In one strictly limited sense, modern man has become as God; he has acquired the ability to destroy the world. After the invention of the atomic bomb in 1945, the United States and the Soviet Union acquired massive reserves of the devices. While many in both nations would like to decrease the megatonnage they aim at each other, the prospect ... Read More
Predicting political realignment Most discussions of youth politics tout blog posts and text messages rather than grand realignments. Millennial Makeover: MySpace, YouTube & the Future of American Politics goes for the latter, and makes the case that America is at the crossroads of a political realignment driven by the distinct character of Millennials. Though the book’s title references new media, ... Read More
It’s hardly surprising to learn that after Congress demonstrated in 2008 that there were no penalties for overstepping the bounds of domestic spying, the NSA continued to overstep the bounds of domestic spying. In the summer of 2008, Congress passed the FISA Act, which immunized telecom carriers for their past violations of privacy, and ex post facto legalized some of ... Read More
A proposal for rejuvenating the Republican Party American conservatism is in disarray. Democrats won decisively in the 2006 midterm and 2008 presidential elections. Once reliably conservative constituencies like married couples and regular churchgoers are shrinking in size, and young voters voted overwhelmingly Democratic. Conservatism is out of power and out of steam. With both the White House and Capitol Hill ... Read More
Is a new international financial regulatory system necessary? The federal takeover of U.S. mortgage-lending giants Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac in the wake of the sub-prime mortgage crisis stunned the country and sent shockwaves through the international financial system, exposing risky lending and burgeoning trade deficits in countries around the world. Today, the international financial system is reeling from the ... Read More
“I’m going to put people in my place, so when the history of this administration is written at least there’s an authoritarian voice saying exactly what happened.” -George W. Bush
Social issues move off center stage At the 1992 Republican National Convention, conservative media personality Pat Buchanan fired the opening salvos of the ongoing national culture war, declaring, “There is a religious war going on in our country…it is a cultural war, as critical to the kind of nation we will one day be as was the Cold War itself.” ... Read More
Historic challenges await America's new leader
Oliver Stone sets his eyes on Bush
Exploring the policies of the NSA
What Obama's election means for international relations
Judicial experience and Supreme Court nominations
Two weeks ago, Obama made a comment to House Republicans that they “can’t just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done”. This was treated as the failure of bipartisanship*, and was perceived as an impolitic thing for him to say. Hypothesis: Obama messed up. Datum: Rush Limbaugh is incredibly unpopular. This story provoked a spate of Republicans rushing (I’m ... Read More
