the continued adventures of Edmund Burke

Now, it has for some time been increasingly unlikely that I would get to agree with Andrew Sullivan about something–and in this case I’m led to him by Yuval Levin’s post differing with him, intelligently and at least in part correctly. But I’ll be doggoned if this doesn’t resonate with me, somewhere:
For conservatism to […]

Michael Gerson — a righteous embarrassment

There is a breed of conservative which thrives only in the media. One might call them the in-house conservatives of the MSM. William Safire and David Brooks are two classic examples of the breed. Michael Gerson began as a high-profile “compassionate conservative,” and has transitioned to “in-house conservatism.” The more he […]

“Compassionate Conservatism” — the liberal camel’s nose in the GOP tent

When the “compassionate conservative” label was first minted, I was somewhat taken with it. Firstly, because I have great respect for Marvin Olasky. Secondly, because it seemed the best way to break out of the Conservatives Mean / Liberals Nice dichotomy. Here was a way to support small government AND […]

Rush not sounding very bullish on McCain, either

I don’t look to Rush Limbaugh as my guru. Haven’t even been a big fan since the middle ’90s. Nonetheless, well, the guy gets listened to for a reason; and he gets listened to a lot.
(K-Lo quoting Rush, The Corner on NRO)

The Corner on National Review Online via kwout

And he’s right, folks. […]

Republican nominee John McCan’t

McCain, after all his cow-towing to Conservatives at CPAC and during his campaign for the nomination, is not showing any signs of progress in rebuilding and energizing the Republican party and its Conservative base. If he would simply take advantage of the fact that Obama is faltering right now, it’s possible he’d have the […]

A Classic Satire of William F. Buckley

Since Bill Buckley passed, I’ve been reading some of his correspondence and essays in an anthology, The Right Word. Back when David Brooks was still a humble undergrad at the Uni of Chicago, he wrote a teasing biography of Bill Buckley for the Chicago Maroon.  Sadly, Brook’s juvenalia is better than his current column. It’s […]

Tort Reform Lawsuit Abuse

I think tort reform is one of the most underutilized issues for Republicans.  One of the first things they should do is stop talking about torts.  The average American has only a vague notion of what a tort is or else thinks it’s a pastry.  You don’t get an emotional response from people by attacking pastries.  (Though you might […]

Competing With Ronald Reagan’s Ghost

There’s a lot about John McCain that drives me crazy. If he wins the election, and I buy a television, I’m sure I’ll spend a lot of time yelling at the screen. But a lot of the criticism of the guy is totally unrealistic. He’s competing with Reagan’s ghost – not Reagan himself, who was […]