Only Nixon could go to China. Only Reagan could end the Cold War. Only Clinton could tame discretionary spending and reform welfare. And only Obama could tame entitlements. Okay, that last one didn’t work out so well. Of course, 95 to 99% of the reason why is that the Republicans didn’t want it to happen….
Author: Alan Vanneman
Obama: Cynical enough to save us, or cynical enough to destroy us?
A century from now, historians may praise President Obama for coolly weaning the United States from the rampant interventionism of the Bush years, and leading the U.S. to take its place as a peaceful partner in a stable, orderly world. Or it may record his presidency as the time the United States slid into a…
Colin Powell, still large, still overweight, still a liar
Slate scribe Nathaniel Frank delivers a seriously on-target beat down to Colin “Colin the Conqueror” Powell, this time on the subject of gay marriage: “Speaking on CNN Wednesday, Powell said he has ‘no problem’ with same-sex marriage. Before he could utter another sentence on that subject, though, he defensively and dishonestly shirked responsibility for his…
Thelonious Monk— “Bolivar Blues”
https://youtu.be/CTijrDIU-m4 Monk in Japan in 1963 with Charlie Rouse, with a drummer and a bassist whom I should be able to identify but haven’t gotten around to it. Monk wanted the title to be pronounced something along the lines of the “Ba-loo Bolivar Ba-loos-a,” but that didn’t happen. The tune was named for the Bolivar…
Pseudo New Yorker
Legal humor here. “Well, you must have done something to provoke him. Usually they’re quite timid.” “Okay, okay. I’ll take care of the invitations. Today!” “Let’s see you and your friends at the Heartland Institute laugh off this one!” “I meant, I hope I get my deposit back because this place will have such bad…
Francis Fukuyama, finding what he’s been looking for, again
Well-known Hegelian Francis Fukuyama takes a look into the soul of Egyptian liberals and, predictably, doesn’t like what he sees. Two of the leading candidates for Egypt’s presidency, Fukuyama says, are “suspected of having ties to the military,” another has been endorsed by “the ultra-conservative Salafis,” and the fourth is the candidate of the Muslim…
Is it “I Hate Condoleezza Rice Week” already?
How time flies! But the calendar doesn’t lie, does it? And neither do Daniel “Rice Is a Uniquely Poor Choice for VP” Larison or Jennifer “The silliest VP suggestion of them all” Rubin, not to mention Bret “Anyone But Condi” Stephens. One can almost feel sorry for Condi, but not really. She spent the first…
Please remove the beam from thine eye before asking me to remove the beam from mine eye Dept.
There I go again, attacking one of my favorite bloggers. Brad DeLong runs an item that reads, in its entirety, thus: The Los Angeles Times Gives John M. Ellis and Charles L. Geshekter a Platform to Oppose a Just, Free, and Equal Society If Ellis and Geshekter think that America should not aim to be…
Good pitch, bad windup
Over at the New York Times “Opinionator,” Ezekiel J. Emanuel* makes an excellent pitch for increasing the age of eligibility for Social Security according to income. But in his setup he tells us that “When it comes to Social Security and Medicare, Republicans emphasize cuts and privatization, while Democrats strongly oppose both approaches.” Zeke, Democrats…
Pseudo New Yorker
Legal humor here. “Yes, I hope they wash their probe thingees too. I hadn’t thought of that issue before. Thank you for bringing it to my attention, particularly at this time.” “Lose the high beams, you dumb schmuck! You’re right on top of me!” “I’m sorry, but I’m sick of their hard-luck stories. Do they…