Yet another Republican speaks

And says something I agree with. Peter Wehner comes out with a strong commendation in Commentary Magazine for what Gov. Christie said the other day in his usual inimitable style.

It’s one thing, and a laudable thing, not to participate in this ugliness [Herman Cain style Islamophobia]. But it’s another thing, and a far more admirable thing, to stand against it. My former boss, President Bush, did this in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. And now, thankfully, Governor Chris Christie has as well.

I don't know what has come over me. I totally approve of words from two Republicans in as many days!

I think I'll go back to listening to Glenn Beck and Bill O'Reilly to get my mojo back.

A Republican speaks

In this case, calling out the foam at the mouth Islamo-phobists.

"Ignorant. They're ignorant."

"I'm tired of dealing with crazies!"

Please watch. A Republican governor pushes back against the crazy.

oddly - it will make him more popular than ever.

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And something about the Vikings

They might have made nice neighbors, if you are into that sort of thing.

and for more on the Vikings.

you knew that was coming, didn't you.

The Designated Adult at "National Review"

I usually, no, make that always, refer to Rich Lowry as "the designated adult over at National Review" mag. He's the one they send out to be interviewed on the Jim Leher News Hour, where he usually adopts a noticeably more moderate view than he does in print. Come to think of it, Juan Cole does the same. I suppose it's an American variant of Arafat saying one thing in English and another in Arabic.

But back to the point. This little quote will show you why, despite everything, I still think of Lowry as "the designated adult." It sounds less snarky than "the designated sane person."

But I would never say that. Nor would I call him "Rich Lowry, the preppy, handsome 38-year-old editor of National Review."

Never.


ps: Aside from speaking out of both sides of his persona, Carmen holds it against Juan Cole that he wore that worst TV tie ever.


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Conservapedia and its antidote

I really thought that Conservapedia was a put-on by some clever liberal, but apparently its the real thing, put together by Andrew Schlafly. Andrew Sullivan has the link, and the antidote: a conservative web page defending Science, real Science. Hurrah.

Our Officer Corps

Most Americans, I think, ignore the officer corps of the army. We just don't think of them when we imagine our democratic institutions. But we should, for many reasons.

Anyway, the Iraq war has had a number of unintended consequences, one of which is a growing split between the younger mid-ranks of the officer corps and the generals. Today Lt Col Paul Yingling, a combat leader who has proven his worth in Iraq, publishes a critique of the generals in Armed Forces Journal. There is an article about it in today's WaPo which you can read. Here's a taste of Yingling's conclusions:

"After going into Iraq with too few troops and no coherent plan for postwar stabilization, America's general officer corps did not accurately portray the intensity of the insurgency to the American public," he writes. "For reasons that are not yet clear, America's general officer corps underestimated the strength of the enemy, overestimated the capabilities of Iraq's government and security forces and failed to provide Congress with an accurate assessment of security conditions in Iraq."

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The other side of Newt

Garrison Keillor once sang a wonderfully insulting song about the Newt (Gingrich, that is), and a few days ago I posted a negative news story about him. I once watched him teach an American history class, and wasn't impressed - and teaching history is one thing I know something about. But he has also been consistently an imaginative thinker, and one who I think still sees politics as a noble calling, a service rendered to the country rather than merely a career track to power and fame. We're speaking in relative terms here.

So I think I will link to a positive column about the Newt by Cal Thomas. Thomas is another conservative I sometimes have trouble with, but who I admire in my heart of hearts for being consistent and honest, at least by his own lights.

With a political creature like Gingrich you always have to wonder how sincere he is, but I do admire Gingrich's call for a new politics. Certainly his analysis that something is seriously broken is spot on. And it is in keeping with my "Spirit of Ball's Bluff" campaign that I am going to have to revive sooner than I'd hoped.


Mirabile dictu! Spell check informs me that there are NO mispellings in this post!