Entries

Look Who Wants A Bailout Now!

Authorised=false.html?_i_location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcms%2Fs%2F0%2Fbd7faf1a-4a24-11de-8e7e-00144feabdc0.html&_i_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fhome%2Fus"> From the FT (subscription link) : Hizbollah tries to secure IMF funds By Roula Khalaf and Anna Fifield in Beirut Lebanon̵…

Written by David Frum on Wednesday May 27, 2009

How Not To Fight Sonia Sotomayor

It was as if she'd come straight out of casting call. Approximately two seconds after President Obama's announcement of Judge Sonia Sotomayor's appointment, her past statements torrented out, immediately reflecting upon her as a down-the-line judicial activist. The most bombastic statement is being …

Written by Alex Knepper on Tuesday May 26, 2009

Paterson Family Values?

James Fanelli and Isabel Vincent report in the New York Post on the remarkable synergy of the Paterson family combination: father Basil a super-lawyer-lobbyist, son David governor of the state of New York: The elder Paterson is a senior partner at Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, a …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday May 26, 2009

Miranda Warning

Manuel Miranda, the strategic mastermind of uncountable struggles for conservative principle in the courts, issued this statement today on Sonia Sotomayor: "The President has nominated a highly-credentialed judge with an inspiring life story. Regrettably he also tainted the nomination from its …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday May 26, 2009

Can Sotomayor Pass The Biden Test?

When President Bush nominated Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court, Sen. Joe Biden had this to say: I think that the only reason Clarence Thomas is on the Court is because he is black. I don't believe he could have won had he been white. And the reason is, I think it was a cynical ploy by …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday May 26, 2009

The French Governments Attempt To Mandate "neighborliness"

Today is Neighbor's Day in France. If I don't get home late -- I usually try not to -- I won’t be able to cross the courtyard and reach my apartment for a quiet evening with my family. That’s because there will be a neighbors' party taking place, and I know that I will be in for an hour …

Written by Jean Granville on Tuesday May 26, 2009

Obnoxious... But In A Good Way?

On the other hand, here's the possible good news in the Sotomayor nomination. A conservative legalist friend notes that the all-important 5th vote on the Supreme Court is Justice Anthony Kennedy's. The Reagan-appointed Kennedy has drifted to the left in recent years - in part (it's gossiped) …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday May 26, 2009

Sotomayor: A Deeply Political Pick

What Obama did not do: pick the most learned or intelligent or wisest lawyer available to him. What he did do: pick the justice he deemed most likely to secure him a demographic constituency in 2008. This is pure Chicagoland politics, using one of the president's most important powers for …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday May 26, 2009

Frum On Galbraith's "the Great Crash"

Just added a post on John Kenneth Galbraith's The Great Crash to the Bookshelf feature. It opens: In the quarter century from 1983 though 2008, Americans witnessed three stock market crashes: 1987, 1990 and 2000. The first of those crashes represented the sharpest one-day drop in the …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday May 26, 2009

Obama, Bibi, and the Souk: How Not to Negotiate

In his dealings with House Republicans over the stimulus bill, President Obama showed that he knows how to play hardball. With the Iranians, however, its been more like T-ball. To advance their nuclear program, the Iranians have been playing for time. Mr. Obama opened his presidency by …

Written by Sean Linnane on Monday May 25, 2009

Murphy & Me

My mother, who died in 1992 at age 91, used to remark that “love and grief” went with having a dog in the family. The “love” part is obvious. “Grief” is more complicated, and inevitable because usually the dog dies first in a family. To avoid the grief of loss is partly why my mother wouldn’t …

Written by Peter Worthington on Monday May 25, 2009

Or Else What?

One of the famous slogans of the Sixties (originally taken from a Berthold Brecht poem) was, “What if they gave a war and nobody came?” Well, what if a nation conducts a nuclear test and no one really notices? With South Korea distracted by the suicide of former President Roh and the …

Written by John S. Gardner on Monday May 25, 2009

Breakdown Of The UK Party System - Update

The British polling company Populus has amalgamated recent polls to present an arresting picture of the collapse in support for the major British parties in the wake of the Parliamentary expenses scandal. The major beneficiaries? The Euroskeptic UK Independence Party, the white supremacist …

Written by David Frum on Monday May 25, 2009

Colin Powell: Republican

Yesterday, Colin Powell restated his continued membership in the Republican Party. But he didn’t really explain why. It seemed more like an act of defiance than a statement of fact—no one is going to tell him what part of the bus he can sit in and no one is going to tell him what …

Written by Bruce Bartlett on Monday May 25, 2009

The Obama-netanyahu Summit

is the topic of my column this weekend in the National Post : Well that was a productive meeting! In the Oval Office alongside Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Obama promised that he will spend the next year trying to reach a deal with Iran about nuclear weapons. If (surprise, …

Written by David Frum on Sunday May 24, 2009

Jackson Family Values

Bloomberg News has an amazing story about the financial self-dealing of Rep. Jesse Jackson and his wife, Sandra. Representative Jesse Jackson Jr.’s congressional campaign organization has paid his wife at least $247,500 since 2001, including at least $95,000 after Sandra Jackson joined …

Written by David Frum on Saturday May 23, 2009

The Photo France Does Not Want You To See

The photo of Ilan Halimi whose publication by the magazine Choc is supposed to represent such a scandal in France has in fact already been shown in the French media. (On the photo, see my earlier report here .) In an interview yesterday on France’s Europe1 radio , Choc editor-in-chi…

Written by John Rosenthal on Friday May 22, 2009

No Wonder People Hate Us

Conor Friedersdorf at the American Scene transcribes the following exchange from Mark Levin's radio program yesterday afternoon: CALLER: I just wanna say, Obama is a lot smarter than you folks give him credit for. You guys were on a roll, I have to admit, with all those tea parties. …

Written by David Frum on Friday May 22, 2009

Ex-CIA Officials : Cheney Is Right, Obama Is Wrong

The debate on how to conduct the “War” on Terror continued yesterday after President Obama and former Vice-President Cheney delivered speeches on this issue. Once again, both discussed the interrogation techniques, the release of the CIA memos, and the necessity of Guantanamo Bay. FrumForum.com …

Written by Elise Cooper on Friday May 22, 2009

How To Beat Obamacare

A familiar narrative has emerged on the Republicans’ prospects for slowing down the coming Democratic health care proposal. In short, we’re not in 1993 anymore , and the GOP is in trouble. In 1993, Republicans triumphed over Clintoncare with the support of insurers and …

Written by Henry Clay on Friday May 22, 2009