November 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

Daschle Disconcerted
(11-23-2002) "Liberals do not like being beaten at their own game," writes George Neumayr. "They can whip up activists, drive the homeless to the polls, hurl insults at politicians they deem dangerous, riot outside registrar's offices, and play to the emotions shamelessly." But heaven forbid anyone on the airwaves criticize them!

He's Back
(11-20-2002) The rollout of the 2004 model Al Gore has begun in earnest, with the former veep and his wife blathering all over the talk shows this week. As Michael Kelly describes it, "A terrible banality is born. Again." (More)

JFK, We Hardly Knew Ya
(11-19-2002) When aides to LBJ broke it to the press that candidate JFK suffered from Addison's disease, Kennedy sent doctors out to deny it. They lied. Indeed, JFK's health problems and drug regimen were far more extensive than ordinary citizens ever knew. Robert Dallek discusses what was behind Camelot's curtain.

Fantasy Life Of American Liberals
(11-18-2002) "Judging by their wild and crazy reaction to their defeat on November 5," writes Charles Krauthammer, "one can only conclude that this election has left liberal elites further out of touch with reality than at any time in recent memory." (More)

Dems Need To Rejoin America
(11-15-2002) The Democrats might right their ship if they could remake their ideas on two big things, national security and economic. But as Daniel Henninger argues, "there is virtually no evidence in print that the Democrats want to stare into the mirror of the morning after and confront the mortifying effects of the political lives they've lived the past 33 years."

Sometimes No Good Guy Exists
(11-14-2002) Critics of American foreign policy frequently complain that the U.S. has often supported dictators like Saddam Hussein. True, writes Dinesh D'Souza, but in "the real world, as opposed to the philosophy seminar, the choice is often not between the good guy and the bad guy, but between the bad guy and the really bad guy."

Follow The Leader
(11-14-2002) The new House minority leader is certainly liberal, but that may not be the Dems' main concern. Nancy Pelosi "isn't a wild-eyed ideologue;" writes The New Republic's Michael Crowley, "she's just a fairly typical member of the House Democratic caucus. And that's exactly the problem." (More)

The Democrat Mistake
(11-14-2002) According to various Democrats, President Bush is a dumb man, or a dangerous radical, or simply a pawn of big oil and big polluters. And the biggest problem for the Democrats, writes Michael Kelly, is that they have come to believe their propaganda.

Repair The Confirmation System
(11-10-2002) Six days before the elections, George Bush began pushing concrete reforms of the judicial nomination process. It was little noticed, but he put forth the same reform proposals during his press conference following the elections. Terry Eastland comments.

End Of The Anti-American Era
(11-09-2002) "We are witnessing a fascinating period in American history . . . the decline of an entire culture of dissident leftists," writes Victor Davis Hanson. "The last year has revealed all their old shibboleths for what they were: lies and half-truths."

Understanding Strong Presidents
(11-09-2002) Ronald Reagan was a classically "strong" president. The first George Bush was not, and Bill Clinton's administration led to articles about the incredible shrinking presidency. Jeffrey Bell argues that George Bush is shaping up as the first strong president since Reagan.

Presidential Leadership
(11-08-2002) George Bush's leadership continues to defy conventional wisdom. He moved the centerpiece of his legislative agenda (tax cuts) despite his razor-thin victory in 2000. And he personally helped the GOP defy history and gain seats in an historic mid-term election. Mona Charen wonders when people will stop underestimating the President.

Changes In The Political Landscape?
(11-06-2002) Some analysts are already speaking of Tuesday's election as part of a realignment. It wasn't. But as Armstrong Williams points out, a potential realignment in the classical sense could be in the offing, if the GOP can make inroads with younger African-American voters.

Winners And Losers
(11-06-2002) Every election produces winners and losers beyond the candidates themselves. Fred Barnes and others analyze the big winners and losers in last night's historic election. (Bockhorn) (Brooks) (Buckley) (Corn) (Last) (Limbaugh) (Mangu-Ward) (Podhoretz) (Will) (York)

The Gerrymandered Democrats
(11-05-2002) After the 2000 election debacle in Florida, there was much concern over introducing new voting machines and reducing voter fraud nationwide. Interestingly, it may be not dangling chads that pose the greater threat to American democracy, but carefully engineered, non-competitive Congressional districts.

Dirty Dems
(11-04-2002) Images from the political rally posing as a memorial for Paul Wellstone may supplant JFK and FDR as the icons of the Democrat Party. From gay bashing to election fraud, it's been all about winning this election cycle. As Jonathan Last argues, Dems "haven't just become Nixon, they've become the exaggerated liberal nightmare version of Nixon." (More)

The Emerging Republican Majority?
(11-04-2002) John Judis and Ruy Teixeira have recently been arguing in favor of an emerging Democrat majority based on demographic trends. But Michael Barone suggests there may instead be a slight emerging Republican majority.

Going Wobbly
(11-01-2002) For weeks, the U.S. mission has been busy watering down a Iraqi resolution with the diplocrats at the United Nations. Charles Krauthammer wonders why President Bush is allowing Colin Powell "even to discuss a scheme that is guaranteed to leave Saddam Hussein's weapons in place." (More)

International

China Is A Fascist Country
(11-23-2002) "The trappings of the [Chinese Communist] party may still be Stalinist, " writes Jasper Becker, "but as the 16th party congress came to an end last week, it was increasingly clear that Jiang has turned the CCP into a right-wing regime." The only real surprise is that some conservatives act so surprised.

The Euro's Coming Demise?
(11-20-2002) At one time, European leaders seemed to think centuries of nationalism could be wiped away with the signing of Maastricht and a common currency. Now, Herbert London suggests "it wouldn’t be wise to bet long on the euro. Stupid ideas have a way of failing."

Iraq's Crazy Uncle
(11-20-2002) Even hardcore theorists of realism like Hans Morgenthau and Kenneth Thompson assume the presence of rational actors in international politics. But what if the actors are loony? A new documentary suggests just that about Saddam Hussein.

The End Of The Alliance
(11-19-2002) As a maritime alliance of "rimland" powers intended to check the "heartland" power described by Spykman and MacKinder, NATO made great geopolitical sense during the Cold War. Today, even as members are added, its relevance continues to fade. (More)

Canada's Waiting Game
(11-15-2002) In keeping with his party's lurch to the left, Al Gore has endorsed a Canadian-style single-payer healthcare system. For people who want something for nothing with little hassle, the Canadian approach sounds marvelous. And then, David Frum points out, the waiting begins.

Israel In The Cross Hairs
(11-15-2002) An upsurge in anti-Semitism in Europe is not yet being articulated by European leaders, writes Douglas Davis, "but they do little to discourage or dispel the relentless anti-Israel message that is being propagated by much of Europe’s media." That message brings back memories of a dark past.

Same Old Syria
(11-10-2002) "After President Bashar al-Assad took office two years ago," writes Daniel J. Wakin, "hope spread that he would create an era of political and economic reforms in what remains a police state." One can only wonder why.

Nuclear Deceit
(11-10-2002) It's now well-documented that North Korea flouted its international obligations -- including an agreement with the United States -- in its ongoing pursuit of nuclear weapons. Jim Hoagland wonders why Pakistan's role isn't getting more scrutiny.

Solving Iraq's Oil Conflict
(11-10-2002) French and Russian participation in Iraq's energy E&P sector (despite the sanctions regime) helped embolden Saddam Hussein, and will continue to be a sticky point if military action is necessary. Daniel Fine proposes a solution.

Who Will Lead Likud?
(11-09-2002) Small politics doomed Israel's unity government headed by Ariel Sharon and Likud. The next government will almost certainly be led by Likud. As Tom Rose points out, the only real question is who will lead Likud.

Natural Right And Baath
(11-01-2002) "In dealing with Saddam," writes David Brooks, "we are not dealing with a normal thug or bully, but with a missionary whose lofty ideology has not changed in four decades, even as it has acquired, over the past few years, some Islamist drapery." Brooks analyzes Saddam's pseudo-historicist Baathism.

Books and Arts

Solzhenitsyn And The Jews Revisited
(11-23-2002) Although Alexander Solzhenitsyn's Two Hundred Years Together has its shortcomings as scholarship, eminent Soviet historian Richard Pipes concludes it "is a notable achievement in its attempt to place the 'problem' of Russian Jewry in political and social perspective, and one that does credit to its author's reputation."

Back To Human Nature?
(11-14-2002) Does such a thing as human nature exist? The author of Our Posthuman Future thinks so. Andrew Norton interviews provocative political theorist Francis Fukuyama.

Class Unconsciousness
(11-12-2002) What makes the underclass? Theodore Dalrymple's Life At The Bottom attempts to answer that question, drawing on the author's medical treatment of some 10,000 patients in a Birmingham slum. Dalrymple suggests the liberal worldview -- dare we say philosophy -- deserves much of the blame.

Plagiarists And Other Liars
(11-11-2002) Doris Kearns Goodwin and the late Stephen Ambrose were both caught red handed "borrowing" words from other writers. Surprisingly, they have a fair number of apologists. Peter Hannaford, however, is not among those who would defend "plagiarists and other liars."

The Demon In The Freezer
(11-10-2002) Offically, the smallpox virus exists in only in two storage facilities in the world (in Russia and the United States). Unofficially, who knows? As Richard Preston describes in his The Demon In The Freezer, we do know that smallpox would make a devastating bioterror agent. (Excerpt)

The Nature Of The Beast
(11-03-2002) Despite all of the recent talk of Saddam Hussein's brutality, little is known about the tyrant's inner circle and his regime's inner workings. Con Coughlin's Saddam: King Of Terror attempts to correct that gap in knowledge. William Shawcross writes that it is must reading for anyone who has doubts about George Bush's policy on Iraq.

Pakistan: A Nuclear Yugoslavia
(11-03-2002) "Although the sheer variety of social and economic problems in the world cannot always be solved simply by instituting Western-style democracy," writes Robert Kaplan, "international elites have persistently demanded that Musharraf hold elections. So he did." Kaplan considers several recent books on Pakistan.

Uncle Tom
(11-01-2002) The popular connotation of the term "Uncle Tom" is negative, particularly when it is hurled at African-Americans who stray from liberal orthodoxy. But as Gregory Lamb points out, that's not the character portrayed in Harriet Beecher Stowe's classic novel.

Texana

RIP, KIKK
(11-14-2002) A week ago, Houston's venerable KIKK officially shut down, replaced by a smooth jazz station called The Wave. Just what Houston needs: a station, as John Nova Lomax puts it, that "will be taking no chances in its bid to bring waiting room/porno soundtrack music to the masses."

The Black Church Effect?
(11-11-2002) Prior to the election for U.S. Senator in Texas, an influential black church leader urged his followers not to vote for Ron Kirk. Alberta Phillips thinks the preacher was motivated by money, but a bigger worry for Dems is that blacks might just be growing disillusioned with a party that takes them for granted politically.

The Elections And Texans
(11-10-2002) What do the elections say about Texans? According to Michael Sullivan, "the election tally simply inaugurates political leadership that finally looks philosophically like the beliefs Texans have held for a long time."

Dashed Hopes
(11-06-2002) Republicans have been ascendant in Texas for years. Democrats hoped to reassert themselves in Texas politics in 2002 with a "dream team" ticket driven by ethnicity. The gambit failed. (More) (More) (More) (More)

Society

Why Women Can't Read Maps
(11-23-2002) Autism predominantly affects males. Since research suggests fairly significant differences between average male and female brains, is it possible that autism is simply an extreme form of male behavior? Maybe, as Rod Liddle explains.

Squeezing FatWallet
(11-20-2002) Is the unpublished sales price of a DVD player copyrighted material under the Digital Millenium Copyright Act? Maybe. As Brian McWilliams reports, DMCA has been conveniently used by large corporations to stifle small websites engaged in what the layman might think was free speech.

The Peacenik Bishops
(11-15-2002) American bishops may not be able to protect the young men in their congregations (from themselves), but they are confident they can protect America. "Passivity in the face of evil has worked so well for them," writes George Neumayr, "that they are recommending it as a policy to President George Bush."

Where's The Quality Control?
(11-15-2002) The open nature of the internet means almost anyone can obtain a publishing forum. The drawback, of course, is that there are virtually no editorial standards. Stephen Pettitt argues it's a particular problem with regard to arts and music.

Peering Inside The Sun
(11-10-2002) One Nobel Prize was one this year by scientists thinking differently about the process by which the sun radiates energy. Michelle Thaller describes how dry-cleaning fluid and a gold mine have helped further scientific knowledge about neutrinos.

Post-9/11 TV
(11-06-2002) The West Wing's ratings have dropped noticeably post-9/11, as the show continues to put forth a Clinton-era view of the world. Meanwhile, 24 portrays a President dealing with an Arab terrorist threat to nuke L.A., and a federal agent willing to cut a few corners to protect the United States. Philosophy professor Thomas Hibbs gives it a thumbs up.

Other Headlines

Ridge Rebuts Gore

Kurtz: Daschle's Rush To Judgment

Podhoretz: Party Of Whiners

Tyrrell: Emperor Bob Bartley

Henninger: New Balance

Fund: Clinton Hurt Dems On Election Day

Barnes: The White House At War

Caldwell: Daschle's Abuse Excuse

Elder: Taking Blacks For Granted

Will: Gore Is Back

Limbaugh: Looking For That 'Rush' Edge

Brownstein: The Return Of Reagan Democrats?

Bartlett: The GOP's Secret Weapon

Stelzer: Bush Backing Reform, Not Wall Street

Chinese Winners And Losers

Gaffney: Delusions Of Arms Control

Bailey: Ethical Poverty

Gaffney: The Jayna Davis Files

Eastland: John Cornyn, Bush Senator

Hastings: Churchill's War

Qureshi: The Saudi Brand Of Fanaticism

Kurtz: Campus Conformity

Lambro: GOP Voter Drive Key To Victory

Gottfried: Old Right, New Wrongs

NRO Q&A: Stephen Schwartz On Islam And Wahhabism

Pinkerton: George W. McKinley?

Novak: The President's Power

Buckley: Where Will The Dems Go?

Black Support For Dems Erodes

Mundy: Rehabilitating Al Gore

Back-To-The-Future Al

Brown: Dem Implosion

Bergen: Beware Al Qaeda 2.0

Allison: Time Is Not On America's Side

Bay: Tag Team Foreign Policy

A Bad Case Of The Crazies

Gaffney: The Antiwar Resolution

Buck: Hate Mail

Elder: Nancy Pelosi?

Jiang Retires, Ousts Liberal Rival

Tyrrell: Rainey Day Reflections

The Oglala Sioux's Senator

McCollum: Internet Tax Attack

Will: San Francisco Treat

Sowell: San Francisco Treat

Bockhorn: When Life Begins

Blankley: Pelosi Enters Stage Far-Left

Carney: Ralph Reed's Georgia

Olasky: Karl Rove Time

Ford: Why I Should Be Minority Leader

13 Days: Behind The Scenes Of Minnesota's Senate Election

Pipes: Profs Who Hate America

Morris: House Of Extremes

Noah: Where's That Emerging Dem Majority?

Remnick: Turkey's Experiment

Sowell: Whither Democrats?

Last: Bill Moyers, Courtesy Of You

Netanyahu: Expel Arafat

Safire: Arik v. Bibi

Peronists Attack Each Other

Lambro: Dark Days For The Dems

Henninger: It's All Over Now, Baby Blue

Vickers: Peace Through Weakness?

Blankenship: Heartland Heartburn

Harding: The Tactical Wizard Of The West Wing

Bush's Stunning Display Of Leadership

Powell: Baghdad's Moment Of Truth

Broken Democracy

MBA Style: Inside The Bush Foreign Policy Machine

Skinner: Committing All Seven Deadly Sins

Thomasson: Underestimating Bush

Feulner: When Doing Nothing Is Best

Kerry Set To Move On 2004 Presidential Race

York: Can Harold Ford Save The Dems?

What Now For Texas Dems?

King: Dream On, Dream Team

Masugi: California Thinking

Terror On The Tigris

Chait: How The GOP Learned Voter Turnout

Barone: Party Like It's 1962

Riley: A Wink And A Nudge

Eastland: Here Come The Judges

Brooks: The Pelosi Democrats

Gertz: US Says Baghdad Hiding Anthrax

JP Interviews Benjamin Netanyahu

Vincent: Liberals Ignore Plight Of Iraqis

Carter: Correcting Mistakes

Podhoretz: Marching Left No Answer For Dems

Miller: Bonilla's Close Call

Dreher: Landrieu's Fate

Beinart: Dem Civil War

Fund: Sobering Thoughts

Williams: The Politics Of Envy

The Jewish Vote

Foreman: A Special Class Of Evil

MacDonald: Work = Slavery?

Pleszczynski: Mondale In Debate

Black Leaders Slam Belafonte

Rauch: Conservatism And Helms

Hayes: At Least Mondale Didn't Drool

CIA Takes Out Al Qaeda Elements In Yemen

Noonan: Lion v. Tiger

Fund: Coleman Trounces Mondale In Debate

York: Coleman Trounces Mondale In Debate

Benedetto: Late Shift To GOP?

Kelly: Rumsfeld v. The Military Brass

Takeyh: An Unlikely Ally In The Middle East

Netanyahu Sets Conditions On Joining Sharon Government

Teachout: Moral (And Musical) Equivalence

Limbaugh: Liberal Idolatry

Hayes: How To Steal Elections In Wisconsin

Henary: Sweeping The Lone Star State

Caldwell: Mourning In America

Podhoretz: A Rally Big Fiasco

West: Tunnel Vision On Islam

Rocca: California Justice Strikes Out

Pipes: Jihad And The Professors

Ehrenfeld: Arafat's Legacy

Levin: Al Gore's Unresolved Issues

Strassel: The Truth Wins

Wanniski: The Gold Standard Cure For US Deflation

Novak: More On The Dems' Tasteless 'Memorial'

Will: A Democrats And Electoral Laws

Labash: Jackass, The Documentary

Mark Stepnoski, Stepping Out