Monthly Archives: March 2005

March 31, 2005 — John Hinderaker

Another Successful Cover-Up

Former National Security Adviser Sandy Berger got away with a criminal cover-up today when he pled guilty to a misdemeanor in connection with his theft of sensitive documents from the National Archives. It is undisputed that Berger illegally stuffed original documents relating to America’s response to the threat of Islamic terrorism into his coat, pants and briefcase. Berger then destroyed a number of these top-secret documents, so that they will »
March 31, 2005 — John Hinderaker

For Our Protestant Readers…

Those who have been with us for any length of time know that Deacon and the Trunk are Jews, while I am a member of the most boring religious sect known to mankind: midwestern Lutherans. Fortunately, a long-time reader who is not only a Lutheran, but, like us, an anonymous toiler in the vineyards of the law, sent us a link to this wonderful site devoted to the Lutheran liturgy: »
March 31, 2005 — John Hinderaker

Is the Post Ducking Responsibility?

We have written extensively about the fake “talking points memo” on the Schaivo case that ABC News and the Washington Post publicized, beginning on March 18. We have pointed out, most comprehensively in the Weekly Standard, that there is no reason whatsoever to believe that the memo originated with the Republicans, and considerable reason to think it may be a Democratic dirty trick. Howard Kurtz of the Washington Post followed »
March 31, 2005 — Scott Johnson

The lonesome death of Terri Schiavo

In “The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll,” Bob Dylan expressed the righteous anger of a witness to justice gone awry. Dylan’s damning refrain has wide application: You who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears, Take the rag away from your face. Now ain’t the time for your tears. Following the last verse that recites the ultimate miscarriage of justice, Dylan changes the chorus: You who philosophize disgrace and criticize all »
March 31, 2005 — Scott Johnson

Disinformation, Columbia-style

Deacon notes below the New York Sun story by Jacob Gershman on the Columbia University report that was released today: “Faculty committe largely clears scholars.” Gershman reports: In an effort to manage favorable coverage of its investigation into the complaints, the university disclosed a summary of the committee’s report only to the Columbia Spectator, the campus newspaper, and the New York Times. Those newspapers, sources indicated to The New York »
March 31, 2005 — Paul Mirengoff

Desperation time in France

Jim Hoagland has a nice piece on the latest problems facing the French elite — a massive trial of 47 political and business leaders charged with conspiracy and corruption, and the possible defeat of the EU constitution by French voters. These events occur against the backdrop of an economy that just won’t grow much, and the mass influx of a hostile, or at least sullen, immigrant population Peter Schramm at »
March 31, 2005 — Paul Mirengoff

The global left’s vision of blogging

Lots of good stuff on Thomas Joscelyn’s blog, Venona Project. Scroll down to March 29, for example, and check out his discussion of the Atocha Workshop, a forum for critics of the U.S.-led war on terror. Joscelyn’s report emphasizes the desire of the global left to regulate news media, especially blogs. In the words of one participant: Perhaps there needs to be a global inciative [sic] to improve journalism. To »
March 31, 2005 — Paul Mirengoff

Surprise

Last year, several Jewish students at Columbia University reported that they had been intimidated by professors of Middle Eastern studies both in and out of class. Now, according to the New York Times, a Columbia University panel has found that one professor, Joseph Massad, did engage in such conduct, and that another, George Saliba, made a “regrettable” personal reference to a Jewish student’s appearance. In Saliba’s case, however, the panel »
March 31, 2005 — Scott Johnson

Reconsider baby, part two

The Washington Post article of the day is further to Deacon’s point last night about the new media image of President Bush as an executive asserting too much control over the officials charged with implementing administration policy: “Bush is keeping cabinet secretaries close to home.” What ever happened to Bush the pawn? »
March 31, 2005 — Scott Johnson

What’s going on?

Michelle Malkin addresses another mystery related to the purported GOP talking points memo: “What exactly did the Post say about that memo?” »
March 31, 2005 — Scott Johnson

Reconsider baby

If it weren’t for Elvis, I might never have heard of Lowell Fulson. In 1960, when Elvis was discharged from the Army and out to reclaim his career, he reached back to a 1954 hit by Fulson to cut one of finest recordings — a blistering version of “Reconsider Baby” with Elvis himself on rhythm guitar. It added the exclamation point to “Elvis is Back!” and closed the album in »
March 31, 2005 — Scott Johnson

Disinformation, Dartmouth-style

Dartmouth trustee candidates Peter Robinson and Todd Zywicki have criticized the Dartmouth administration for letting the school’s traditional commitment to undergraduate education suffer. Their critique lies at the heart of their candidacies and extends to the administration’s treatment of speech issues on campus and the decline of the school’s athletic program. The administration has responded in a manner more befitting politicians than academics. Earlier this month the Dartmouth Daily published »
March 30, 2005 — Paul Mirengoff

Fairer Jacques

The piece by Martin Jacques in the Guardian that Trunk linked to below –”The Neocon Revolution” — is less objectionable than I expected. For example, Jacques recognizes that President Bush’s foreign policy is not driven by a single-minded ideological commitment either to unilateralism or to regime change. Rather, administration policy, though informed by certain basic principles, is formulated rationally on a case-by-case basis. I do wonder, though, what Jacques and »
March 30, 2005 — Paul Mirengoff

Thinking about checks and balances

Earlier today, I linked to, and critiqued, a piece complaining about the alleged assault by conservatives on the independence of the federal judiciary. Later, I remembered that Charles Kesler of the Claremont Institute had written an editorial on this subject in the Winter 2004 issue of the Claremont Review of Books. Here is some of what Kesler had to say in response to the Chief Justice Rehnquist’s complaint on the »
March 30, 2005 — Scott Johnson

Make that a grand slam

Many commentators on President Bush’s second-term appointments have linked the nominations of Secretary Rice to her position at State, Paul Wolfowitz to the World Bank, and John Bolton to the United Nations as a troika making a particular statement. Tomorrow’s Guardian, for example, publishes a column by Martin Jacques to this effect under the portentous heading “The neoconservative revolution.” Certain of the MSM outlets have suggested that by appointing officials »