Right Opinion
The best of conservative opinion and commentary, updated daily.
Assorted Nuts
Who was the dunderhead who came up with the primary system? I'm not referring to the primary elections themselves, but to the order in which they must be conducted. There are ancient religious rituals that aren't held to be this sacred. When Floridians quite reasonably suggest that their primary should come earlier than it has in the past, the GOP hierarchy threatens to excommunicate them and deny them full representation at the national convention.
Can Cain Keep Flouting the Cardinal Rules of Politics?
Herman Cain, beleaguered by charges of sexual harassment, was all over Washington last week -- an odd choice of venue, considering that the Iowa precinct caucuses are now just 58 days away and the New Hampshire primary 65. But as I learned when I sat next to Cain Friday morning during a long-scheduled taping of Richard Carlson's "Danger Zone" radio program, Cain seemed unfazed.
For Once, Debate the Big Issues
WASHINGTON -- The Republican presidential candidates, their sinews stiffened and their blood summoned up, may rightly dread Wednesday's version of what are inexplicably called debates. The candidates have some explaining to do, particularly regarding two subjects that deserve more searching examination than is possible in 60-second bursts on a stage cluttered with eight contestants. But perhaps certain candidates can be compelled to expand upon, and improve upon, what they have been saying about foreign policy, and about the role of the judiciary in American democracy.
From The Comedy Store
The State Department just bought thousands of books written by Barack Obama for overseas distribution. He gets a fifteen percent royalty on each book sold to his own government. Bill Clinton cannot believe there is actually something he didn't think of first.
Catching Up on the News
Recently, I took a rare vacation. Inasmuch as I am not gainfully employed, I agree it's a strange concept. "A vacation from what?" is a question that would certainly spring to my mind. In this case, it meant that I was out of town and off the computer. But, apparently being something of a masochist, I continued to monitor the news of the day. Or, to be precise, I should say the news of the week. During that period, the leader of the Libyan rebels confirmed that the country would now exist under sharia law. As I expected when I first heard about the Arab Spring, only simpletons can ever be overjoyed at the notion of a tyrant being overthrown in that part of the world. King Farouk was bad, Gamal Nasser was worse. The Shah of Iran was bad, the Ayatollah Khomeini was worse. Hosni Mubarak was bad, the generals are worse. Muammar Kaddafi was bad, his assassins will be worse. I understand that the Muslim Brotherhood has already sent roses and a box of candy to NATO.
Jobs Up, but Not Enough
Despite some modest improvements in the jobs picture with the release of Friday's Labor Department report, I would guard against any irrational overexuberance that problems with employment or the economy are being solved. A smaller-than-expected 80,000 gain in nonfarm payrolls was bolstered by upward revisions in the prior two months, amounting to 102,000 additional jobs. So over the past three months the establishment survey has averaged 114,000. It's really nothing to write home about.
Obama's Drug Shortage Demagoguery
President Obama couldn't wait to trample over the legislative process again. This week, he issued his 98th executive order on an irresistibly exploitatable policy issue: prescription drug shortages. Soon, "One a Day" won't just be a multivitamin. It'll be the rate of White House administrative fiats. Federal officials darkly suggest that selfish industry "stockpiling" is endangering Americans' lives. "If we find out that prices are being driven up because shortages are being made worse by manipulations of companies or distributors," the White House further threatened, "agencies will be empowered to stop those practices. And the FDA and the Department of Justice will be investigating any kinds of abuses that would lead to drug shortages."
Herman's High-Tech Lynching
No one who followed politics 20 years ago will forget the night when Clarence Thomas sent an electric charge through a Senate hearing room. As liberal Democrats pushed the unproven sexual harassment charges of Anita Hill, in an attempt to destroy Thomas's chance to serve on the Supreme Court, Thomas called them out for conducting a national disgrace. "This is a high-tech lynching for uppity blacks who in any way deign to think for themselves." This line packed a wallop because Hill's charges were about as proven as the old charges of perverted indecency against white women that were concocted by racists. Whether her claims were true or not was utterly irrelevant to liberals. All that mattered was that Thomas be ruined and that black conservatives be denied a role model so prominent and so accomplished.
Sideshow and Sabotage
WASHINGTON -- Our head of state is now in Cannes, France, at the G-20 summit, gallivanting with elites from the planet's most powerful economies. For the first time since his 2008 presidential campaign, Barack Obama isn't the center of attention. The stars of this week's party on the French Riviera are German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy -- architects of a "bailout plan" to save the European Union's artificial euro currency and keep the PIIGS (Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain) from going bankrupt. It's all a sideshow, designed to convince us that governments can continue to binge on social programs without consequences.
Who Lost Iraq?
WASHINGTON -- Barack Obama was a principled opponent of the Iraq War from its beginning. But when he became president in January 2009, he was handed a war that was won. The surge had succeeded. Al-Qaeda in Iraq had been routed, driven to humiliating defeat by an Anbar Awakening of Sunnis fighting side-by-side with the infidel Americans. Even more remarkably, the Shiite militias had been taken down, with American backing, by the forces of Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. They crushed the Sadr militias from Basra to Sadr City.
Moral Abdication
My high school, sophomore son was grumbling as he read his world history textbook. He pointed me to this paragraph about the encounter between European and Mesoamerican civilizations. "The American Indian societies had many religious ideas and practices that shocked Christian observers, and aspects of their social and familial arrangements clashed with European sensibilities . . ."
If Israel Strikes
The headlines are stark indeed. "Israel Readies a Pre-Emptive Strike." Israeli Prime Minister is said to be working to persuade reluctant members of his coalition Cabinet to go along with such a militaryoption against Islamist Iran. The Huffington Post's British edition reports Netanyahu saying this: "One of those regional powers is Iran, which is continuing its efforts to obtain nuclear weapons. A nuclear Iran would constitute a grave threat to the Middle East and the entire world, and of course it is a direct and grave threat on us." One day later, defense minister Ehud Barak, struck a similar tone. "A situation could be created in the Middle East in which Israel must defend its vital interests in an independent fashion, without necessarily having to reply on other forces, regional or otherwise," he said.
The Tea Party vs. Occupy Wall Street
President Obama recently compared the Tea Party to the Occupy Wall Street protests, telling ABC News’ Jake Tapper, “in some ways they’re not that different.” We beg to differ. The Tea Party and the protestors are almost exact opposites. The president is in a dilemma. He sympathizes with the protesters because many of their goals are also his. He thus wants to associate the Occupiers with the Tea Party, a movement that has resonated with the American people.
The Sound of Music
I was just a bystander and had nothing to do with it. That much should be made clear from the first. It was a most improbable occurrence. But I can testify it took place. I was there. And was as awestruck as everybody else. It wouldn't have been at all unusual in Dallas or New York, or in any of the country's great metropolitan centers. But this took place some 25 years ago in Pine Bluff, Ark. -- population 60,000 at the time. A small Southern river town that was getting smaller all the time. As small Southern river towns will.
The British Empire -- Vindicated
As many Americans no longer believe in American exceptionalism and others believe America's greatness is guaranteed to extend perpetually, we could all benefit by reviewing the history of the British Empire, the realm from which we sprung and acquired so much. By the time most baby boomers were born, the British Empire had declined. The Nazis and Japanese had been defeated in World War II, and two major military powers -- the United States and the Soviet Union -- were faced off at the beginning of a nearly half-century-long struggle we call the Cold War.
Why We Need Not Envy China
Up to 40 million Chinese people still live in caves. That's more than the populations of Texas and Illinois, combined. In fairness, a fraction of these caves are apparently pretty nice, complete with electricity and well-compacted dirt floors. But that's grading on a curve because, well, they're still caves. Meanwhile, 21 million Chinese live below what the Communist Party calls the "absolute poverty" line. That sounds pretty good if you have in mind our poverty line, which is just under $11,000 per year for an individual and roughly $22,000 for a family of four. The absolute poverty rate in China is $90 a year, or $7.50 per month. And 35 million live on less than $125 per year. Hundreds of millions of Chinese live on $1 or $2 a day.
Media AWOL on Sexual Indiscretion -- When Jesse Jackson Was Front-runner
Charles Krauthammer of Fox News: "Do you think that race, being a strong black conservative, has anything to do with the fact you've been so charged (with sexual harassment)? And if so, do you have any evidence to support that?" Herman Cain: "I believe the answer is yes, but we do not have any evidence to support it." Playing the race card is vulgar, whether done by Al Sharpton or President Barack Obama -- as he did to contain the Rev. Wright scandal. Especially when, as here, the complainant admits he lacks evidence. If Cain were not a front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination -- a shock probably even to him -- the media wouldn't bother. But when the quest goes from curiosity to conceivable, the scrutiny increases exponentially. And who knows how the media got the information, possibly from one of Cain's presumably non-racist GOP rivals.
Who Are These Fat-Cat Few at the Top?
First lady Michelle Obama the other day railed at "the few at the top," who do all sorts of bad things. A few months ago, we began hearing of the "1 percent" who are responsible for the current economic mess. "They" apparently make all their money at the expense of the other 99 percent. Are they the same as last year's villains, who had not paid "their fair share" in making over $200,000 in annual income? Do they include the greedy doctors, who, the president once asserted, recklessly lop off limbs and yank tonsils for profits? Is my urologist a dreaded one-percenter? He found out what was causing my kidney stones but probably makes good money. Was a nearby farmer one, too? I bet he makes over $200,000 but, like many other growers in this area, has found a way to produce beef and cotton more cheaply and efficiently than farmers in almost any other part of the world, thereby enriching his county, state and nation.
Ecclesiastes on a Bicycle
The old boy walked the bike out the door of his house in Little Rock and into Heaven, aka fall in Arkansas. In all its burning-tree glory. It was hard to tell which golden view high above the winding Arkansas River he preferred. One after another, the great oaks were turning into splendor. He knew others would burst forth any day. His favorite tree, he decided, would be the next to turn. As with all good things, anticipation may be the sweetest part.
No Shame
Reporter: 'We're Not Going To Get Into Details Of Exactly What Happened'... Fmr. Secy: Not the Cain I know... CAIN FLASHBACK: 'I'M READY FOR HIGH-TECH LYNCHING'... Coulter: 'They Are Terrified Of Strong, Conservative Black Men'... RUSH: 'Unconscionable Racially Charged Attack'... 'Occupy Politico'... The stories behind these headlines illustrate why good people no longer want to run for the presidency of the United States.