Thanksgiving

My wife, Vicki, and I are going up to Hillsdale College for Thanksgiving. Larry Arnn, who is president of the college as well as my brother-in-law, and his flock have guaranteed that we’ll have turducken, so how could we resist! Yet, with the whole Arnn and Schramm families at one table, it will be an unquiet meal. No doubt I’ll have to listen to the brats braying, women clucking, and college presidents speaking in that ever-so-important-hushed tones that will do nothing to stir my blood; I just hope that it doesn’t make for ill digestions.

In the meantime allow me to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! You may want to glance at the Thanksgiving Proclamations of both Washington and Lincoln.

Kissinger named to head 9/11 Probe

Note that this AP dispatch on the appointment of Henry Kissinger just has to mention that Kissinger is not only a controversisal figure, "But he has also been called a war criminal by his harshest critics, for the role he played in Vietnam and other hot spots, working at times with corrupt governments in pursuit of U.S. interests." AP ought to be ashamed of itself.

Canada, not yet Free

David Frum reflects on the lack of real freedom in Canada (property, contract) and has a modest proposal for some constitutional amendments.

Tribute to Phil Gramm

This Jay Nordlinger piece was published a year ago when Gramm announced his retirement. It is a fine piece about one of the most thoughtful Senators, and since this was his last month in office, it is worth re-reading. I used to know Gramm in the seventies when he was just a professor (the only thing he said he ever wanted to become). He was the most thoughtful economist around, because he wasn’t simply an economist. That is not to say that his understanding of the American regime was perfect, but his understanding was the result of his own efforts, of his own powerful mind. Well done, Phil. You have done some good work for the Republic. Now relax and go read some more books.

Gore Attacks Media

I am actually wondering what in the world is going on. First Daschle, now Gore. Haven’t these guys heard of CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, etc? Pay attention to Gore’s words; they must have been carefully selected. Especially note his use of the term "fifth column." It is possible that Gore is not serious, that he’s just ticked off because his books are not selling and his poll numbers look bad. This is what is called whining.

"The media is kind of weird these days on politics, and there are some major institutional voices that are, truthfully speaking, part and parcel of the Republican Party," said Mr. Gore in an interview with The Observer. "Fox News Network, The Washington Times, Rush Limbaugh—there’s a bunch of them, and some of them are financed by wealthy ultra-conservative billionaires who make political deals with Republican administrations and the rest of the media …. Most of the media [has] been slow to recognize the pervasive impact of this fifth column in their ranks—that is, day after day, injecting the daily Republican talking points into the definition of what’s objective as stated by the news media as a whole."

Uprising against Israel a Mistake

Yasser Arafat’s deputy says that the armed uprising against Israel was a mistake. He says they lost much, and gained very little. It’s from The Jerusalem Post.

Thankful for a Foreign Policy

This is a nice piece by Michael Kelly . He is thankful that the Clinton administration is no longer running our Iraq policy. Ditto.

Saudi Concerns

I know that much needs to be said about the latest revelations about the flow of Saudi money to bad guys. For now, note this Frank Gaffney piece that recounts the many other problems that have surfaced in the past even though most have been ignored (at least publicly). I suspect that this is now changing. An interesting question is why now, why not a year ago, why not next year?

Collapse of the Internet?

According to this BBC report a study recently conducted by some Ohio State scientists shows that there is a real danger of the internet collapsing as a result of some strategic attacks on certain major nodes. They apparently argue that it has become progressively more vulnerable, as it has become more commercialized and centralized.

United Arab Emirates Beauty Pageant

Our problem is solved. The United Arab Emirates just held its first annual camel beauty pageant. There were $27,000 worth of prizes and trophies. "The aim is to mark the respect and love the UAE have for the camel," member of the UAE’s National Federal Council Faraj bin Hamouda told the Khaleej Times newspaper. I refrain from further comment.

Nigerian Issues Fatwa Against Journalist

What in the world is going on? I mean, really. The dark ages here we come. This is preposterous. Some Nigerian state official has issued a fatwa against the journalist who wrote that Muhammed might want to have one those beauties for a wife (Why not all of them, was my question when I first heard of this). He wants the journalist dead for having insulted the prophet. How do multi-culturalists address something like this, by the way?

Churchill is Voted Greatest Briton

Well, sometimes things work out OK. This BBC story explains that Churchill was voted the greatest Briton ever. Diana came in third(?). Whatever happened to Shakespeare, by the way? To paraprhase the old man, maybe Britain has a future because it hasn’t forgotten its past. By the way, his birthday is just a few days away, November 30th.

Landrieu, Profile of a Hopeless Campaign

Today’s Washington Post runs a long article on the Landrieu campaign. It is actually a good read because it clearly shows that she is desperate, tired, and whatever enthusiasm she has for the campaign is an artifice. She is clearly irritated that she has to do this; whatever happened to the divine right of senators? Also note that there are no out of state Demos coming in to campaign for her, no Daschle, no Clinton, no Kennedy (oh, that would really do her in!); this is significant and is a bad sign for the Demos for the elections in 2004. My prediction: Landrieu will lose, she won’t get more than 47% of the vote.

John Rawls has Died

John Rawls, a professor of philosophy who was more influential than he should have been, died. Here is a Thomas Nagel review of his books from The New Republic a few years back, and the Martha Nussbaum appreciation from The Chronicle of Higher Education, published last year. And the Washington Post obituary.

Gores' Book not Selling

There seems to be some disappointment (and surprise) that the Gores’ book is only number 21 on the best-selling list. Huge publicity, on every talk show, etc., and still nothing. Does this tell us anything? Is this like a good opinion poll? Is it more scientific, even? In the meantime, a new poll shows Bush holding steady at 65%.

Federalist Papers in Israel

Peter Berkowitz reports in The Weekly Standard about a new translation of The Federalist into Hebrew and a conference (with 600 in attendance!) on the book and its relevance to Israel. It is great to re-invigorate a conversation about the nature of self-government and constitutionalism by using this great American work. I wonder if there is an Arabic translation? Wouldn’t it be nice to have such a conference in Iraq, Iran, or Syria?

Feminists Attack Miss World in London

They made it out of Nigeria, landed in London, only to be verbally abused by Germaine Greer, Glenda Jackson, and other feminists. One of the feminists said that if they go ahead with their pageant, the contestants "will be wearing swimwear dripping with blood." Another said that the contest was "like a cargo of nuclear waste shunned by all."

In the meantime, to get a bit of a perspective on both Nigeria (on the verge of civil war) and why Islamism is not driven by opposition to U.S. policy on Israel, read this piece by Paul Marshall.

Rep Ken Lucas (D) to Switch?

Roll Call reports that Rep. Lucas, a conservative Kentucky Democrat who only won by 51-47 on November 5 (and Bush got 60% in his district in 2000) may make a decision even as early as today about switching parties. He has been talking with Dennis Hastert. He may lose the next election if Sen. McConnell’s former chief of staff runs against him. Thanks to Power Line for the heads up.

Iranian Chaos

Michael Ledeen argues that Iran is teetering on the brink of chaos. He notes that almost no press is given to some amazing developments; over half a million marched in Tehran (and many other cities had large demonstrations) last Friday and it is estimated that over half were women. In some cities it is not clear who is in charge. That interesting things are happening it seems to me is true, that doesn’t mean, however, that Ledeen is right to say that we must act right now to overthrow these bad guys. Note this NY Times report on an alliance of sorts we have with an Iraqi Shiite now living in Tehran. It’s complicated.

Emerging Democratic Minority?

If you are a Democrat this piece will make you even more despondent. No real new information in this, yet it makes the Demos national prospects look very bleak indeed. And this, by James Traub, analyzes the effect that Clinton had on his party: not as clear as the effect that Reagan had on his. Indeed, he argues that Clinton’s masterful tergiversations--a "serial redefiner" is what Traub calls Clinton--is what has put the Demos in their current fix; Clinton’s "protean" ways allowed the Demos to play good defense against GOP ideological and electoral dominance, but without lasting value. Traub’s short piece leads more directly into the possibility of talking once again about a Republican realignment.

Der Steuersong

"The Tax Song" is a number one hit in Germany. It ridicules Schroeder for jettisoning his campaign vows just weeks after the election. Very funny article, a must read. Schroeder is not amused. Good. He is becoming like Daschle.

Bush and NATO

Here is a short guide to how well Bush has done on his European trip. (Thanks to Powerline). The only thing I will add to it are two points: One the (former) East Europeans are more pro-American than the West and that will be useful in the long run. It will also mean that whatever foreign policy EU will have (which by definition is squishy), it will have to be relegated to a secondary status to the foreign/military policy of NATO (which is less squishy). Two, all this is done without ticking Russia off; this doesn’t mean that there will be no Russia complications in the future, but that is distant; and this will do for now. This is also good for Russia, they can get their (smaller) house in order and talk less about ruling those petty little Baltic states, etc. And, the Cowboy wore his boots for much of the trip.

In Bucharest--in the same square in which Ceausescu had to be lifted to safety from the roof of the Communist Party heaquarters by a helicopter (three days later he was excecuted) in December of 1989 because the people were going to lynch him--Bush said this: "Your country also brings moral clarity to our NATO Alliance. You value freedom because you have lived without it. You know the difference between good and evil, because you have seen the face of evil." This is Cowboy talk, and the ten thousand plus in Revolutionary Square understood exactly what he meant. By the way, there is a fairly good restaurant just off the square. It was, natch, intended for the Party elite, but by the time I got there--three months after Ceausescu’s death--it had become more open. So we talked about republican government and the connection between food and politics over fair Romanian wine and bear meat.

Here’s Bush’s speech in Lithuania and Romania. They’re from the NY Times, the White House site doesn’t have them up yet.

Why Opinion Polling is Deeply Flawed

This is an op-ed by Tom Gibson (in the Denver Post) that is worth reading. It is not rocket science, but it is one of those rare instances when a public argument is made against polling (he calls it a fraud). I think he is right. And I think we ought to have some conversations on these matters. Polling has a bad effect on both politics and the coverage of politics (aside from the fact that they are not to be trusted) and therefore on how citizens understand politics. Any opinions and/or articles on these matters would be appreciated.

GOP’s Future Senate Prospects

George Will is ready to talk about politics from 2004 and on. He begins with the U.S. Senate. Do the Democrats have a chance to regain the majority? Hardly none, argues Will. The Demos will be defending 19 seats and the GOP only 15. Even more important, nine of those GOP seats are in states that Bush carried, seven by 15 points, and 2 by five. And, eight of the nineteen seats that the Demos will defend are in states carried by Bush. Very promising for the GOP, a hard nut to crack for the Demos.

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