Make no mistake about it: there is now a new front runner for the 2012 Republican Presidential nomination and his name is Newt Gingrich. The former House Speaker is zooming in the polls while former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the former presumptive Republican nominee, remains stuck in the 20s. Just look at the latest Gallup Poll: Newt Gingrich leads Mitt Romney 37% to … [Read more...] about Gallup Poll: Gingrich Soars Among Republican Voters: 37% to Romney’s 22%
‘Occupiers’ Betray Western Bankruptcy and Lack of Ideals (Voxpublica, Romania)
Does the global "Occupy" movement reflect the very best of Western dedication to social and economic justice - or is it just a craven reflection of a civilization in moral decline? Columnist Iulian Leca of Romania's Voxpublica writes that juxtaposing the mad rush for Black Friday shopping bargains against images of the protests exposes the 'Occupiers' as no better than the … [Read more...] about ‘Occupiers’ Betray Western Bankruptcy and Lack of Ideals (Voxpublica, Romania)
Donald Trump’s “Giant Ego Trip”
That's how Ed Morrissey, quoting Karl Rove, characterizes The Donald's private presidential debate. [I blog regularly here.] … [Read more...] about Donald Trump’s “Giant Ego Trip”
Mitt Romney’s Smart Move: Declines Participation in Trump Debate
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney seems to have finally broken his cycle of political unwinding and bad publicity with a move that will enhance his standing: he has declined participating in Donald Trumps debate. He says Trump -- who can be seen these days with Newt virtually bowing down to him and acting as his virtual public relations person and with Gingrich asking about … [Read more...] about Mitt Romney’s Smart Move: Declines Participation in Trump Debate
The Iraqi Air Force to Get F-16s
In “The Iraqi Phoenix Rises Again,” I described how the once proud and powerful Iraqi Air Force(IqAF) -- at one time the sixth largest air force in the world -- was decimated as a result of both the 1991 “Persian Gulf War” (Operation Desert Storm) and Saddam Hussein’s desperate concealing, disassembling and “stashing abroad” of its remaining aircraft before the 2003 U.S. … [Read more...] about The Iraqi Air Force to Get F-16s
Will Freedom Drown in the Tidal Wave of Islamic Revolution?
Not since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after the First World War has the Middle East experienced such radical change. Dictators have fallen in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen; Syria is suffering civil war; and rebellion is cooking in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Kuwait. But with several revolutions behind us, the question remains of whether the revolutions will … [Read more...] about Will Freedom Drown in the Tidal Wave of Islamic Revolution?
Newt’s Resurrection
Paul Krugman writes that to win the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, "there are only two ways to make the cut: to be totally cynical or to be totally clueless." Mitt Romney is the cynical candidate: Romney embodies the first option. He’s not a stupid man; he knows perfectly well, to take a not incidental example, that the Obama health reform is identical in … [Read more...] about Newt’s Resurrection
Pottersville Revisited
A few nights ago, as I was watching It's a Wonderful Life for about the twenty-third time (I'm still not sure if partial viewings count toward the total), I paid special attention to the part where George Bailey finds himself in Pottersville. This nightmarish sequence, lovingly arranged by George's guardian angel, has burned itself into our collective memory. Today it seems … [Read more...] about Pottersville Revisited
Republicans The Party Of Business? Not So Much Any More
Republicans used to be thought of as the pro-business party. These days, however, any benefits that might accrue to businesses from federal legislation seem to take a back seat for Republicans to saving this country's very rich from paying a bit more in taxes. Consider the Payroll Tax debate now going on in congress. The newest proposal from Democrats aimed at extending … [Read more...] about Republicans The Party Of Business? Not So Much Any More
Now Open For Voters’ Inspection: Newt Gingrich’s Very Full Closet Of Skeletons
I cannot recall a candidate with as much baggage as Newt Gingrich having a real shot at a presidential nomination. Certainly not Bill Clinton in 1992, and you have to go back to Ulysses S. Grant in 1868 to come close. While none of these skeletons in and of themselves might spell electoral disaster, together they provide ample ammunition for Barack Obama and his … [Read more...] about Now Open For Voters’ Inspection: Newt Gingrich’s Very Full Closet Of Skeletons
Impeaching Gingrich, Right and Left
Thinking about Newt is exhausting—-all those policy reversals, all that profiteering from disguised lobbying, all that adultery while impeaching Clinton, all those crackpot gimmicks posing as intellect. Yet, there are many hands on both sides of the political spectrum to do the heavy lifting of deconstructing him. Maureen Dowd takes a whack at it: “His mind is a jumble, an … [Read more...] about Impeaching Gingrich, Right and Left
On Beyond Ho-Hum Holiday Dinners
If you, like the DF&C and myself, are semi-vegetarians or you are a meat and poultry eater who is weary of the same old-same old holiday dinner staples of ham and turkey, mashed potatoes, yams and cranberry sauce, you might want to consider Bodega Bay Cioppino, Roasted Potatoes With Figs, and Italian Stuffed Zucchini. These dishes have become great cold-weather favorites of … [Read more...] about On Beyond Ho-Hum Holiday Dinners
Former Gingrich Booster, Arianna Huffington, Weighs In
WASHINGTON - So let me get this straight. Flim flam artist, convenient conservative, serial philanderer and cheater, a man who ditches wives when they're sick with cancer or MS, who's a Freddie Mac sponge, K-Street addressee businessman with a loybbist's touch, has won the hearts of enough Iowa evangelical Christians to now have the momentum in that state. These people also … [Read more...] about Former Gingrich Booster, Arianna Huffington, Weighs In
Youth-ism: Prejudice Against Those Younger than 50 years old, for POTUS
All the most media exposed candidates for GOP POTUS are over age 50, some like Newt, only a couple years shy of 70 years of age. Only 11 out of 44 Presidents have been under age 50, tilted strongly toward the aging and the elderly. There's a saying that old dogs in fading power try to diminish and hold power away from the strongest of the dogs... which are not the elderly, … [Read more...] about Youth-ism: Prejudice Against Those Younger than 50 years old, for POTUS
Write It Down!
The day after Phil Gerbyshak linked to this article, I missed an appointment because I forgot to write it down. I should have read the article more carefully. [I blog here.] … [Read more...] about Write It Down!
Zastoi, Putin-Style
It may be a long time before democracy comes to Russia. [I blog here.] … [Read more...] about Zastoi, Putin-Style
Is China’s Rise Inevitable?
Jack Goldstone presents the case here that China, under current trends, cannot become the economic behemoth many expect it to be. And Russia's growth has stagnated. But, he does see growth in the economies of Turkey, Indonesia, and Mexico, as well as Brazil and India, the B and I of the BRIC formulation. He's absolutely right, I think, that innovation doesn't blossom in … [Read more...] about Is China’s Rise Inevitable?
GEORGE WILL …A MUST READ on Newt Gingrich as Bull who Brings His Own China Shop With Him
Look for Newt in coming days to bring up his old ideas in borrowed sequins: WIDEspread orphanages for children, work/labor programs for poor children, "Newt's plan for the improvement of poor people" to the tune of huge amounts of money in the Federal and State budgets that are already overwhelmed... and others of his oddly stentorian-gleeful workhouse-like throwbacks to a … [Read more...] about GEORGE WILL …A MUST READ on Newt Gingrich as Bull who Brings His Own China Shop With Him
China’s Future is Up in the Air
HONG KONG -- China has to find a way to continue its rapid growth without choking to death. Literally. When I landed in Beijing last week, the sky was a brownish miasma through which distant landmarks were only faintly visible. The moment I stepped outside the city's vast international airport, I noticed an acrid hint of burning coal in the all-too-palpable air. The … [Read more...] about China’s Future is Up in the Air
Gingrich Child Labor
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Gingrich Child Labor