Despite my general agreement with Richard Spencer’s invariably provocative political commentaries, I definitely do not share his view that McCain is “set to go down hard” in November, no matter which Democratic contender runs against him. Now that we’ve seen how easily that group Fred Barnes calls the “talk show mafia” is climbing back on board the GOP train, it should … [Read More]

His original name was Battenberg, but his great uncle changed it to Mountbatten and his grandfather to Windsor. He is now Andrew Windsor, and his royal title is HRH Prince Andrew. He is the Queen of England’s second son, a spoiled, rather thick, toothy, and overweight golf fanatic whose wife ran off with an American “financial adviser” who was photographed sucking … [Read More]

Reflecting on the sorry state of conservative causes in America is a temptation to self-pity, resentment, and salty thoughts of conspiracy. Likewise, the burbling descent of various rightist media down the intellectual bidet can be surely be attributed in part to certain organized interests, crassly selfish lobbies, and coteries of self-promoting mediocrities who blurb each others’ books. But isn’t that how … [Read More]

In his “endorsement” of John McCain this afternoon, Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma promised the CPAC crowd that McCain “does not have a secret plan to grant amnesty.” He added that McCain-Finegold was a very bad law but McCain’s intentions were oh so good. As you might imagine, the positive things that Coburn had to say about the man he was … [Read More]

There are many joys to be found at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference: the chance to buy a soviet-era ushanka emblazoned with “Comrade Clinton” or perhaps a GOP elephant mouse pad are but a few. I’ve felt like a dissident in the Right throughout the Bush administration and the “Iran wants Nuke—give them to ’em” t-shirt era. I did feel … [Read More]

Well, that was fun while it lasted. In essentials, the election is over now, a piece of yesterday’s news stale as the identity of the King of Rex, or the beer that was spilled at Bacchus. The carnival is closed, and now it’s our season of ashes. We now know all we need to about the identity of the next president … [Read More]

There are only four dependably anti-war Republicans in Congress: Ron Paul, Walter Jones, John Duncan, and Wayne Gilchrest. Paul has won 10 successive congressional elections and will most likely have little trouble defending his seat. Representatives Gilchrest and Jones, on the other hand, are facing much more formidable primary challenges and each backed by much of the DC conservative establishment. The … [Read More]

There is much about last night’s result that are dispiriting. Ron Paul had respectable showings in Alaska and Montana, and broke 15% in many of the contests; however, it’s difficult not sense that hopes for a real breakthrough have vanished. This always seemed much more likely in places like New Hampshire—which went for Buchanan in 1992—and Iowa—where activist caucus goers can … [Read More]

Review of Modernism: The Lure of Heresy, by Peter Gay: W. W. Norton, New York City, 2007, 610 pages If a Nobel Prize existed for the authorial achievement that most obviously combines clichéd competence with ideological obsession, Peter Gay’s Modernism would win it at a canter. The review attributed to Dr. Johnson pre-emptively dealt with such works: “This book is both … [Read More]

Here’s a slightly seedy confession to start off Lent: The very notion of self-denial and penance has always left me cold, tempted me to follow the Protestant poet Milton, who scorned such papist practices as the folly of literal “lunatics”—indeed, in Paradise Lost he populated the sterile, fickle Moon with the folk who engaged in what he viewed as vain and … [Read More]