Right Opinion
The best of conservative opinion and commentary, updated daily.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
America's Assassination List
Does Anwar al-Awlaki deserve to die? Would it be good for America and the world if, through some combination of fate, luck, justice and the arsenal of democracy, his heart stopped beating tomorrow? Does Barack Obama have America's best interests at heart when he endeavors to make that happen?
Red Herring Politics: Part II
Some of the longest-serving members of Congress, whose party has overwhelming majorities in both houses, are having far closer election races than they are used to. These include Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, not to mention 18-year veteran Senator Barbara Boxer.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
An Ex-CNN Anchor's Definition of Bigotry
Last week, CNN fired anchor Rick Sanchez after he called Jon Stewart a bigot in a radio interview during which he also questioned whether Jews face discrimination. Quoth Sanchez, "Everyone who runs CNN is a lot like Stewart, and a lot of people who run all the other networks are a lot like Stewart, and to imply that somehow they, the people in this country who are Jewish, are an oppressed minority? Yeah."
Constancy of Purpose
The words are those of the late John A. Pidgeon, the legendary headmaster of the Kiski School in Saltsburg, Pa. At the time, he was reflecting on his 45 years at the school, but what he said could apply to so many other things...
A Letter from a Republican to Hispanics
I am writing to you as a concerned and sympathetic American who is a Republican. My sentiments do not represent every American -- that would be impossible. But I believe the following represent most Americans.
Red Herring Politics
In an election year, this is the time for an "October surprise"-- some sensational, and usually irrelevant, revelation to distract the voters from serious issues. This year, there are October surprises from coast to coast. There are a lot of incumbents who don't want to discuss serious issues-- especially their own track records.
Good Riddance to the Pelosi Era
Her opponent grabbed his 15 minutes of fame by depicting Nancy Pelosi as the Wicked Witch of the West in a campaign spot -- a sophomoric attempt at humor that accomplished nothing except to generate sympathy for its target.
Mr. Speaker-in-Waiting
The House Minority Leader sits in his spacious Capitol Hill office contemplating an upgrade to larger digs should his party live up to expectations and win a majority of congressional seats in the midterm elections this November. Ohio Rep. John Boehner could very well become third in line to the presidency. But when I ask him what his late parents might think of him, given the humble circumstances in which he says he was born, he displays an emotion rarely seen in a politician not confessing to scandal: he begins to tear up and reaches for a box of tissues.
Physicians, Do No Harm
The headlines rightly call the medical research "outrageous and abhorrent," a "horror" perpetrated on vulnerable people. U.S. government experiments in the 1940's (run by the National Institutes of Health) intentionally and secretly infected Guatemalan prisoners, soldiers and the mentally ill with syphilis. It was a wrong-headed attempt to advance medical knowledge for the benefit of many but at great cost to a few.
The Fruits of Obama's Muslim Outreach
I realize it's unfair and, according to some, even racist to hold President Obama accountable for his failed economic policies and cynical campaign promises, but could we at least raise a question or two about his foreign policy boasts?
Voting With Their Feet
"Californians, here they come -- right back where they ... " Wait a minute, hold on, this ain't the place they mostly "started from" -- Texas, I mean; my home state. But, gosh, are "they" coming, here and elsewhere, to escapes the miseries of unemployment and high taxation in the once-Golden State?
Monday, October 4, 2010
Ideology vs. Principle
Dear Critic, It was wholly a pleasure to get your pointed question about a phrase I used the other day about those who "tend to confuse ideology with principle."
An October Surprise? Tell it to the Marines
With the general election less than a month away and the Democrats reeling from one bad poll after another, the time is ripe for them to spring an "October surprise" in an attempt to shift the odds in their favor. This time, however, the surprise might be on them, judging from the surging candidacies of two GOP hopefuls engaged in races against two of the House's most entrenched incumbents, Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, and Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), the House Majority Leader.
Pelosi's Vote to Adjourn Could Be Her Last Hurrah
It happened late Wednesday night, so it didn't get much coverage: Speaker Nancy Pelosi cast the deciding vote when the House voted, 210-209, to adjourn. That's significant because, by custom, the speaker ordinarily doesn't vote except on issues of special importance. And because Pelosi, who has shown impressive ability to deliver Democratic majorities on one tough roll call after another for four years, was scrambling to prevail on what is ordinarily a routine vote.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
California Death Penalty Once Again Thwarted by Thug Huggers
On Oct. 28, 1980, Albert Greenwood Brown snatched Susan Jordan, 15, raped and strangled her to death with her own shoelace. Brown, who was on parole after raping a 14-year-old girl, then spent the night tormenting the dead girl's parents over the phone, telling them that they would never see their daughter again and where to find the girl's half-nude corpse and belongings. A jury sentenced him to death for that crime. Last Wednesday, almost 30 years later, Brown was scheduled to be executed. Of course, it didn't happen.
The Wisdom of Pat Moynihan
WASHINGTON -- On Jan. 9, 1969, Daniel Patrick Moynihan wrote a memo to President-elect Richard Nixon, on whose White House staff Moynihan was to serve. Moynihan wondered whether the disintegration of "private sub-systems of authority" presaged "the ultimate, destructive working out of the telos of liberal thought," in which case "we are moving from Locke to Hobbes." Imagine, if you can, Nixon's furrowed brow.
The Ugly Truth About Politicians
A while back, in writing about Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell, I accepted the rumors about her financial difficulties. Since then, I've heard that she has explained them all away. I wouldn't know. My point in writing about her alleged problems in the first place was that I didn't care. I wanted her to win the Senate race in Delaware because if elected, she would vote the way I wanted.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Blowing the Whistle on Waxman
I have come clean in the past about having been friends with Rep. Henry Waxman. We had met in the late 1950s at UCLA and wound up spending a lot of time over the following decade playing cards. In fact, once, some years later, I received a phone call from a guy profiling Waxman for the Washington Post. He wanted my impression of the young, pre-Congressional fellow. I told him that Henry was a terrible poker player, but was very astute at hearts. I said it made perfect sense because poker is a cut-throat game, every man for himself, whereas hearts is a game that involves constantly changing alliances. I regarded it as a perfect metaphor for a career in politics.
A Hug Too Far
Am I the only one who saw weakness when President Obama and his departing chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, gave each other big, fat, full-bore hug following their speeches at the resignation event in the White House's East Room on Friday? Remember, this is on global television. And it has to do with the very top of the United States government. Our friends and enemies were all watching.
From The Comedy Store
President Obama signaled a change in U.S. policy toward the Third World in a U.N. speech. He said he intends to promote commerce and free trade with poor nations rather than just give them money. If it works there, he's going to try it here.