February 2002 Archives

Archives of the entries for this month are listed below, by category. You may jump directly to categories using the navigation bar thumbnails. Please keep in mind that links do expire, and that archived links may not still be available.

American Politics

Why Blacks Support Vouchers
(02-28-2002) Urban black America largely supports school vouchers. But prominent black leaders as well as prominent Democratic leaders oppose them. Michael Leo Owens argues that blacks spurn elites on this issue because vouchers "offer the only hope available" for many poor children. That should scare Democrats.

In Defense Of Poindexter?
(02-28-2002) The announcement that John Poindexter would be heading up DARPA's new Information Awareness Office (IAO) raised eyebrows on the left and right. Poindexter, it will be remembered, was convicted for his role in Iran-Contra, the conviction was overturned on a technicality, and he was later pardoned. Is there a convincing argument for his selection?

Memories of Malaise and Polyester
(02-27-2002) Jimmy Carter generally keeps himself busy being the nation's finest former President. Except, writes Paul Greenberg, when he stops building houses and "starts talking about politics -- foreign or domestic." That's when the memories of those polyester policies come rushing back. (More)

The New Dixiecrats
(02-26-2002) On important political issues, the Democratic Party is not shy about playing the race card. Now, liberal interest groups have deemed an appellate court nomination an important issue, and a nominee backed by blacks in his state has been skewered by prominent Democrats. Will the race card derail the Pickering nomination? (More)

Telegraph Interview With Donald Rumsfeld
(02-24-2002) At one point prior to 11 September, certain editors of the Weekly Standard urged Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to step down. Even though Rumsfeld has now emerged as one of the stars of the Bush Administration, he's kept his humility and good humor, which come through in his Telegraph interview. Meanwhile, James Fallows chats with his chief deputy.

Striking Gold In California
(02-23-2002) Shannon Reeves pledges he will one day be governor of California. He is 33, Republican, and preaches a message of self help and reliance as opposed to the prevailing cult of victimology. He is the Democratic Party's worse nightmare, for he also happens to be black. Steve Miller profiles the young president of the Oakland NAACP chapter. (via Ken Layne).

Milton Friedman On Cleveland's Vouchers
(02-21-2002) Most of the private schools that accept Cleveland's education vouchers are religious, raising First Amendment concerns. But Nobel Laureate Milton Friedman argues that the reasons for religious predominance are economic, not constitutional, and that raising the voucher amounts would result in a more normal distribution and more choice.

In Favor Of Some Vouchers
(02-21-2002) Prominent liberals raise no First Amendment religious objections to college Pell Grants. Nor do they object to Child Care and Development Block Grant vouchers on First Amendment grounds. But school voucher programs like the one in Cleveland are anathema to the left. Deroy Murdock wonders about the inconsistency.

Great Pyramid Schemes
(02-21-2002) Americans are properly outraged at reports of Enron's use of accounting tricks to hide debt and mislead investors. But politicians have been doing the same thing for years, argues Thomas Sowell, in their Social Security accounting. When baby boomers retire, he argues, expect an Enron-like moment of truth.

The ABM Treaty's Quiet Demise
(02-20-2002) Few principles of American foreign policy were more sacred over the years than unquestioning adherence to the ABM Treaty and its MAD underpinnings. When President Bush announced American withdrawal from the treaty, the "mutual vulnerability crowd" issued its usual dire warnings. Former Defense Secretary Schlesinger notes that they were off base, again.

Assertive Disarmament Revisited
(02-20-2002) In a 1968 article in the conservative National Review, American defense policy experts William Van Cleave and Robert Lawrence used the phrase "assertive disarmament" to argue for the pre-emptive elimination of nuclear threats from certain "Nth countries." A variant of the argument resurfaces, 34 years later, in the liberal New Republic.

Role Reversal
(02-19-2002) Not so long ago, the ACLU and NAACP fought side-by-side for black access to equal education. Now, the two groups are still fighting side-by-side, but this time they're opposing one black family's fight for equal education, while a libertarian-conservative think tank defends them. Times have certainly changed. (More)

Politics Of Poverty
(02-17-2002) One of many lasting legacies of the Great Society is the "poverty rate," an indicator devised in 1965. The statistic has become so absurd, writes Nick Eberstadt, that it actually "shows" that a higher proportion of Americans lived in poverty in 2000 than 1973. It is time to revise the measure.

Politics Of The Investor Class
(02-16-2002) In covering Enron, the popular media first adopted a "corruption" theme only to find the Bush Administration hadn't been corrupted. They next adopted a "Big Guy Screws Little Guy" theme, which has some foundation. But they are missing the real story, contends Michael Barone, which is that the growing investor class -- most of us really -- prefers economic choice over a protective nanny state.

Fetal Mistake
(02-16-2002) Liberal proponents of abortion rights reacted with indignation at the Bush Administration's recent decision to extend pre-natal healthcare to certain low-income women. They were played like a fiddle by a politically astute White House, argues Jefferson Morley, when they really should have been celebrating a modest progressive victory.

Political Shibboleths
(02-16-2002) Political shibboleths elevate questions of personal identity and moral worth above reasoned analysis of facts and evidence. For two centuries, argues economist Thomas Sowell, "shibboleths have been at the heart of the ideology of the left, whether moderate left or radical left." He makes the case for a political discourse of reason and fact.

Fighting The Old New Left
(02-16-2002) In a recent talk, the neoconservative sage Norman Podhoretz suggested that America was ripe for the same sort of liberal countermovement that took hold in the 1960s and 1970s. September 11, he argues, may turn out to be a turning point comparable to Vietnam. David Brooks disagrees.

FT Interview With Colin Powell
(02-14-2002) "I don't want to overdraw this because I don't want to overdramatise it," muses Secretary of State Colin Powell on Bush's State of the Union Address, "but they said the same thing about Reagan's [Evil Empire] speech in the 1980s. 'Shocking, we're shocked, how can he have said such a thing.'" Gerard Baker and Richard Wolffe interview Colin Powell.

Stages of Loss
(02-13-2002) Presidential prerogative for filling Supreme Court vacancies is clearly defined by the Constitution, with no caveats for a President determined by a close election. That hasn't stopped liberal legal theorists from writing just such caveats into an imaginary Constitution. Jonathan Turley suggests they are mired in the early stages of loss.

Red And Blue America Revisited
(02-11-2002) David Brooks, a conservative elite from Blue America, recently wrote a widely cited essay interpreting Red America for Blue America. Brooks didn't actually bother to venture into the heartland that is Red America though, writes Blake Hurst. Nor did he actually manage to remove his Blue America blinders in order to understand it.

No Compromise With Ideological Science
(02-11-2002) For an administration that campaigned on opposition to politicized environmental "science," Bjorn Lomborg's Skeptical Environmentalist couldn't have been published at a better time. Unfortunately, writes James Pinkerton, the Bush Administration seems more inclined towards compromise with radical greens these days. (More) (More)

The Democrats' Dilemma
(02-11-2002) George Bush's popularity has been boosted by his handling of the war on terror, but he's staked out additional policy positions that may make it difficult for Democrats in the fall. As Michael Barone notes, the Bushies are operating on McKinley's principles of small permanent changes. They may be further helped by infighting among Democratic leaders and vulnerable candidates.

The Chimera of Campaign Finance Reform
(02-10-2002) Campaign finance reform will enhance the power of two groups: media elites and political incumbents. Ordinary citizens may, of course, favor the "delusion" of such reforms, writes Bob Tyrrell, "which is to say that such reforms are delusions held by the easily deluded." (More)

The Race Card
(02-09-2002) When all else fails, too many Democrats are willing to play the race card for political advantage, for the simple reason that it almost always works. The latest example is the nomination of Thomas Pickering to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. James Charles Evers sets the record straight on Pickering and race, but will it matter? (More)

Why We Talk About Reagan
(02-08-2002) Steven Hayward explains in The Age of Reagan how the old liberal order was beginning to collapse under its own weight as Reagan emerged nationally in 1964. But nearly four decades later, those opposed to Reagan still exert great influence, prompting Peggy Noonan (and others) to continue to tell his story. (More)

Gray Davis And The Staffer Mentality
(02-08-2002) Liberal critics have charged that Gray Davis is the epitome of the corporate centrism they feel has hurt the Democratic Party. But in reality, writes Franklin Foer, Davis's behavior is driven more by his background as a career political staffer than ideology. It may hurt him if he has to face Richard Riordan in the fall.

Unfinished Business
(02-07-2002) According to Stanley Crouch, 45,000 black men were murdered between 1994 and 1999, much of that a result of black-on-black violence. Yet the civil rights establishment has not been terribly interested in the problem. Crouch wonders why not.

Spinning The Evil Axis
(02-05-2002) The "axis of evil" pronouncement in Bush's state of the union address seemed unambiguous at the time. Then, laments Frank Gaffney, the "clarifications" started coming fast and furious, blunting the message. But Colin Powell reassures Congress that the President meant what he said.

Dick Gephardt's Beautiful Mind
(02-05-2002) Moments after President Bush announced a new spending-heavy budget that includes tax cuts, Richard Gephardt was on the attack. But as Claremont McKenna political scientist John Pitney points out, Gephardt's opportunistic track record on fiscal policy makes it hard to take him seriously.

The Heartland Of Darkness
(02-04-2002) "Some Americans," writes David Kirn, "have an abiding need, it seems, for a cultural and political heart of darkness that can easily be circled on a map." In the elite media consciousness, he argues, that heart of darkness is the individualist Mountain West.

A Reemerging Electoral Majority?
(02-02-2002) Although it may just be an artifact of the war, Bush and the GOP have surged ahead of Democrats on most issues. David Brooks thinks Bush's State of the Union address was an important first salvo in bringing McCain moderates into the Bush fold, while Ryan Lizza notes its "divide and conquer" approach. What's Dick Gephardt to do?

International

Land-For-Peace, Again?
(02-27-2002) Despite the predictable excitement from diplomats over reports of Saudi Prince Abdullah's peace plan -- never mind that it has not even been announced formally -- the basic premise of the plan is nearly three decades old. Defense policy intellectual Frank Gaffney is not exactly enamored with the "Land-for-Peace" retread.

Trouble In Nigeria
(02-25-2002) For sixteen years, Nigeria's military rulers squandered the nation's vast oil revenues and plundered the country. The end of military rule in 1999 sparked an enthusiasm about democracy that is receding. Ethnic violence is now worse than ever, reforms are stalled, and the army behaves lawlessly all too frequently. Norimitsu Onishi documents the troubles brewing in Nigeria. (More)

Ten Years Of Algerian Self-Destruction
(02-22-2002) Ten years ago, the Algerian military inaugurated a civil war by refusing to allow runoff elections that threatened the secular nature of the regime. In 1999, President Bouteflika claimed that 100,000 lives had been lost in the ongoing conflict between the military and Islamists. The violence continues, writes Anton Christen.

European Anti-Americanism
(02-21-2002) "Anti-Americanism," writes Jo Johnson, "has always been negatively related to France's confidence in its national destiny." Right now, France is in crisis -- militarily, economically, and even culturally -- and anti-Americanism is resurgent. As for the rest of Europe, Mark Steyn dispenses with them much more humorously. (More)

The Case For Saudi Reform
(02-19-2002) Saudi Arabia's reputation in the United States has undergone a beating since 11 September, much of it deserved. After all, the Saudis have helped spread a radical form of Islam, and most of the WTC attackers were Saudis. Nonetheless, John O'Sullivan argues that reform of the Saudi regime, not overthrow, would best serve American interests.

Mexico: To Open Or Not
(02-18-2002) Decades after nationalization, Mexico's energy industry is stagnant -- field development and exploration have lagged as Pemex funds have been diverted to political purposes. Experts in the industry recognize the need to open the country to exploration, but there is deep resistance to change, raising questions about Vicente Fox's political future.

Thinking About Iran
(02-16-2002) Pro-American demonstrations in Iran following the events of 11 September raised hopes for an eventual popular revolt against Iran's hardline rulers. The media's conventional wisdom is that Bush's inclusion of Iran in his "axis of evil" was a setback. That conventional wisdom, argues Reuel Marc Gerecht, is wrong. (More) (More) (More)

The Next Middle Eastern War
(02-16-2002) On Israel's northern border, Hizbullah maintains a provocative, even taunting, demeanor that Israel has tried to ignore. Israel will defend its people if they are attacked, however. And the danger, writes Yossi Klein Halevi, is that conflict with Hizbullah, unlike conflict with the Palestinians, risks drawing sponsors like Syria and Iran into the fray.

Advice To A Superpower
(02-13-2002) Lady Thatcher famously urged the first President Bush not to "go wobbly" in the effort against Iraq. Now, she is offering advice to another President Bush on the topics of terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. But she can't resist one last dig at the elder Bush for "yesterday's unfinished business" in Iraq.

Evil Axis: Armed And Dangerous
(02-12-2002) As Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle quibbles over use of the term "axis of evil," the three regimes named by President Bush are scrambling to acquire weapons of mass destruction. Alexander Rose assesses the nuclear, biological, and chemical capabilities of North Korea, Iran, and Iraq.

China, Russia, Iran, And The Next Move
(02-12-2002) China, Russia, and even Iran did not necessarily oppose U.S. action against the Taliban, albeit for strategic reasons of their own. But strategic interests are unlikely to align so neatly in the next phase of the war on terror, argues defense policy expert Constantine Menges.

No Way Out In Kashmir
(02-11-2002) As nuclear powers Pakistan and India face off over Kashmir, the problems seem intractable. Pakistan rejects any status quo arrangement, preferring a winner-takes-all vote essentially to pick a side. India rejects such a vote as a non-starter while any of Kashmir is occupied. They agree only in their rejection of an independent Kashmir.

Meltdown In Venezuela?
(02-09-2002) Generally in Latin America, the rule has been that it is impossible to remain in office without strong support from either the people or the military. Venezuelan President Chavez's support among both constituencies has deteriorated precipitously recently, as his grip on office grows tenuous. (More) (More) (More)

Storm Clouds Over The Philippines
(02-08-2002) What began as a local Philippine affair -- a spate of bombings carried out in Manila and elsewhere by a separatist group -- now appears to be influenced by the Islamic group Jemaah Islamiah. For political reasons, President Arroyo has been hesitant to conflate the separatist issue with the Western war on terror, but the linkage may soon be unavoidable, write James Hookway.

Yemen's Tribal Terror War
(02-07-2002) One of the surprises from the War on Terror has been the extent to which Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has cracked down on terror pockets in his country. But the Marib region is populated by impoverished ethnic tribes who are prime targets for Islamic extremism, writes Danna Harman, and that is unlikely to change overnight.

The Future Of Holy Struggle
(02-07-2002) Islamic radicals have long been engaged in a debate over tactics: should Jihad be waged against corrupt Arab states, or against the Western world more broadly? Despite the attacks of 11 September, the radicals, led by wealthy elites, still don't attract much support on the Arab street.

Karzai's Tough Job
(02-06-2002) The U.S. has provided material support to leaders who have succeeded in rebuilding their countries and overcoming internal dissent (Konrad Adenauer, Syngman Rhee) and those who failed (Ngo Dinh Diem, the Shah). While economic assistance is important, writes Claremont McKenna strategist Edward Haley, Hamid Karzai's toughest task will be managing internal politics, not securing aid.

Why Support Israel?
(02-04-2002) In purely strategic terms, the Europeans are probably right in concluding that Israel just isn't worth the trouble. But Americans, to their credit, have always been more motivated by their values than the teachings of Metternich when it comes to Israel (and the world). Victor Davis Hanson elaborates.

The Palestinian Conversation
(02-04-2002) Robert Kaplan sets the standard for journalists who would report on the trouble spots of the world by providing valuable information that isn't overwhelmed by his analysis. Deborah Sontag doesn't quite meet that standard, but her portrayal of the tragedy of Palestinian society is valuable, whatever one thinks of her judgments.

The End Of Arafat
(02-03-2002) For decades, Yassir Arafat told the West what it wanted to hear while spearheading a terror movement that never really abated. More recently, his duplicity has become more apparent, as he makes symbolic arrests and pens noble op-eds even as he smuggles arms from Iran. Dennis Ross urges the U.S. to break relations with Arafat.

A Westernized Modernizer?
(02-03-2002) Indian leaders occasionally contend that Pakistani President Musharraf often says what the West wants to hear while he actually sympathizes with Pakistan's Islamic radicals. But Musharraf is no Arafat. In his profile of Pakistan's leader, Edward Luce sets the Indians straight on Musharraf's intentions, and his balancing act.

September's Children
(02-01-2002) Since 11 September, India and Israel have grown much closer. Recurring terrorist attacks in both democracies have only cemented a new relationship that, oddly, is as much cultural as strategic. Yossi Klein Halevi analyzes September's Children.

Saudi Breakpoint
(02-01-2002) Until recently, David Pryce-Jones's classic The Closed Circle was out of print, making his shorter writing even more valuable. Here, Pryce-Jones considers Saudi Arabia's difficult situation among its neighbors and Islamic militants, as the Kingdom's oil revenues lag, the U.S. grows tired of its doubletalk, and its military remains an inept fighting force.

Books and Arts

The Muslim Jesus
(02-27-2002) Most people are not aware of the place of Jesus in the literature of Islam. In The Muslim Jesus: Sayings and Stories in Islamic Literature Tarif Khalidi collects and translates a millennium's worth of Islamic primary sources that treat Jesus.

Ambrose Inc. and Goodwin Inc.
(02-26-2002) Stephen Ambrose and Doris Kearns Goodwin, writes John Podhoretz, "are thieves." But unlike less prominent plagiarists, the two have suffered no serious repercussions. The reason for this, Podhoretz argues, is that Ambrose and Goodwin are no longer historians, but important brand names.

A Premature Obituary For Islamism?
(02-25-2002) Gilles Kepel's Jihad (English translation forthcoming), written prior to 11 September, envisages a radical Islamism that saw its peak in the 1980s and began to decline in the mid-1990s. Kepel even speculates about a coming reconciliation between Islam and modernity. Noted political scientist Walter Laqueur analyzes his argument.

(Jewish?) World Review
(02-24-2002) One would expect to find reflections on Judaism and commentary from Jewish thinkers in a publication entitled Jewish World Review. But columns by Cal Thomas and David Limbaugh? Rod Dreher elaborates on the outlook -- and prospects -- of Binyamin Jolkovsky's struggling webzine.

Islam's Black Slaves
(02-23-2002) Partly because of Western moral agitation against the slave trade, the literature of the North American slave trade is voluminous, whereas there is a dearth of writing on the Islamic slave trade, despite comparable numbers of slaves in "commerce." Despite its weaknesses, Justin Marozzi finds Ronald Segal's Islam's Black Slaves "a brave effort in a new field." (More)

Where Have All The Heroes Gone?
(02-22-2002) In politics, the arts, letters, music, even science, recent times have not produced great heroes. Is it because we just don't recognize greatness in its time? Or have all the great things already been done? Or do heroic achievements emerge from great tumult? Tod Linberg thinks 11 September provides some answers.

Notes On The Urban Condition
(02-22-2002) Las Vegas is a "dubious urbanoid organism." Atlanta's "only plausible destiny ... is to become significantly depopulated." And Baltimore has become "a flyblown carcass." So says James Howard Kunstler. Michiko Kakutani reviews his latest, The City In Mind: Notes on the Urban Condition.

The Power Of Babel
(02-21-2002) As it turns out, the growth -- and death -- of language is almost Darwinian. At one time, some 6,000 languages existed, but now only 20 languages are spoken by 96 percent of the world's population. In 100 years, 5,500 languages will have died. John McWhorter's Power of Babel analyzes the life, death, and flourishing of language.

Human Nature Versus History?
(02-21-2002) The idea of human nature has been under attack for a while, although the late Moderns and their progeny have been its most forceful critics. The therapeutic biotechnolgoical project is simply the latest manifestation. Political theorist Peter Lawler, in a preview of his forthcoming Aliens In America, asks if human nature has a future.

The Pervasive American State
(02-20-2002) The Progressive movement paved the way intellectually for an unprecedented (and ongoing) expansion of government, particularly at the Federal level. The political class responsible for this expansion has been as sophisticated as the policies enacted. Charlotte Twight considers the rise of the pervasive American state in Dependent On D.C..

Lincoln's Virtues Revisited
(02-18-2002) The strength of Lincoln's Virtues is that "it tackles a familiar subject from an unusual angle, giving appropriate centrality to Lincoln's moral convictions." But ultimately, argues Dinesh D'Souza in a review that considers the various schools of thought on Lincoln, William Lee Miller's work is flawed.

The Death Of Pat Buchanan's West
(02-16-2002) In his Death of the West, Patrick Buchanan argues that the twin pillars of cultural depravity and immigration are inevitably leading to the death of America. Much, if not all, of what Buchanan writes will be dismissed as right-wing quackery. But some of his points, Thomas Sowell writes, deserve more consideration than that. (More)

The Historian Who Can't Shoot Straight
(02-16-2002) Michael Bellesiles continues to draw fire for what is either extremely shoddy scholarship or outright falsification for political purposes in his Arming America, which initially drew critical praise. David Skinner reviews the latest developments.

Terrorism Never Works?
(02-16-2002) In The Lessons of Terror, Caleb Carr notes that while the techniques of terrorism have changed, the practice itself is ancient -- and ultimately self-defeating. Sociologist Peter Rose reviews the text and, unsurprisingly, is dismissive of Carr's bellicose solution to the problem. (More)

Thinking About Hizbullah
(02-15-2002) Hizbullah, argues Amal Saad-Ghorayeb, "comes close to confirming political scientist Samuel Huntington's dictum that it is not political Islam that is a problem for the West, but Islam as a civilization." Colin Schindler reviews Hizbullah: Politics and Religion

The Clinton Legacy
(02-13-2002) Early appraisals of a Presidency are generally more valuable for their data and observations than their judgments. The early crop of books on the Clinton legacy will almost certainly fit that mold. Ronald Brownstein considers four works on Clinton that, despite their left-of-center orientation (or perhaps because of it), "find him wanting."

See No Evil
(02-12-2002) The most revealing aspect of Robert Baer's See No Evil, writes Michael Ledeen, is the one his former CIA employers would rather sweep under the rug. Baer argues that the 1983 Beirut bombing was carried out by the PLO and Iran, a damning charge rendered wholly credible by the Karine A affair.

The Demolition of FDR
(02-12-2002) Recent historical texts have exposed FDR as a more brutal, even Nietzschean, politician than most students have been taught for fifty years. Thomas Fleming's is no different. But in reconsidering The New Dealer's War, originally published in 2001, conservative Bob Tyrrell comes away with "unexpected admiration" for the master politician.

Lincoln's Virtues
(02-11-2002) Eric Foner asks whether it is possible to write anything new and compelling about Lincoln, and answers affirmatively in his review of William Miller's Lincoln's Virtues: An Ethical Biography. Jack Riemer and Max Byrd concur in their separate assessments of Lincoln's Greatest Speech: The Second Inaugural. (More)

Schoenberg's Unfinished Revolution
(02-11-2002) Virtually all classical music aficionados concede the influence of Arnold Schoenberg, although there is passionate debate whether he was a creative or destructive genius. Schoenberg is probably best known for the idea of "atonality," although Alex Ross argues there is much more to the founder of the Second Viennese School.

Can Love Last?
(02-10-2002) Love doesn't fade, argues Stephen Mitchell; people do their best to kill it, even when they want it to live. Judith Shulevitz reviews the late psychologist's posthumous Can Love Last? The Fate of Romance Over Time.

The Rise And Fall Of Declinist Theories
(02-09-2002) Many of the critics of the Ronald Reagan's foreign policy of rollback couched their criticism in terms of "imperial overstretch." The collapse of the Soviet Union silenced them, at least for a while. Paul Kennedy, author of the periodically updated The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers, is one of the first to repackage the argument, coinciding with the return of a conservative President.

America's Love Of Conspiracy
(02-08-2002) Pat Robertson thinks there's a Satanic messiah about to wreak havoc on America. Louis Farrakhan also foresees havoc, driven by Jews. More recently, the suicide of an Enron executive in Sugar Land, Texas has generated speculation about what "really" happened. Robert Goldberg studies this American fascination with conspiracies in Enemies Within.

Big Government
(02-08-2002) In The Strange Death of American Liberalism, Texas A&M historian H.W. Brands argues that war explains growth of government. As Damon Linker notes, Brands's overly simplistic understanding of liberalism and neglect of the philosophical (really historicist) influences of Progressivism and the New Deal are major weaknesses of the account.

The History Of Jim Crow
(02-07-2002) The struggle of the civil rights establishment against Jim Crow was as heroic as the post-Civil War institutionalized racism was shameful. Jonathan Rosenberg assesses Jerrol M. Packard's chronicle of the era, American Nightmare: The History of Jim Crow.

Philip Glass, Composer
(02-06-2002) The music of Philip Glass defies categorization. Is it pop? Is it classical? In an interview with Peter Aspden, the popular composer suggests such categories aren't terribly important.

Richard Posner, Public Intellectual
(02-04-2002) The worst thing about Richard Posner's Public Intellectuals, writes Samuel Brittan, is that it is more likely to be read by those who already agree than those who need it most. Russell Jacoby thinks it "is a house of cards constructed in midair." David Brooks gently concludes that "Posner is his own best refutation."

Saber Rattling For Democracy
(02-02-2002) Robert Kaplan is an impeccable journalist who has reported wonderfully about some of the world's most dangerous places. His latest effort, Warrior Politics, looks to the classics of political philosophy to inform contemporary understanding of leadership. Donald Kagan suggests he isn't quite up to that formidable task.

Central Asia's Militants
(02-02-2002) Uzbekistan's draconian President Karimov probably couldn't believe his good fortune when the United States begged to use his country to quell Islamic terror in Central Asia. But Washington could be stoking the fire of Islamic radicals if it remains too cozy with Karimov and friends, suggests Ahmed Rashid in Jihad.

Texana

Harris County Domed Stadium
(02-28-2002) For over thirty years, the world's first domed stadium was the Astrodome. Not any longer. To obtain press credentials to stadium events, journalists and photographers must agree to use the term "Reliant Astrodome." Violators can lose their press credentials, even though PR people downplay the possibility. Perhaps the boring formal name was best.

Go Tejano
(02-26-2002) For many, the state of Texas conjures up images of oil derricks and cowboys. But Texas has a long history of cattle ranching that predates the familiar Anglo cowboys (and oil derricks). As Allan Turner describes, Mexican vaqueros helped develop the Texas ranching tradition that is celebrated on Go Tejano Day.

Identity Crisis
(02-24-2002) Democrats thought they had a sure winner in Tony Sanchez in a state that has become increasingly difficult for their statewide candidates. After all, Sanchez is Hispanic and well financed. Then Dan Morales jumped into the race, and both candidates promptly began savaging each other. Michelle Cottle wonders if the mess has a silver lining.

Entitlement University
(02-19-2002) In order to circumvent the Hopwood decision, Texas A&M has tentatively approved a plan to require admission of the top 20 percent of graduates from low performing high schools. Texas A&M's mission of opening minds, writes Bill Murchison, has been replaced with an entitlement mentality. (03/02/02 Update)

Waylon Jennings, RIP
(02-16-2002) Waylon Jennings in some ways epitomized the Texas Music revolution. While several popular contemporary Texas artists complain about Nashville except on the occasions when it's useful not to, Jennings always did things his way, eschewing the country music capitol's trappings to the very end. He will be missed.

Pot, Meet Kettle?
(02-14-2002) Fred Barnes, an editor at the Weekly Standard, recently publicized instances of apparent plagiarism by Stephen Ambrose. How ironic, writes Richard Connelly, that the publication edited by Barnes saw fit to reproduce entire phrases from a Houston Press article by Tim Fleck without proper attribution.

God's Coach
(02-12-2002) The image most people have of legendary Tom Landry is of the fedora-wearing coach on the sideline. Some are aware that he was a devout Christian. But outside of his family and a few players, not many people actually knew the stoic figure. Former Cowboy Pat Toomay reflects on the man beneath the hat, on the second anniversary of his passing.

National Recognition For The Chron
(02-11-2002) Residents of Houston understand the local Houston Chronicle tends to reflect the sensibilities of the Greater Houston Partnership, often at the expense of journalistic quality. Its coverage of Ken Lay and Enron is a case in point, drawing the attention of Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz. (More) (More)

Peddling Influence (And A Little Energy)
(02-09-2002) Even at its height, Enron never came close to approaching Exxon-Mobil as the world's largest energy firm, despite making such boisterous claims. But chutzpah was the Enron way, especially in the political arena, where Ken Lay probably made the firm's best investments. Brian Wallstin and Tim Fleck report on Enron's political activities.

The Fabulous Robison Boys
(02-07-2002) Texas singer-songwriters Bruce and Charlie Robison are both finding themselves in demand at a time when most country fare isn't. Mind you, it's not the demand of the Dixie Chicks, one of whom is Charlie's wife. But life is good for the two brothers, who are currently touring together.

Death In The Pine Curtain
(02-05-2002) Like David Brooks, Dina Temple-Raston traveled from elite Blue America to study Red America, specifically Jasper. But the first-time author immerses herself in Jasper and East Texas history in a manner that seems to elude Brooks in his efforts to interpret Red America for Blue America. Clay Smith reviews A Death In Texas

Sheila Jackson Lee, Limousine Liberal
(02-02-2002) Texas U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee went to Washington as a liberal populist who railed against special privileges. Now, she's become such a pampered brat that hometown carrier Continental suggests she fly Delta. It's just another day in the life of "Queen Sheila," writes Sam Dealey.

Seabrook: Home Of The Squealer
(02-01-2002) A half hour from Houston's shiny glass buildings and paper-shredding recriminations is real Texas oil country. Seabrook. The smell of refineries and the sea. And icehouses that serve manly heart-clogging burgers with names like The Squealer. Robb Walsh investigates the cultural and culinary treasures of Tookie's.

Society

Johnny Cash, Hard At Work
(02-25-2002) Despite health problems that prevent him from performing live, Johnny Cash is still hard at work. His latest album is up for a Grammy, and he plans another one later this year. Anthony DeCurtis finds the country music legend, who counts Dylan and gospel his influences, busy recording songs by Sting and Nine Inch Nails, among others.

The Alpha Girls
(02-23-2002) There's nothing more frightening to middle-aged schoolgirls than being on the outside -- or more powerful than being on the inside. Of what? The power structure dominated by the Alpha Girls. Social scientists are beginning to study the girls who set all the trends in middle school, and often devastate others via the power of exclusion. It's ugly. (More)

The Best TV Show Nobody Is Watching
(02-23-2002) Undeclared is that rare breed of television program that elicits laughter from real-life scenarios that many of us experienced in college. It's the best show on television that nobody is watching, about to be killed off by network ineptitude. These days, the networks seem to prefer gimmicks to quality.

Whistle While You Work
(02-21-2002) Sherron Watkins, apparently an internal critic of Enron's accounting procedures, has won praise from Congressional investigators and may parlay her whistleblowing into a book deal. But most of the time, whistleblowers don't make out so well, usually losing their jobs, prestige, and more. Does it pay to be honest and forthcoming in the corporate world?

The Party Is Over
(02-20-2002) Generation Y came of age during the permissive Clinton boom years, jumping into high paying jobs and pushing aside so many experienced, conservative "suits." As they experience a recession that has pounded the tech sector that treated them so well in the 90s, Gen-Y is finding that t-shirts and lack of experience are suddenly out of fashion. Richard Tomkins considers their plight.

Is The Web Driving Us Nuts?
(02-18-2002) Weblogs, argues Wlady Pleszczynski, encourage a sort of journalism firmly grounded in the present, a read and type approach that leaves little time for reflection upon all the information out there. But, as Jeremy Wagstaff contends, blogs have a potentially important role to play in filtering that information.

Roadtrip Around The World
(02-18-2002) What better way to see the world than drive it? At least that's Jim Rogers thought. So he drove a yellow Mercedes on a tour of 116 countries, taking a little over three years to complete the journey. It was the ultimate roadtrip.

Replacement Theology
(02-14-2002) Is anti-Semitism deeply rooted in Christian theology? Many accept a doctrine that Jews have been replaced in God's favor by Christians, who therefore have inherited the promises of God. Interestingly, the doctrine has resonated among some Palestinians. Melanie Phillips examines replacement theology.

Trading Places
(02-14-2002) For decades, the suburbs have been dominated by couples who have left the city to raise a family. But now, young singles and non-nuclear families are a majority in the suburbs, and more families are moving back to the cities. D'Vera Cohn considers the implications of this trend. (via Kaus)

Dark Chocolate For Valentine's Day
(02-13-2002) We shouldn't feel so bad about indulging our chocolate cravings on Valentine's Day. Sure, chocolate plenty of sugar and fat. But the primary fat in chocolate is a relatively "good" fat, and dark chocolate is a good source of antioxidants. Jane Brody says enjoy your dark chocolate, in moderation.

The Church Of The West
(02-12-2002) Lost in the heightened awareness over Islam is the fact that Mormonism is the fastest growing religion in America. In four decades, one in 20 Americans may be Mormon, and the numbers may grow to 50 million globally. Who are the Mormons? (More)

More Than Munchies
(02-08-2002) Debate continues to rage over the effects of marijuana. Is it addictive? Is it as harmful as other drugs? Is it harmful at all? The answers seem to vary by individual. And while recent research may not have settled the debate, it does point to some interesting medical possibilities.

Erotica Runs Rampant
(02-06-2002) From Playboy Playmates to Victoria's Secret models, erotica has hit mainstream American networks in a big way. But a lesson may be emerging. As erotica has become commonplace, it's also become boring. At least one expert thinks for that reason, the marketplace will take care of matters on its own.

Diagramming Returns
(02-05-2002) As the old practice of diagramming has given way to educational methods geared towards boosting the self-esteem of students, writing ability has declined precipitously. Linda Chavez hopes a revival of diagramming helps resuscitate the art of writing. (More)

Martz Outsmarts Himself
(02-05-2002) No serious sports analyst gave the Patriots a chance against the Rams. A rebuilt defense to complement an offense with two legitimate MVP candidates and fleet wide receivers, not to mention an offensive genius as coach surely pointed towards a blowout. Except the genius outsmarted himself, writes Ralph Wiley.

Suspended Judgment
(02-03-2002) I'm OK. You're OK. So says nonjudgmentalism, which gained footing in the 1960s as the notion of objective reality came under assault in American society. Martin Miller assesses the current status of suspending judgment.

The Trouble With Self-Esteem
(02-03-2002) It's the closest thing to a "law" that exists in the non-economic social sciences: self-esteem is a strong predictor of crime, substance abuse, social deviance, and more. But as Lauren Slater notes, recent research suggests the "law" may have some problems. Is self-esteem overrated, or are there simply dimensions to the variable that need to be reconsidered?

The Compromise Effect
(02-02-2002) The notion that economic actors always act rationally just isn't true. Take the guy who will only sell stocks if they go up. Or the one who runs up credit card debt but won't tap a savings account. Not only are some economic decisions irrational, writes Steven Pearlstein, but sometimes they are irrationally predictable. (via Perspectivist Connections)

Leaving The Son
(02-01-2002) In his solo debut, Jay Farrar abandons the trademark fiddle and banjo of his previous efforts. Joshua Green visits with the co-founder of Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt about where he's headed (and a little of where he's been).

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BP Ends Political Donations

The Doris Kearns Goodwin Credibility Gap

The Ambrose Plagiarism Saga

Goldberg: Rambling Through The Constitution

Georgia's Militant Muslim Problem

Goodwin On Leave From PBS

Walker Reviews What Went Wrong?

Wallis: Ignoring The Dark Side of Cuba

Thomas: Pols Testing New Ways To Raise Taxes

Bush Eyes Welfare Overhaul

The Road To Baghdad

Riordan's Primary Lead Vanishes

Gaffney: Rumsfeld And Iraq

Varadarajan: The Rights And Wrongs Of Pat Robertson

Freund: In Praise Of Vulgarity

Eastland: O'Connor's Court

Bush's Tougher Line On Cuba

Goldberg: The Case Of Pat Buchanan

Wahhabism And Al Qaeda: The Other Evil Axis

Jospin Versus Chirac

Bartley: Debunking The Myth Of Rubinomics

Leo: The Death Of Free Speech On The Left

Doris Kearns Goodwin Admits Extensive "Borrowing"

Angola After Savimbi

Indonesia's Terror Threat

HP Woos Small Investors In Fight With Hewlett

Angolan UNITA Rebel Leader Savimbi Killed

Pickering Nomination Worth Fight

Napster Wins Latest Round

HP Attacks Hewlett

Schwartz Reviews What Went Wrong?

Austin Chronicle Interviews Vanessa Leggett

Daniel Pearl, 1963-2002

Noonan: A Message For Rumsfeld

Strassel: Bellesiles's Guns And Poses

Sullum: Copyrights Out Of Control

U.S. Revokes Pledge On Nukes

Tyrrell: Chicken Celebrity

Waiting For HDTV

Strip Arafat's Immunity

Black Mischief: Hitchens Considers Nigger

French Fear Of A (Literally) Free Press

The Pickering Beat

Israeli Right Pressures Sharon (I)

Israeli Right Pressures Sharon (II)

General Condom

HP's Hewlett Offers Alternative Strategy

Quasi-Religious CAFE Fanaticism

Podhoretz: Media Begins To Turn Against War On Terror

Bandow: The Grand Enron Morality Play

Veto Shays-Meehan

Diversity Guides Reporting At ABC News

Judd Reviews The Lessons Of Terror

Connerly: California Rewrites The Constitution

Steyn: The Bush Doctrine And Skategate

Sharon Slams Netanyahu

Thomas: The Incumbent Protection Act

Kurtz: Truth In Television?

Welch: Sorting Out Iraqi Sanctions

Countdown To Operation Saddam

NPR's Blacklist

Outlawing Homelessness

Suckered By Arafat

Steyn: Bush Versus Elite "Pop" Culture

Feder: Turner A Window Into Liberal Soul

Williams: Stifling Black Students

Lorraine Adams Reviews The Lessons Of Terror

Ariel Sharon, Lame Duck

Hoagland: Iraq's Urgency

Rubin: The Ticking Iranian Bomb

Cheney Rejects Allied Criticism

Goldberg: Media Air Kisses For Jeffords

Dot-Com Field

The Bug's On China

Bartlett: Scrap The "Debt Limit"

Greenberg: A Word For Lincoln

Four Reasons To Ignore Guantanamo Bay Criticisms

Schulz: Baby Steps On The Road To Serfdom

Goldblatt: Ranking Cultures

Richman: Cheney's Energy List

Steyn: Root Causes Of Canadian Pair's Downfall

Karzai Calls Minister's Slaying A Plot

Sharansky: Arafat As Peacemaker

Local Elections Setback For India's Ruling BJP

Paul Volcker, Mr. Fix-It

Lambro: (Quietly) Fixing What Enron Broke

The ABA Goes To War

On Message About AmeriCorps

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Lynch: Incumbency Protection

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Avineri: On Israeli Disengagement

Bailey: Environmentalist Biofraud?

Reno On The Offensive

Daschle Retracts Failed Trial Balloon

Judd Reviews What Went Wrong?

Tommassini Reviews Arnold Schoenberg's Journey

Arafat's Ongoing Crackup

Chavez's Spent Revolution

WP: US-Saudi Relations (III)

Lowry: The Campaign-Finance Smear

War On Political Speech

Morris: Dodd's Dubious Denial

Clouds In The Climate Models

WP: US-Saudi Relations (II)

Winds Of Change In Saudi Arabia

Blacklisting On "Public" Radio?

Behind The Attack On Pickering

Netanyahu: Sharon Too Timid

Joint Military Exercises for US, Israel, and Turkey

The Campaign Reform Ruse

Michael Binlon reviews Jihad

WP: US-Saudi Relations (I)

Fire Mary Frances Berry

American-Israeli Strategic Synergy

Lessons From Arafat

Germond: Al Who?

Kofi Annan's Unneeded Iraqi Diplomacy

Kagan: Powell's Moment

A Time To Choose For DC Pols

Farm Nonsense

Public Life, Private Contradictions

Is Yugoslavia About To Become Only Serbia?

Ignatius: Naming The Axis

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How CitiGroup Hedged Its Enron Bets

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Olympian Disdain

Full Disclosure On Israel's "Resister"

Feder: Arafat's Final Solution

Armey Versus Faux Voluntarism

Israel And The Free World

Thomas: Women, Children First

Daschle To Block ANWR Vote

Kelly: War On Bush's Watch

Happy 91st Birthday, Ronald Reagan

Nobel Nomination For Bush And Blair

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Mitchell: Cut Tax Rates To Boost Economy

Will: Soft Money, Odd Thinking

Federal Spending To Explode

Astros Want To Drop Enron Name

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Goldberg: Occidental Tourist

Hilton Als On Randall Kennedy's Nigger

Rushdie: America And Anti-Americans

Pipes: The Terror-Aiding Prof

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Williams: Dependence On Government

Egypt's Diplomatic Music

Gore Attacks Bush Economic Policies

Bush After The Attacks (VII)

Madeleine Albright: Still Clueless

Jordan's Abdullah Backs US

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Feminists Fight For Women's Right (To Be Abused)

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