April 2002 Archives
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American Politics
Rigging Elections
(04-29-2002) Redistricting, once somewhat of art, is now such a science that most Congressional seats are precisely crafted as Republican or Democrat every ten years. The process results in strangely shaped districts, and can be nastily partisan in states that are gaining or losing seats. The Economist finds the American practice curious.
Conservatives Should Be Pleased
(04-29-2002) Conservatives should be pleased with President Bush, writes George Will. Although he has made three poor decisions -- signing campaign finance "reform," imposing steel tariffs, and zig-zagging on Israel -- at least two have little traction, and Bush may yet learn on Israel. His other decisions, Will contends, are geared towards establishing a new conservative majority. (More) (More)
The Real "Root Cause"
(04-23-2002) Last week, Secretary of State Colin Powell's Middle Eastern diplomacy generated consternation on the left and right. This week, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith offered a policy speech that goes far towards straightening out the Powell muddle. Defense analyst Frank Gaffney critiques it. (Feith Speech, PDF)
Gunning For Simon
(04-23-2002) The smear has begun. As George Neumayr points out, California's most influential papers have started taking shots at GOP gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon, in an attempt to illustrate the extremism they are certain Simon represents. It's only the beginning.
Krauthammer On Cloning
(04-22-2002) Debate over cloning has been nearly contentious as the recent stem-cell controversy, with conservative and religious opponents being deemed neo-luddites by proponents, who contend they are for furthering human knowledge and technology. Charles Krauthammer considers four arguments against cloning -- and settles on one.
Remember Anthrax?
(04-22-2002) Since the original anthrax mailings six months ago, the FBI has released a behavioral assessment of the anthrax mailer and has privately indicated that it suspects the source is domestic. But the bureau has carefully guarded its evidence and reasons for its profile. David Tell considers whether the publicly available evidence squares with the official FBI profile.
Blind Spot
(04-18-2002) Few issues in American politics are as polarizing as racial profiling or affirmative action. Curiously, the opponents of one form of racial targeting tend to be the proponents of the other form, and vice versa. Randall Kennedy thinks both issues merit serious conversation.
Bush And The Middle East
(04-17-2002) Prominent conservatives have criticized the Powell mission to the Middle East as well as perceived drift in American foreign policy. Michael Kelly defends the administration, arguing that there was method behind the seeming madness. Rich Lowry remains skeptical.
The Democrats' Best Hope
(04-17-2002) Al Gore's attempt at a political comeback went public on Saturday. Although Gore was received enthusiastically by grassroots Democrats, John Fund points out that party elites remain wary. Interestingly, one of the most popular liberals in the country was nowhere near Florida. Jonathan Chait wonders whether he might switch parties.
Tenet's Palestinian
(04-15-2002) George Tenet has long been describing Jabril Rajoub as a moderate Palestinian with whom the United States should cooperate. Just one minor problem: Rajoub's "preventive security" force seems to have been actively engaged in terrorism. As William Safire puts it, Tenet is a likable bureaucrat who is in way over his head.
Conservatives For Israel
(04-15-2002) The first President Bush alienated the conservative GOP base, and served only one term as a result. The current President Bush seemingly had no problems with the base after the early tax cut and hawkish stance against terror. But as Robert Novak points out, conservatives have been blasting Bush on his recent handling of the Middle East, and aides say he plans to stay the course.
The Powell Mission
(04-15-2002) Colin Powell seems to have fallen prey to the underlying impulse of the State Department, which is to fix every global conflict by securing an agreement, any agreement. The result: his Middle East barnstorming. Michael Ledeen reminds the Secretary of State of the broader conflict, and urges the Bush Administration to refocus itself.
Protecting The Fourth Amendment
(04-15-2002) Consent searches have become a staple of police work. The problem is that most people have no idea they can refuse to consent to such searches. The Supreme Court is set to reconsider the issue, and Marc Miller and Ronald Wright urge the Court to scale back the practice.
The Elian Cover-Up
(04-15-2002) A recent report suggests that INS commissioner Doris Meissner never considered -- and may have suppressed -- evidence suggesting that the father of Elian Gonzalez was acting under coercion when he asked for his son to be returned to Castro's dictatorial regime. As Christopher Caldwell points out, that may not be the most damning aspect of the article.
April Fools
(04-14-2002) For better or worse, California is often on the cutting edge of policy formation among the American states. So the legislature's ongoing attempts to regulate automobile CO2 emissions more stringently come as no real surprise. Larry Weitzmann describes the junk science and ideological tenets driving the move.
Pork Politics
(04-14-2002) During most wars, it is expected that citizens and government alike might cut back a bit. But not the war on terror. Pork is bigger than ever this year. Deborah McGregor comments on the latest report from Citizens Against Government Waste, which describes $50,000 programs to remove tattoos in California and $450,000 allocations for restoring chimneys in Georgia, all courtesy of the American taxpayer.
The Imperial Judiciary
(04-14-2002) In Vieth v. Pennsylvania, a federal district court struck down a Pennsylvania reapportionment plan on the grounds of too great a disparity between the least and most populous districts. The disparity, notes Patrick Ruffini, is only 19 people. It's just the latest example of a judiciary -- and 14th amendment jurisprudence -- gone wild.
Black America
(04-14-2002) Although race relations are hardly perfect, the latest data show that blacks continue to make progress. John Phillips asks: "Why do some blacks feel comfortable voicing sentiments that are anti-American at their core? And why aren’t there equally fervent black voices denouncing them?"
Southern Democratic Politics
(04-14-2002) Democrats in the South have benefitted from an informal arrangement by which the monolithic black vote supports white Democrats. But beyond the local and regional level, black Southern Democrats haven't similarly benefitted from the arrangement. Jason Zengerle writes that the disparity threatens to undo the Dems' implicit arrangement.
The Bush Strategy
(04-09-2002) George Bush has come under fire from his right flank lately on a host of issues. But Lawrence Henry argues that, whether conservatives like it or not, Bush is pursuing a coherent strategy to fight the war on terror and win back the Senate. "For the rest," writes Henry, "he'll bob and weave, and do his best to avoid consuming conflicts with the Democrat-controlled Senate or the mainstream media."
Professional Spoiler
(04-09-2002) The Democratic establishment refuses to take Al Sharpton's Presidential candidacy seriously. It's a mistake, according to civil rights activist Ed Blum. That's because Sharpton figures to mobilize a monolithic voting block that can be targeted at the precinct level. He will likely play spoiler in many states, and could easily win a few.
Legacy Of Prop 187
(04-07-2002) Before 1994, Republicans fared relatively well among California's Latino voters, who tended to be entrepreneurial and middle class. Passage of Proposition 187 prompted a new class of Latino voters to register -- and vote fairly reliably for Democrats. But as A.G. Block points out, the Latino vote is not monolithic, and Democrats may not have firmly consolidated it.
The Middle East Speech
(04-06-2002) Since 11 September, most of the interesting commentary on President Bush's conduct of foreign affairs has come from conservative and neoconservative writers and publications. Bush's recent speech on the Middle East is no exception. Daniel Pipes contends it was muddled because it reflects cleavages in the Administration. Others disagree. (More) (More) (More) (More) (More)
The Name Game
(04-06-2002) American political institutions often conduct special press briefings on the condition that the speaker be identified obscurely. One such "senior administration official" recently commented on his phone calls to foreign heads of state, identified his official post, and waffled enough virtually to identify himself. Byron York has a little fun with the briefing.
2004 Electoral Map Favors Bush
(04-04-2002) Despite demographic trends that are rendering a number of Republican states more competitive, President Bush is well positioned electorally for 2004. Because of reapportionment, states that went for Bush in 2000 will gain 7 votes. Stuart Rothenberg takes a closer look at the numbers. (via RCP)
Neutrality Act
(04-04-2002) Bush followed his tough Crawford language on Arafat by announcing he was dispatching Colin Powell to the Middle East. It's just the latest zig-zag from a President who cannot seem to make up his mind between the competing foreign-policy visions of the Powell/Haass/Burns and Wolfowitz/Feith/Cambone/Crouch camps, which Lawrence Kaplan describes. (More) (More)
Priceless
(04-03-2002) Many of the opponents of ANWR drilling are simply immune to reason. They are as committed to their environmental faith as any religious zealot, and are more than happy to ignore inconvenient facts. Jonah Goldberg, who has actually visited ANWR (unlike most critics), writes that a new Bush Administration video has the environmental zealots hopping mad.
The Liberty Doctrine
(04-02-2002) President Bush's immediate response to the attacks of 11 September was both purposeful and principled. But as we approach the next stages of the war on terror, what is needed is an articulation of foreign policy principles to guide the effort. Michael McFaul suggests a new liberty doctrine.
The New Tax-And-Spend Dems
(04-01-2002) During the booming 1990s, "New Democrats" found a winning campaign issue in "fiscal discipline." But Ruy Teixeira argues that since the public really doesn't care about Republican tax cuts (which he calls "spending"), perhaps Democrats need to abandon their new responsibility in favor of more spending.
Bush: Beyond The Bad Patch?
(04-01-2002) President Bush has just been through a bit of a wobbly period, which has been of interest to supporters and detractors alike (as noted here). Robert Bartley hopes that the President's trip to Texas will be followed by a return of principled politics. David Brooks also laments the administration's "season of cynicism."
International
NATO's Southern Dimension
(04-30-2002) In November, NATO will decide which additional nations, if any, will join the alliance. Bulgaria and Romania have made strong cases for membership: they are the largest and most populous of the aspirants, and have been allies in Bosnia, Kosovo, and the War on Terror. Mark Brzezinski and Tom Walls make the case for their admission.
Popularity Without Principle
(04-29-2002) British Prime Minister Tony Blair remains a formidable political presence despite some recent cracks in his public standing. But much of his popularity is entirely personal -- he's a kinder, gentler Laborite whose core principles remain somewhat of a mystery. The Telegraph wonders if (hopes?) that will be his undoing. (More)
Countering Radical Islam
(04-29-2002) Because of its oil wealth, the Arab-Muslim world has been the focus of much American concern. But Ralph Peters contends that's a huge mistake. With a few exceptions, he argues, the Arab world "is nearly hopeless." The non-Arab-Muslim world, however -- notably India, Pakistan, Indonesia, and even Nigeria -- "is rich in possibilities and remarkably various."
Arafat's "Election"
(04-29-2002) Jimmy Carter recently referred to the 1996 Palestinian elections as "open and fair" never mind that said elections were basically a sham. But the inaccuracy is hardly confined to America's one-term President, as numerous media outlets refer to Arafat as the Palestinians' democratically elected leader. Joel Mowbray revisits those 1996 "elections."
Nepal's Growing Resistance
(04-24-2002) In the six years or so since it organized, Nepal's Maoist rebel movement has grown from a relatively harmless group of bandits into a real threat to regime stability. Celia Dugger profiles the guerrilla group, which fashions itself along the lines of Peru's largely defunct Shining Path movement.
French Surprise
(04-22-2002) Jean-Marie Le Pen's upset of Lionel Jospin in France's weekend elections has alarmed all sorts of right-thinking Europeans and Frenchmen. But as Christopher Caldwell points out, it really shouldn't: However onerous he might be, Le Pen has no chance of beating Chirac in the runoff, and may actually ensure that France won't suffer another period of "cohabitation." (More) (More) (More) (More)
East Timor Challenge
(04-22-2002) Jose Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao spent 15 years fighting Indonesian occupation of East Timor, and 7 more years in an Indonesian prison. With Indonesian soldiers gone and a fresh Presidential election behind him, Xanana's biggest challenge may be ahead, as he faces a legislature inclined towards one-party rule.
The Return Of Vichyism
(04-22-2002) Although most West Europeans oppose the anti-Jewish acts taking place in Europe, they are taking place nonetheless. Bret Stephens concludes that "a Europe that has voluntarily renounced the exercise of power and given in to the demands of its 'street' is a complicitous Europe. This may be different from an anti-Semitic Europe, but it is no less disgraceful." (More)
Remembering Idi
(04-21-2002) "He was a very good person," says one family member. "My father is a very nice person, very understanding," says another. "He wanted to uplift everyday Africans like us" says a family friend. Sounds like a pretty nice guy. As Marc Lacey finds out, there are still pockets in Uganda where they think Idi Amin is just swell.
Gridlock, Mexican Style
(04-21-2002) As the American media obsessed last week over the Administration's (lack of a) role in the bungled Venezuela coup, the Mexican Senate blocked a scheduled trip by Vicente Fox to the U.S. -- the first such "veto" in Mexican history. It's the latest muscle-flexing by the opposition PRI, which incidentally also opposes any effort to open Mexico's petroleum sector to direct foreign investment.
Vapid Venezuela
(04-16-2002) Ten years ago, Tunku Varadarajan found Venezuela to be a thugocracy. Now, he finds that little has changed: "From top to bottom, Venezuela is a welfare state that lives off oil. Nothing of note is manufactured there. Nothing of note is manmade.... What man--Venezuelan man--has done is to take, take, take."
Fatah's Grassroots Leader
(04-16-2002) The Oslo process has certainly produced its share of paradoxes, foremost among them Yassir Arafat's Nobel Peace Prize. And then there's Marwan Barghouti. Recently rounded up in Israel's terror sweep, the Fatah activist is viewed as both a terrorist and a potential peace partner and successor to Arafat. Avi Machlis profiles him.
The "Jenin Massacre"
(04-16-2002) For days, stories of hundreds of Palestinian dead at the "Jenin massacre" spread through the media. But once the area was opened, reality, although tragic, turned out to be somewhat different. Ariel Cohen argues that myths like the "Jenin massacre" are an essential component of a long moral-equivalence campaign. (More) (More)
The Oslo Plague
(04-15-2002) As Steven Plaut points out, Yassir Arafat has never denounced terrorism in Arabic. He has never renounced the portions of the PLO Covenant calling for the destruction of Israel. He wanted to wear a pistol with his battle fatigues to celebrate the Oslo agreement. Arafat is a remarkably consistent man.
Land For Peace And Lebanon
(04-14-2002) Lebanon should be a prime example of the "land for peace" mantra in action. Israel occupied a portion of Lebanese territory to stop state-sponsored attacks on its frontier, only to withdraw after world condemnation became too much. But peace didn't exactly break out, as Charles Krauthammer writes, and Hezbollah's ongoing attacks threaten further to destabilize the region. (More)
On To Qatar
(04-14-2002) Over a week ago, various media sources reported that the U.S. military would be moving operations from Saudi Arabia to Qatar. The move is symbolic as well as strategic. As David Ignatius points out, Qatar is one of the few nations that has begun to embrace American values, no matter how tepidly.
Embargo Them
(04-14-2002) In the midst of political instability in Venezuela and a threatened oil embargo from Iraq, James Robbins turns conventional wisdom on its head by arguing that any nations that join the embargo have much to lose, and won't really hurt the United States in any case. "This isn't 1973," he writes. "The oil weapon just ain't what it used to be."
Myth And Reality In Palestine
(04-14-2002) In one of several classic Commentary articles that date back a couple of decades, Jeanne Kirkpatrick debunked many myths in her "How The PLO Was Legitimized." Those myths, nonetheless, have become conventional wisdom among Americans, who are largely ignorant of the history of Israel. Mona Charen and others once again debunk some of the myths. (More) (More)
Christian Anti-Israeli Bias
(04-14-2002) It was no mistake, writes Yossi Klein Halevi, that Palestinian terrorists chose to use a Christian holy site and Christian hostages as a shield: it's an obvious effort to derail a Jewish-Christian rapprochement of sorts. What is puzzling, he argues, is why Israel and Jews have been condemned and attacked over the matter, while so many Christians worldwide express sympathy for Yassir Arafat.
Lost In The Shuffle
(04-11-2002) The cycle should be familiar by now: Israel tires of the Arab world's seemingly perpetual state of war against it, Israel makes concessions in hopes of peace, and peace remains elusive, in need of further Israeli concessions. Fred Barnes points out five forgotten truths that Middle East policymakers seem to have forgotten.
The Supercapitation Card
(04-10-2002) The maritime strength of the United States has long given it a strategic advantage over more traditional land powers. But as America's navy has atrophied over the last decade, Russia has moved forward with development of supercavitating weapons that could negate America's naval superiority. And as Jed Babbin notes, the Chinese are eager buyers.
Priests Of Killing
(04-08-2002) Various theorists insist that it is necessary to understand the "root causes" of Palestinian suicide bombings. David Pryce-Jones, author of the classic (and recently reissued) The Closed Circle agrees, although his conclusions on Arab shame-honor impulses are not likely to win over the "root causes" crowd.
Stumbling Along
(04-07-2002) By the standards of Ukraine's predecessor state, recent elections went off well: the corrupt rulers didn't totally lock out the opposition, only one candidate was murdered, and the Communist vote declined. Momentum, such as it is, clearly lies with the reformers, although autocratic President Leonid Kuchma remains a powerful roadblock.
The Bourgeoisophobes
(04-06-2002) The creeping anti-American and anti-Israeli sentiment of Europe and Arabia is motivated by the same root cause, argues David Brooks. Americans and Jews have been the most successful commercial peoples in the history of the world, and the emerging bourgeoisophobia "is a hatred held by people who feel they are spiritually superior but who find themselves economically, politically, and socially outranked."
Does Democracy Need Voters?
(04-06-2002) Europe's move towards greater centralization in recent years has come at the cost of popular sovereignty. As it begins to consider new members, the EU is faced with three, possibly exclusive, choices: 1) continued expansion, 2) greater efficiency and centralization, and 3) greater democracy and transparency. Jonathan Rauch considers the constitutional possibilities.
Burning Synagogues
(04-06-2002) As the WSJ editorial board puts it, "No one moralizes better than the French." So it's not entirely surprising that after French leaders have strained their vocal chords condemning Israel over its recent actions, France has experienced Europe's worst outbreak of anti-Semitism in 60 years. Perhaps it's time for France to modify its moral tone.
Ariel Sharon, Survivor
(04-05-2002) Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, like conservative Israeli prime ministers before him, may be the most pilloried leader in the world at the moment. It's often much easier to caricature the man than to try to understand him as he understands himself. William Safire presents Ariel Sharon in his own words. (More)
Blast From The Past
(04-05-2002) Under Milos Dzurinda, Slovakia has enacted economic and political reforms as well as embracing NATO enthusiastically. But a 20 percent unemployment rate has the nation ready to turn back to Vladimir Meciar, whose legacy is largely responsible for Slovakia's ongoing problems. Sarah Means considers the strange appeal of the durable pol.
Arafat's Dilemma, Or Israel's?
(04-03-2002) George Will suggests, "Sharon should ship Arafat to Europe, where there is much official sympathy for him. Arafat would like today's France, where he could place his phone calls by the light of burning synagogues." His analysis of the question of Palestine supports his dramatic conclusion. (More) (More) (More)
Saudi Subversion
(04-01-2002) A U.S. Treasury task force, Operation Green Quest, has turned up damning evidence of Saudi/Wahhabi activities centering in the northern Virginia area. In a piece adapted from The Weekly Standard, Stephen Schwartz describes the interlocking Wahhabi networks located in the United States and ultimately funded, he contends, by Saudi Arabia. (04-02-2002 Update: Original article now available)
Friends Like These
(04-01-2002) Even after the Karine A affair exposed Yasser Arafat as a liar and terrorist, world elites continue to visit the Nobel winner to pay tribute and express solidarity. Meanwhile, prominent Jews living outside of Israel have not rallied similarly to the Jewish state. The Jerusalem Post questions the indifference of Diaspora Jews.
Books and Arts
On Seas Of Glory
(04-30-2002) As Ronald Reagan's Secretary of the Navy, John Lehman oversaw a buildup that helped America reassert itself as the world's preeminent maritime power. Now, Lehman has written a lively history of the American Navy for the layman. Joshua London thinks On Seas Of Glory is "an appreciation of naval people and culture" that "substantiates one's pride in our Navy."
Temperament
(04-29-2002) The concept of musical temperament is not nearly so mundane as it sounds. It just needs the proper storyteller to illustrate the scientific, political, and even theological aspects of its development over time. Michael Church finds Stuart Isacoff's Temperament: The Idea That Solved Music's Greatest Riddle compelling, even if it occasionally fudges the facts.
Brown
(04-24-2002) Jonathan Yardley notes that Richard Rodriguez's Brown: The Last Discovery Of America is really three books: a chronicle of the Hispanic presence in the United States, a memoir of Rodriguez's experiences as a Mexican American, and a series of learned digressions. The book, concludes Yardley, is both challenging and frustrating.
Madisonian Democracy
(04-23-2002) Federalist #10 has long been regarded as one of the most succinct statements of American political theory offered by the Founders. But recent scholarship has begun to explore the political thought and action of James Madison in much more subtle ways. Historian Gordon S. Wood considers three recent texts in American political theory that treat the influential Founder.
The Private Property "Myth"
(04-23-2002) It's a tiresome argument to which statists sometimes (in their rare honest moments) resort: government protects property rights, income wouldn't be possible without that protection, therefore there is no such thing as individual income. That's the theme of The Myth Of Ownership: Taxes And Justice. Stephen Moore debunks it.
California Dreaming
(04-22-2002) For ambition, narrative drive and breadth of research, writes David Rieff, "no recent project of American historical writing comes close to Kevin Starr's mammoth, multi-volume Americans and the California Dream. The most recent volume is notable in that it covers 1940-50, a critical period in the shaping of contemporary California.
Heaven On Earth
(04-21-2002) At one time, socialism reigned over roughly 60% of the world; now, even Europe's "social-democratic" states are backing away from the philosophy. In Heaven On Earth, Joshua Muravchik examines the rise, and nearly complete fall, of the ideology. Ronald Radosh thinks the text may "help those who still live in dreamland face reality." (More)
Divided Jerusalem
(04-20-2002) Bernard Wasserstein's Divided Jerusalem is yet the latest effort by historians to get right the history of an important component of Arab-Israeli conflict. Although Thomas Stransky finds Wasserstein's treatment of the political and theological role of Christians in the city inadequate, Stransky still highly recommends the work.
Who Is The Goat?
(04-20-2002) The Goat, the latest effort by the University of Houston's resident playwright Edward Albee, leaves the audience "uncertain whether you have seen a conventional Broadway adultery drama, a sex comedy on the subject of bestiality, or a Nietzschean attempt to transvaluate our values about what constitutes 'normal' behavior." Robert Brustein concludes it's not a great play, but it does demand respect.
Bush Is A Texan
(04-20-2002) Prior to 11 September, the media fairly regularly portrayed George Bush as a dullard. But as Frank Bruni notes in Ambling Into History, Bush's college grades were better than McCain's, and his SAT score was nearly 1200, facts never mentioned during the campaign. Peter Schramm thinks it has something to do with Bush's Texas roots.
C.S. Lewis Then And Now
(04-16-2002) Alan Jacobs is troubled by Wesley Kort's C.S. Lewis Then And Now. On the one hand, Kort does argue that Lewis is a more comprehensive thinker than often thought. But overall, argues Jacobs, "Kort’s appropriation of Lewis is so strained that almost all of the substantive content of Lewis’ writings has to be left behind."
The Letters Of Dickens
(04-16-2002) Volume XII of the Letters of Charles Dickens marks the conclusion of the Oxford University Press collection. Covering the years 1868-1870, the edition reflects a Dickens who has grown less witty and more mundane than earlier in his career. But Philip Hensher argues that Dickens fans will find it a worthwhile addition to a skillfully executed scholarly project.
God Is Terrible With Names
(04-11-2002) "When interpreted in an exclusively literal manner," writes Karen Armstrong, "religion becomes demonstrably absurd, and this becomes especially clear when we try to speak of God." In that vein, Armstrong reviews Alexander Waugh's God and Keith Ward's God: A Guide For The Perplexed.
Pulitzer Snub
(04-11-2002) As the shock of 11 September gave way to horror, the photo of the firemen raising the flag over the ruins -- THE PHOTO -- signified American resolve and demonstrated, like no words, that we weren't defeated. Andrea Peyser laments that it was not awarded the Pulitzer it deserved. How appropriate then, says John Corry, that a PC paper would win so many of the PC awards. (More)
Time For A Baby?
(04-10-2002) Sylvia Ann Hewlett, author of Creating A Life: Professional Women And The Quest For Children, observes "In just 30 years, we've gone from fearing our fertility to squandering it--and very unwittingly." Her new book makes the case that women who choose career first and children later may be thwarted by age-related infertility.
Inferno
(04-10-2002) Political theorists of the Straussian persuasion contend that only the most literal translations are of use to those closely analyzing texts of political philosophy. Guido Waldman finds that Michael Palma has produced a literal translation of Dante's Inferno so masterful that "it could do as a student's crib." Straussians should be pleased.
Tocqueville From The Left
(04-07-2002) As a broad presentation of Tocqueville's thought, writes political theorist Daniel J. Mahoney, Sheldon Wolin's Tocqueville Between Two Worlds "is an impressive achievement. But it lacks the solidity and depth of the writings on Tocqueville by Peter Lawler, Pierre Manent, Harvey Mansfield and Delba Winthrop, and others."
New Deal Constitutionalism
(04-07-2002) G. Edward White's The Constitution and the New Deal joins a growing revisionist literature headlined by Howard Gillman and Morton Horwitz that calls into question the "winner's history" that has long described New Deal (and Progressive) constitutionalism. James Ely reviews the effort.
A Better Concept Of Freedom
(04-07-2002) Isaiah Berlin is justly famous for his formulation of positive and negative concepts of liberty. But George Weigel argues, it is the "question of the truth about man" -- and by extension, natural right -- "on which any defense of human freedom with real traction must ultimately rest." Weigel explores this weakness of Berlin's thought.
Art's Phony Kafka
(04-07-2002) Jed Perl's review of a Gerhard Richter showing begins: "[He] is a bullsh*t artist masquerading as a painter. His retrospective, at the Museum of Modern Art until May, is a colossal bummer--a hymn to deracination, a visual moan. This seventy-year-old artist works in paint on canvas, but what he sends out into the world are not paintings so much as they are Neo-Dadaist puzzles...." Perl is just warming up.
Rose-Colored Glasses
(04-07-2002) Contrary to the ever popular The God That Failed, writes Alan Kors, "Communism was not a 'god that failed.' Rather, it was an intellectually organized slaughter and slavery that succeeded, but that could not sustain itself against the productivity and resistance of free men and women."
(Un)Natural Right And History?
(04-03-2002) The question of natural right and history is central to the study of political philosophy. In The End Of History And The Last Man, political theorist Francis Fukuyama applied Hegel's answer to the question to the late 20th century. In Our Posthuman Future, Fukuyama considers the problem that emerges if man can literally alter human nature. (More)
Texana
Over The Rainbow
(04-23-2002) Despite the inconvenient candidacies of conservative/maverick Democrat Dan Morales and the untested Victor Morales, the Dems have put together their dream ticket for November elections, a ticket shaped not by policies or philosophy, but by racial demographics. Tim Fleck considers the African-American/Hispanic/Anglo three-headed monster. (More)
Houston Architecture
(04-15-2002) During Houston's boom during the 1970s and 1980s, the city's awesome skyline sprung up and helped define Houston as a city on the move. Since then, building in the city has concentrated more on quality of life than making a bold statement. Is Houston growing up, or growing boring?
Hill Country Honky Tonk
(04-07-2002) It doesn't get much more Texan than a good hill country honky tonk, where Texas favorites ranging from Bob Wills to Gary P. Nunn to Pat Green to any local band with a hot steel guitar player have cut their teeth over the years. Mitch Baranowski explores the places and people who make up a Texas tradition.
Doing It His Way
(04-03-2002) Houstonian Chris Bell ran a nasty campaign for mayor, criticizing incumbent Lee Brown heavily, only to abandon principle and endorse him in the runoff. Mayor Brown has since endorsed Bell for his Congressional race. Councilman Carroll Robinson, on the other hand, frequently votes his mind and annoys the mayor, fellow Democrats, and conservatives. His principles may cost him the Congressional race against Bell.
Society
Lies Of The Cardinals
(04-29-2002) Sometimes those Dead White Guys come in handy. Take Saint Augustine. When faced with scandal in his African diocese, the good Bishop did not protect the reputation of his fellow priests by covering up possible offenses. Rather, he insisted upon public investigation with threat of expulsion. There is a lesson for the contemporary Catholic Church, writes Garry Wills.
Grassroots Conservation
(04-24-2002) Environmental activists are fond of the phrase "think locally, act globally," but tend to obsess over federal regulation rather than local conservation. Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton argues that it's time move from "command and control" approaches to the environment towards policies that empower citizen conservationists.
The Rookie
(04-21-2002) Part of baseball's majesty is that it regularly produces the unlikely. What are the odds, for example, that a 35-year-old high-school baseball coach would try out for the bigs -- and simply fire up 98 mph Nolan Ryan style heat? Hollywood is not creative enough these days to have made up The Rookie, a movie as much about dreams as baseball.
Car Talk
(04-18-2002) Bill Ford makes Gore-like proclamations about his love of the outdoors on his motor company's commercials. Under Robert Lutz, GM's commercials have turned brash and bold -- manly, even. At the moment, GM is winning handily. George Will considers the psychology, not to mention politics, of the two approaches.
Firing People
(04-15-2002) "There was once a time," writes Thomas Sowell, "when parents pointed out bums on the streets and told their children that this was what could happen to you if you didn't bother to learn the things you needed to know, and do the things you needed to do, to make it in life." It's all different in the culture of rights, where one is entitled to live off of other people.
10 Burning Questions For Steve Earle
(04-07-2002) Steve Earle was a natural (pardon the pun) to write the soundtrack for the new Disney movie, The Rookie, as the well traveled musician has a love of baseball. ESPN's Page Two sits down with Earle to talk baseball (and finds a Yankees fan).
Kazaa's Secret Network
(04-04-2002) Twenty million users of the Kazaa file-sharing network are about to get a rude shock. In addition to embedding spyware/adware in the P2P software, Brilliant Digital has also included additonal P2P networking components without the knowledge of most users. In the next few weeks, it plans on "waking" that network.
Blogging Antidote To Liberal Monotone
(04-04-2002) Like so much about the dot-com boom, claims that weblogs will put mainstream journalism out of business are fanciful and overblown. But as Norah Vincent puts it, "they do provide a healthy criticism of the liberal establishment's hopelessly arrogant monotone. What's more, they make news interactive, so that we can all stop yelling at the television and actually do something."
No Hewlett In HP
(04-01-2002) Although Arthur Andersen has become the legal scapegoat for Enron's failure, some responsibility must rest with a board of directors all too happy to rubber stamp management decisions. Surely the post-Enron world of finance will value directors who apply greater scrutiny to major decisions by management. Except for HP, which will not be renominating controversial Walter Hewlett to its board. (More)
The Disposable Self-Esteem Racket
(04-01-2002) Elizabeth Nickson writes, "the opposite of self-esteem, dependent as it is on feeling good, can only be self-reliance. And self-reliance means you do not need the host of sociology graduates whose living depends on your delinquency." Her screed on the self-esteem industry only gets worse (or better, perhaps).
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Mann: China's New Party Man
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Taubman Reviews The Oligarchs
Pipes: Are We Safer?
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Bray: Jeffords Power Grab
Jacques Chirac, Survivor
Safire: The Poles of Bush Foreign Policy Formation
Miniter: We Hold These Truths
Gertz: China's Anti-Taiwan Missile Buildup
Ledeen: Iran On The Brink
Cuba's Shadow Looms Over Mexican Psyche
Remembering L.A.'s Race Riots
Slate Picks A New Editor
The New New Yorker
Neumayr: Gray Extremism
Hayden: Solar's Cloudy Future
Goldblatt: Let Every Screw-Up Count
Crowley: Death And Taxes
Tell: The U.N.'s Israel Obsession
Thomas: Pat Robertson's High Horse
Bozell: Jesse Jackson's Enablers
Hayes: Tom Daschle's Tax Problem
Hochman: Shifting Blame On Jenin
Tape Captures Chavez Ordering Troops Against Citizens
Rabinowitz: Reno's Pre-Clinton Legacy
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Democracy Trumps Tyranny
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Boehlert: The Sun's Not-So-Bright Debut
Greenberg: The More The French Change...
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Applebaum: French Twist
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Hewlett Lawyers Assail HP Management
Justice, Palestinian Style
Uneasy Truce Between Chavez And PDVSA
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Beichman: Truman's Vision
Smith: Spinning Stem Cells
Bin Laden In Pakistan?
Cuban Dictator Blasts Mexican President
Carlson: The Atlantic's Fresh Takes
Georgia: The UN's Former "Political" Scientist
Duhalde: Rebuilding Argentina
Socialists Win In Hungary
Miniter: Homeless Or Street Criminals?
Podhoretz: The War Crimes Lie
Novak: Politics Of Cloning
Gerecht: Better To Be Feared Than Loved
Farrell: The Demonization Of Berlusconi
Harris: Bush Must Ignore Blair
OPEC Chief To Head PDVSA
Setback For Germany's Ruling SPD
Barone: Old Ways Die Hard
Will: Playing With Energy
The Do-Nothing Senate
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Bowman: To What End "Public" Radio?
McWhorter: West's Bad Rap
Remembering Oklahoma City
Sullum: Deadly Medicine
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Kagan & Kristol: Back On Track?
Coulter: 9 Of 10 Caribou Support Drilling
Steyn: The U.N.'s Blind Eyes
Argentina Banking Freeze
Steyn: Arab Fantasy Land
GAO: Clinton Staffers Trashed Offices
Henry: Bush-Powell Conundrum
Netanyahu: The Root Cause Of Terror
Krauthammer: Concentrate On Iraq
Mowbray: Washington Post Anti-Israel Bias
Hayes: Coloring The News At CNN
Peters: Pundits Go To War
Szpiro: Trouble To Israel's North
Shuger: The Palestinians' Illegal Weapons
Lynch: Congress Shall Make No Law
Kling: Listen To The Technology
Phillips: Why The Jews Are Always To Blame
Kurtz: The Media And Jenin
Adelman: Arab Fiction
Thomas: Byron White's Life Agency
Bush Challenges Arab Allies
America Humiliated
Lurie: Bin Laden No Longer Exists
Venezuela's Dud
White House Denies Role In Coup
Neumayr: California's Covert Affirmative Action
Babbin: Paying For Hostages
Peretz: On Nobels, NPR, and Terror
Nuclear Nightmare
Halevi: Israel's Northern Tripwire
Spalinger: A Little Noticed Pogrom
Thomas: Black, White, And Gray
Podhoretz: Confounded Are The Peacemakers
What Is Powell Thinking?
Applebaum: Yankees Go Home
Sowell: War Via Pacifism
O'Rourke: War Doesn't Require Reporters
Byron White, 1917-2002
Barone: Our Vichy Gamble
Keyes: Israel's Right Of Defense
Propping Up Terrorists
Powell's Spotlight
Castro's Man In Caracas
Chavez Back In Venezuela
Powell's Suicide Mission
Michael Glover Reviews The Feast Of The Goat
Paul Johnson Reviews Theodore Rex
Wake Up, Mr. Secretary
Saudi "Terror" Telethon Nets $85M
Lost In The Wilderness
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Powell's Foolish Mission
Liberal American Jews Tilt Left
Alon: Israel's Mission
Sowell: Middle East Madness
Fog Of War
Bush In The Bazaar
FARC Kidnaps Politicians
Military Revolt In Venezuela?
Gitell: Turning Point
Safire: On Being An Ally
PLO Evicted From DC Office
Dan: Powell's Moral Paradox
Lindberg: Dems On The Defensive
Noah: Goodwin, McTaggart, And That Book Review
Lowry: Getting Rolled
Limbaugh: Are The Media Pro-Israel?
Palestine's Phony Peaceniks
Ashcroft Was Right
Biggs: Dems Silent On Social Security
Pentagon Casualty
Fettmann: What About Arab Defiance?
Saudi Fund For "Martyrs"
Root Causes
Powell's Disastrous Trip
Zuckerman: Israel's Righteous Fight
Goldberg: Moral Styrofoam
Podhoretz: Sharon Not One Of Bush's Men
Sowell: Middle East Madness
Robbins: 9/11 Denial
Wrestling With Empathy: On Israel's Values
Bumbling Gumbel
Permutter: Dark Thoughts And Quiet Desperation
Sharon Speech To Knesset
Shlaes: From Baghdad To Jerusalem
Tax Burden Falls On Wealthy
Domino Democracy (Saul Singer With Bernard Lewis)
Report: ANWR Drilling Won't Harm Caribou
Kanfer: Trivializing The Holocaust
Miniter: Brooklyn's Arab Hate Rally
Feder: Curious George And The Middle East
PDVSA Troubles Delay Crude Shipment
Egyptian Unrest
Marilyn Gardner Reviews The Marriage Problem
Peretz: Killer Angels
Doidge: Evil's Advantage Over Conscience
Greenberg: Masterful Use Of The Indefinite
Clock Ticks For Israel
Europe's Anti-Semites
Friedman: Lifelines To The Future
Feder: Clueless Carter
Charen: Deadly Toast Of The Arab World
Bartlett: The Founders And The Consumption Tax
Kurtz: Did The Press Push Bush?
Oil Supply Threat From Venezuela Strike?
Goldberg: The Myth Of The Suicide-Bombers
Steyn: Say Goodbye, Yasser Arafat
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The Left's Marriage Problem
Nordlinger: The Meaning Of "Restraint"
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"We Don't Do Mountains"
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Morris: Focus On Saddam
Arafat Approved Payments To Terrorists
Ongoing European Anti-Semitism
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Angolan Ceasefire Signed
Jordan Feeling Pressure
Based In Kyrgyzstan
No 2001 Bonus For Carly
Goldberg: Muslims Need A Pope
Iraqi Plot Against U.S. Warship?
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Mowbray: Bush's New Compartmentalization
Greenberg: A Talk With John Ashcroft
Sacrilege
Conservatives Pressure Bush On Israel
Kandahar's Lightly Veiled Homosexual Habits
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European Anti-Semitism Resurgent
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Clinton White House Axed Terror-Fund Probe
Still Bill
The Mineta Myth
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Babbin: The Israeli Endgame
Recess Appointments "Irk" Dems
The Return Of The Sun
Remaking The Wall Street Journal
McWhorter: The Reparations Racket
Nordlinger: Middle East Madness
Keyes: Paid In Blood
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