The Klein and the Fury

Posted: Wednesday, April 9, 2008
On Friday I wrote a response to Joe Klein's most recent Time column -- and apparently Joe didn't like it very much. On Sunday he wrote not one but two responses to my posting. They are worth unpacking.  [Full Story]

Missing Michael Kelly
Another great we are now without.
Posted: Friday, April 4, 2008
Michael Kelly, who was killed in Iraq five years ago today, was one of the finest journalists of his era. He is still missed today.  [Full Story]

Obama and the 'L' Word

Posted: Wednesday, April 2, 2008
The political environment and challenges facing America have changed significantly and it will not be enough for Mr. McCain to invoke the word "liberal" against Mr. Obama. Mr. McCain needs to become an educator-in-chief on matters of political philosophy and his challenge is to make his case well enough to convince Americans not only that Mr. Obama is a liberal, but that having a liberal in the White House would do real damage to our country.  [Full Story]

Obama's War

Posted: Tuesday, April 1, 2008
By Barack Obama's own account, the consistency of his stand on the war in Iraq demonstrates more than anything else that he possesses the wisdom, the clear-sightedness, and the judgment to assume the responsibilities of the nation's commander-in-chief.  But an examination of both his statements and his Senate votes demonstrates something very different from consistency. It demonstrates instead a record of problematically ad-hoc judgments at best, calculatingly cynical judgments at worst.   [Full Story]

Wright Questions
What the national press should ask Barack Obama about his former pastor.
Posted: Monday, March 31, 2008
Here are a set of 22 questions political reporters and other journalists might want to press Barack Obama to answer about his relationship with the Reverend Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., the former senior pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago.  [Full Story]

Packer It In
Falling in the Obama trap.
Posted: Tuesday, March 25, 2008
George Packer of The New Yorker, himself a fine writer, was deeply impressed (to say the least) with Barack Obama's speech on race. According to Packer, what we witnessed in Philadelphia a week ago was an "intimate lecture," the "greatest speech on race by an American politician in many decades."  [Full Story]

The Wright Stand
Judgment, character and Barack Obama.
Posted: Thursday, March 20, 2008
If Obama isn't willing to voice his concerns and objections with Wright and stand up for his country as it is being slandered by his pastor, what can we expect from Obama when he is asked to stand up against some of the world's worst dictators?  [Full Story]

The Wright Questions
What did Obama hear, and when did he hear it?
Posted: Monday, March 17, 2008
Until now Barack Obama has run a remarkable campaign and has shown himself to be a man of apparent grace and class, an apostle of hope and unity. But recent events are starting to eat away at the image of Obama. Nothing has done more damage to him, however, than the comments of his pastor Jeremiah Wright.  [Full Story]

Al-Qaeda Is Losing the War of Minds

Posted: Wednesday, March 5, 2008
The US "surge" in Iraq has been so manifestly successful that no serious person can deny that gains have been made. Even Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have (grudgingly) conceded progress. Yet both Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama are quick to add that progress has been purely on the military side and that those gains are ephemeral. This fits with their broader narrative -- that the war has been a disaster on every front.  [Full Story]

Farewell WFB

Posted: Thursday, February 28, 2008
There will be many people who knew Bill Buckley far better than I who will attest to his personal kindness and grace over the years. And many people will pour forth with testimonies about Mr. Buckley's monumental role in the history of modern conservatism. I simply want to recount his role in my own pilgrimage of faith.  [Full Story]