A Valid Concern
Defending the President’s Use of the OBL Killing as a Campaign Talking Point
On the Newsstand:Bill Clinton
The Story Writer: A Review of Bill Clinton’s “My Life”
I don’t usually weigh my books, but I must say that at 3.5 pounds and 957 pages, Bill Clinton’s My Life is quite hefty. Beyond his marked candor, this former President unearths with each sentence an incredible amount of detail—so much that while reading I couldn’t help but wonder whether I would be capable of half as much.
President Obama’s Congress Problem
President Obama should re-examine his legislatorial relationships.
This is Not Journalism: Politico Edition, Starring Jonathan Allen
Jonathan Allen has a long piece on Politico that is one long excoriation of immature liberals who won’t grow up and let the Obama-orchestrated tax deal go through. This piece represents everything that is wrong with Politico: It is filled with simple-minded analysis of the personalities and psychologies of politicians, based on nothing but the self-serving quotes of other politicians ... Read More
House Democrats Vote to Raise Taxes
Just before its Memorial Day recess, the House passed a bill that, according to The New York Times, would raise the taxes that investment managers pay on carried interest, just at the moment new long-term investment is most needed. General executive partners of long-term investment partnerships, including investments in real estate, venture capital, private equity, and other investments, are paid ... Read More
The Economist: Blame Obama, Not the System
Didn’t want to let this go by without comment. From the Feb. 18 edition (“What’s Wrong With Washington?”): Washington has its faults, some of which could easily be fixed. But much of the current fuss forgets the purpose of American government; and it lets current politicians (Mr Obama in particular) off the hook. America’s political structure was designed to make ... Read More
Lesson’s From Today’s “Morning Joe”
You can learn a lot by watching TV, it turns out! Here’s what I learned by watching this morning’s “Morning Joe.” First, it’s okay to be a druggie, boozing, womanizing liberal so long as you support covertly aiding the enemies of our enemies (mistaking them for our friends). This we learned from Joe Scarborough’s valedictory declaration that the recently deceased ... Read More
Our American Melting Pot
When former Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao spoke at Harvard as a visiting fellow, I hoped she would spark debate on everything from white collar overtime regulations to pension assets. I attended her study groups and can attest to the fact that she did this and more. Ms. Chao was engaging, provocative, and thoughtful, the type of speaker who helps ... Read More
Sex and Taxes
How Obama is riding out the Democratic storm of scandals From Tom Daschle’s taxes, to Charlie Rangel’s apartments, to Rod Blagojevich’s hair, scandals have recently shaken the Democratic Party. Yet polls show that President Obama and the Democratic brand remain relatively untarnished by this long train of embarrassments. His widespread pre-existing popularity has certainly helped Obama limit the fallout from ... Read More
A Ticking Mandate
Historic challenges await America's new leader
Family Guy
Oliver Stone sets his eyes on Bush
Succeeding in Succession
The stability of authoritarianism in China The recent U.S. presidential election demonstrated that the democratic process can be brutal and exhausting as candidates vie for positions of executive power. This scramble in times of succession does not exist in China, where election season is not about campaigning. China has, through its control of the election process, managed to avoid the ... Read More
An Englishman, an Irishman, and Barack Obama Walk Into a Bar
What’s so funny about the 44th president? No, seriously. Since November 4th, aspiring comedians, satirists, and pundits have all faced the same intractable dilemma: There are no good Barack Obama jokes. To be sure, there are jokes featuring the president-elect. Take Jay Leno: Barack Obama’s mother-in-law might be moving into the White House with him. See, Joe Biden was right. ... Read More
