Some people never learn: “I don’t think the lessons of Iraq necessarily discredit liberal internationalism, or realism, or neoconservatism, or any of the many theories of U.S. engagement with the world that were invoked to justify support for the war. I don’t come away from the events of the last five years convinced that we should never intervene abroad on purely … [Read More]

I confess, I am lacking in bloodlust, and my desire for punitive vengeance against people who have never done me or my country any harm is pitifully weak.  One of the things that people have become confused about is their acceptance of the idea that the government is a competent judge of who is and who is not our enemy, such … [Read More]

As promised, I will try to explain the relevance of nationalism as part of the present American predicament.  A good starting place is Dr. Fleming’s fine article that serves as an introduction to the subject.  There are many valuable things that could be cited here, but if we want to think about how nationalism continues to be a significant force and … [Read More]

Neocons think in news cycles, the Vatican in centuries—and Patrick J. Buchanan? In the body of worthy, provocative books he has produced, his thought ranges over decades. Having nobly failed to affect American elections and nudge our policies closer to prudence, it’s clear that Buchanan has withdrawn from the dismal business of trying to sober up the Republican party—and decided instead … [Read More]

Hypocrisy Watch —Okay, so Egypt is brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and meetings have been held between the three parties in Cairo, so will somebody please remind me why-oh-why negotiating with one of the few elected governments in the Arab world is so terrible? This underscores—as if underscoring were needed—the complete and utter hypocrisy of the Israel Lobby in … [Read More]

Freedom of the press is on trial in Canada. The trial is before a court with the Orwellian title of the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal. The accused are Maclean’s magazine and author Mark Steyn. The crime: In mocking and biting tones, they wrote that Islam threatens Western values. Had Steyn written that, given the Crusades, colonial atrocities in Africa and … [Read More]

Meee-ooow!—In what has got to be the cattiestiest interview since the Cheshire Cat took on the Cowardly Lion, Gore Vidal displays his utter contempt for the New York Times. In answer to “Why do you think that critics have traditionally praised your essays more than your fiction?” good ol’ Gore throws the question back in the interviewer’s face, averring: “That’s because … [Read More]

In a recent blog Helen Rittelmeyer cites a new publishing celebrity for the New York Post and a Doubleday expert on the American Right, Ross Douthat, whose gripe is that American conservatives had actively supported segregation. Douthat is certainly not the only authorized intellectual who has been saying this. One of Helen’s respondents, who has taken the pen name Tobias, likewise … [Read More]

Patrick Buchanan’s new book, Churchill, Hitler, and “The Unnecessary War”: How Britain Lost Its Empire and the West Lost the World is a must-read for anyone interested in international affairs, world history, World War II, and Winston Churchill. It’s not a standard history book but a long essay that utilizes secondary sources, mostly published books and articles and that promotes several … [Read More]

The Supreme Court has provided another nail in the coffin of executive war powers in its recent opinion on the rights of Guantanamo Bay detainees.  Earlier decisions by the court in Hamdan and Rasul ignored statutory enactment after statutory enactment that deprived these detainees of access the courts.  This is certainly not an issue of the Court trying to divine legislative … [Read More]