predictable, and scripted as some elaborate court etiquette from Tokugawa Japan. The judge declares her fidelity to principles that nobody believes she holds. She denies holding principles that she has repeatedly and even eloquently …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday July 14, 2009

The Discovery of France

Like the United States, France is a melting pot. But while on this side of the Atlantic newcomers came to the United States, on the other it was France that came to the newcomers. For three-quarters of a millennium, the kings of France pursued a policy of determined and generally successful …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday July 14, 2009

Leahy's Prefab Sotomayor Talking Points

A Huffington Post piece on the Sotomayor hearings, reports that: "As [Senator Leahy] spoke, a Democratic operative passed on some observations and talking points that are being pushed around in Sotomayor's defense." Does anyone believe for a minute that those talking points were not written before …

Written by FF Washington Insider on Tuesday July 14, 2009

The Reason for the Season

This is how the legend goes: On July 14, 1789, the people of Paris stormed the Bastille prison. From then on, the event was celebrated as a symbol of the transition from the arbitrary regime of the absolute monarchy to the republican rule of law. Such a version of the event is of course no longer …

Written by Jean Granville on Tuesday July 14, 2009

France and Britain: Together Again

On July 6, Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy met in Evian and issued a joint declaration on defense and security, in some ways similar to the St. Malo declaration after a similar meeting in 1998. What a difference eleven years makes. On July 6, Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy met in Evian and …

Written by Jeff Cimbalo on Tuesday July 14, 2009

Rejected by the Foreign Legion

Today (July 14) is Bastille Day – the day commemorating the “official” start of the French Revolution in 1789. July 14 is also two weeks short of the day in 1953 that I tried to join the French Foreign Legion, utterly unaware of Bastille Day and its significance. Today (July 14) is Bastille Day – …

Written by Peter Worthington on Tuesday July 14, 2009

The Reckoning

The Bush economic boom has vanished, up in smoke, as if it never happened. Mort Zuckerman makes this point in today’s WSJ : The cumulative job losses over the last six months have been greater than for any other half year period since World War II, including the military demobilization after …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday July 14, 2009

No Obligation to Disclose What You Don't Do

Was the CIA wrong for not informing Congress about a covert program to kill Al-Qaeda terrorists? Absolutely not say all those interviewed by NewMajority. Once again the Democrats are going after the intelligence community by exaggerating an issue. There were Pelosi’s accusations, …

Written by Elise Cooper on Tuesday July 14, 2009

Moderate Dems Slowing Down Obamacare Train

Passing healthcare legislation by the August recess seems less and less possible. In avoiding the mistakes of First Lady Hillary Clinton in 1994, President Obama ended up falling into the trap that President George W. Bush did in 2005. “We can get it out of the Finance Committee. I don’t think …

Written by David Gratzer on Tuesday July 14, 2009

Falling in Love with France, Again

Bye-bye freedom fries. It’s time to renew the venerable American love affair with France. On this Bastille Day, let’s remember that the Franco-American relationship, though sometimes difficult, has more often been a source of mutual delight and wonderment between the two great free and democratic …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday July 14, 2009

Censorship? Us?

Last week, I published an article on the negative reactions of 9/11 family members after a meeting with the Justice Department. The day after my article was posted, I received an indignant email from Dean Boyd a public affairs officer at DOJ, claiming I had “deliberately censored” him. Last …

Written by Elise Cooper on Monday July 13, 2009