When historians sit down decades from now to address the events of the early 21st century, they will have no trouble explaining why Americans elected Barack Obama president. They elected him out of a firm conviction that the United States was not involved in enough wars. Problem solved. Today, American forces are fighting in four … Read more
Last week, I noted that various forms of the word “unexpected” almost inevitably appeared in news stories about unfavorable economic developments. You can find them again in stories about Friday’s shocking news, that only 54,000 net new jobs were created in the month of May and that unemployment rose to 9.1 percent. But with news … Read more
Two books that should top any reading list for progressives who believe in “winning the future” by waging war against its current inhabitants are H. G. Wells’ classic The Time Machine and Nassim Nicholas Taleb’sThe Black Swan. The former’s narrative has entered the culture, especially through a film version that appeared in 1960, starring Rod … Read more
Unexpectedly! As megablogger Glenn Reynolds, aka Instapundit, has noted with amusement, the word “unexpectedly” or variants thereon keep cropping up in mainstream media stories about the economy. “New U.S. claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly climbed,” reported cnbc.com May 25. “Personal consumption fell,” Business Insider reported the same day, “when it was expected to rise.” “Durable … Read more
Question: What do the following have in common? Eckert Cold Storage Co., Kerly Homes of Yuma, Classic Party Rentals, West Coast Turf Inc., Ellenbecker Investment Group Inc., Only in San Francisco, Hotel Nikko, International Pacific Halibut Commission, City of Puyallup, Local 485 Health and Welfare Fund, Chicago Plastering Institute Health & Welfare Fund, Blue Cross … Read more
When a Roman general returned victorious from a war against an enemy of the Republic, he was typically granted a “triumph”: a lavish, bloodthirsty, pagan version of a ticker-tape parade, which centered on long lines of enslaved captive enemies marching in chains behind his chariot, and climaxed with the butchery of their general before throngs … Read more
Well, it’s been an exciting week and a half. On Mercy Sunday, we dispatched Osama bin Laden without mercy, and most people weren’t too broken up about that — including me. I’m a Just War kinda guy, and all the initial reports made it sound like we killed a knave in clean combat as he … Read more
Barack Obama is a politician who likes to follow through on long-term strategies and avoid making course corrections. That’s how he believes he won in 2008, and since then he’s shown that he’s not much into details. So he was happy to let congressional appropriators fill in the blanks in the 2009 stimulus package, and … Read more
The Libyan affair — one does not know what to call it; not a war precisely, more an “experimental bombing” — is one in which both Canada and the United States are participating. We have a general election going on up here in the Great White North (where it is still snowing as I write, … Read more
First Lady Michele Obama has received some serious flack for eating short ribs on a ski vacation in Colorado with her daughters. Rush Limbaugh, the paragon of nutrition and fitness, called her a hypocrite and criticized her for not looking like a Sports Illustrated model: “The problem is, and dare I say this, it doesn’t look … Read more
Those lactivists from the sit-in at the Hirshorn will be glad to hear this: Michelle Obama is championing a new cause in association with her “Let’s Move” campaign to end childhood obesity — breastfeeding. Mrs. Obama said: “We also want to focus on the important touch points in a child’s life. And what we’re learning … Read more
The story about President Obama’s support for infanticide as an Illinois state senator came immediately to mind last week when a Philadelphia abortionist was arrested on eight counts of murder. One of the counts faced by Dr. Kermit Gosnell includes the death of a woman following an abortion at his office. The other seven were … Read more
At a restaurant in Jerusalem last August, I listened incredulously as two prominent Israeli journalists explained to me that President Obama did not care about a second term. Obama, they told me, was going to forge ahead toward an Israeli-Palestinian agreement with total disregard for any political fallout. It was Obama’s nature, they each asserted, to put … Read more
CBS news reports that Hillary Clinton’s role as Secretary of State will be her “last public position”: At a town hall meeting appearance in Manama, Bahrain on Friday, Clinton denied intentions to run for either president or vice president on the ticket with President Obama, who defeated her in the 2008 Democratic presidential primary. Some experts … Read more
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I’m still more or less stuffed from yesterday’s feast, which I think means I did it right. Feel free to supplement today’s round-up with tales from your own holiday, interesting reads you found over the break, or whatever else is on your mind. You too can make your very … Read more
Sr. Carol Keehan, president of the Catholic Health Association, has been a frequent guest at the obama White House. Visitor logs just released reveal that Sr. Keehan visited the White House 15 times since the beginning of the present administration. However, on seven occasions, Sr. Keehan met with President Obama himself — that’s a remarkable … Read more
During the last Presidential race, I remember watching with wonder as oceans of ink were spilled over the extraordinary oratory powers of (eventual) President Barack Obama. Somehow, despite the repeated insistence of media commentators, political analysts, and any number of acquaintances, I could never get around the “tennis match” aura that his heavily-Teleprompted speeches conveyed. Perhaps it was the result … Read more
This past Tuesday, seven representatives of Catholic Charities USA were welcomed into the Oval Office by President Obama on the occasion of the organization’s 100th anniversary. Those invited were Rev. Larry Snyder, president; Retired Bishop Joseph M. Sullivan of Brooklyn, Catholic Charities USA’s 2010 Centennial Medal winner; Sr. Donna Markham, Board Chair; Candy S. Hill, … Read more
Jack Smith at the Catholic Key blog is reporting that pro-Obama group Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good appears to be “out of business.” He cites the evidence from their Web site: They’ve had no blog posts since June 10. They’ve made no tweets since May 12. They haven’t posted to their own facebook … Read more
The Christian Post reports that over 100 religious groups are protesting a piece of legislation that would ban faith-based groups from receiving federal funds if they use religion in their hiring practices. The language can be found in HR 5466 – a bill introduced in the House in May by Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI). The … Read more