Sunday, professor Louis Henry Gates retreated from his threat to sue Sgt. James Crowley. Friday, President Obama retreated from his charge that the Cambridge cops “acted stupidly.” As Crowley has not budged an inch—his arrest of Gates was correct, and there will be no apology—there is no doubt who won this face-off. Game, set, match, Crowley and the Cambridge cops. It … [Read More]

The Berlusconi Sex Tapes, and the Scandal that isn’t. There’s something a little odd going on with these sound tapes of Silvio Berlusconi and the “escort” that have been popping up in the Italian media. The oddity being that while the escort herself seems to be incensed with the way she’s been treated by the prime minister (and there are a … [Read More]

And the impossibility of conservatism. It’s 1964. A stranger approaches and tells you two political movements will arise in the near future, the New Left and the New Right. One of these movements will dominate American politics for a good quarter century. Indeed, political scientists will define the entire period in terms of the ascendancy of this group; historians will write … [Read More]

Last year, on a radio talk show, New York City’s former Mayor Ed Koch voiced a cliche that’s near and dear to the hearts of many blacks. I was reminded of this cliche while hearing a version of it from a young white man interviewed in Craig Bodeker’s documentary A Conversation About Race. The man in Bodeker’s film remarked that he … [Read More]

In a Wall Street Journal op-ed on Monday, and in congressional testimony later in the week, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke reassured all that thanks to his accurate foresight and deft use of the Fed’s policy toolkit, he could maintain near zero percent interest rates for an extended period without creating inflation. With supernatural powers such as these, one wonders if Ben … [Read More]

“The sound alone was worth the $24 billion!” So said fellow Nixon speechwriter Ray Price as the mighty Saturn V rocket lifted Apollo 11 and Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins off the launch pad, three miles away, on the start of their voyage to the moon. It was a splendid moment in that first year of the Nixon presidency, a year that … [Read More]

Almost begrudgingly, I remain a conservative despite the rampant hypocrisy, ineptness and illogic of many who subscribe to the label. I also remain a conservative because no matter how stupid it gets, liberalism is infinitely dumber. I’m not talking about thoughtful men of the Left like consumer advocate Ralph Nader, Congressman Dennis Kucinich or author Gore Vidal, whose principled opposition to … [Read More]

ON BOARD S/Y BUSHIDO—While the eastern islands of Greece are being whipped daily by the meltemi, the hot, strong winds that can turn sailors into zombies, the western side, or the Ionian, remains soft, green and as feminine as ever. The sea off Cephalonia is smooth and mirror-like, but this year I have yet to make contact with mama and baby … [Read More]

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince earned a record $394 million worldwide in its opening week, an extraordinary amount for a film based on the sixth (and penultimate) installment in J.K. Rowling’s series of fantasy novels. The striking title certainly didn’t hurt. The term “Half-Blood Prince” evokes ancient political longings for a leader destined by birth to unite two squabbling clans, … [Read More]

Have Israel and its supporters gone over the edge? As Israel defies the US on settlement policies and its continuing mistreatment of the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, a recent poll shows the American public is undergoing a significant shift in its historically pro-Israel views: According to the survey of 800 registered voters, which was conducted June 9-11 by … [Read More]