Time has announced the person of the year (2006). The "Great Man" theory of history is usually attributed to the Scottish philosopher Thomas Carlyle, who wrote that "the history of the world is but the biography of great men." He believed that it is the few, the powerful and the famous who shape our collective destiny as a species. That theory took a serious beating this … [Read more...] about You’re the Person of the Year

What happens when editors run out of ideas or try to be cute? This. … [Read more...] about Indecision Or Being (Unsuccessfully) Cute?

The debate over whether the U.S. Army should be larger is beside the point. The real question is what kind of an Army the United States should have five years after the 9/11 attacks dramatically changed the global military equation.* Do we want an Army that still is largely unprepared to fight counterinsurgency warfare? * Do we want an Army without enough of the right tools … [Read more...] about Iraq & The Debate Over the Size of the Army

Yesterday Holly and I were having an e-mail exchange about the Dutch and German languages. She told me that she would like to learn both languages (since they are closely related to each other). The conversation changed from the Dutch language to the Frisian language. The Frisian language is the language of my father. I am not 'just' Dutch, I am Frisian. Most foreigners, … [Read more...] about Fryslan

Is it flawed? … [Read more...] about The Media’s Coverage Of Murdered Women In The UK

What you just heard if you were listening to business news is the sound of the other shoe dropping. Loudly. Abruptly. Judith Regan, the Regan Books publisher behind the widely reviled — and ultimately withdrawn — now-it-can-be-told theoretical story of how O.J. Simpson WOULD have killed his wife IF he had ACTUALLY killed her, has been fired by HarperCollins, part … [Read more...] about The Rise And Fall Of Judith Regan And Corporate Patience (UPDATED)

Is email on the way to becoming "oh, so early 21st century?" How could I possibly live without email — especially the ones I get each week insisting I need an "enlargement?" Some thoughts here. … [Read more...] about Is Email Doomed?

There's a special weblog event going on right now on the Iraq issue via one of the most reasonable centrist voices on the internet, Dave Schuler:It is my pleasure and honor to introduce a blogging colloquium at The Glittering Eye, “Directions on Iraqâ€?. This colloqium is an extended cross-blog conversation on Iraq. Its participants have been selected based on knowledge, … [Read more...] about “Directions On Iraq” In The Eye Of The Beholder

Here's one view: … [Read more...] about What Do Jewish People Do On Christmas?

Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich has a message to his fellow Republicans: the "same old, same old" isn't going to work in campaigning...it's time to raise the level...and bar:Speaking Friday night in Manchester to a ballroom full of Republicans, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich said, “I do think every Republican ought to look at the reception Barack Obama got a … [Read more...] about Gingrich Says GOP Needs To Revamp Campaign Style

Why "10% Plans" are poor substitutes for Affirmative Action. … [Read more...] about Say It Like You Mean It

crop from John Keats' manuscript copy of 'Ode on a Grecian Urn', from English history Today's quote is from John Keats' Ode on a Grecian Urn:O Attic shape! Fair attitude! with brede Of marble men and maidens overwrought, With forest branches and the trodden weed; Thou, silent form, dost tease us out of thought As doth eternity: Cold Pastoral! When old age … [Read more...] about Literary Quote of the Day: John Keats

The New York Times reports that Abbas is putting pressure on Hamas:The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, on Saturday ordered early presidential and parliamentary elections in a direct challenge to the authority of Hamas, the Islamic movement that won elections less than a year ago. But Mr. Abbas did not name a date, leaving room for further negotiations to break the … [Read more...] about Abbas’ Powerplay

This is the plan that most reflects the President's point of view: Choosing Victory: A Plan for Success in IraqIn the coming weeks, after meeting with top officials, military commanders on the ground in Iraq, and Iraq’s vice president Tariq al-Hashemi, President George W. Bush will address the nation to lay out a new strategy in Iraq. On Thursday, Frederick W. Kagan and Gen. … [Read more...] about Choosing Victory: A Plan for Success in Iraq

James Joyner reponds to an article from Alicia Colon in which the latter criticizes Matt Drudge. Matt Drudge, who may or may not be a willing accomplice to the distortion of news reporting, must be held responsible for the dissemination of the bias in the liberal press. Studies have shown that the readership of the Times is down — as it is in other liberal publications — … [Read more...] about Is Matt Drudged?

This column by Amanda Carpenter is five days old now, an eternity in blog time. So if the rest of you have already reviewed, sliced, and diced it, I apologize for re-visiting old ground. If not: Does anyone else think Human Events is trying just a smidge too hard to find contradictory statements where there are none? Or is it just me? … [Read more...] about Is It Just Me?

The Wall Street Journal reports that Former Clinton administration economist Jason Furman will become the new director of The Hamilton Project, a year-old effort of the Brookings Institution to promote a centrist economic strategy. Named for Alexander Hamilton, the nation’s first Treasury secretary, the project is better known for its association with his modern successor, … [Read more...] about The Centrist Economic Think Tank

Three guys decide to play a round of golf: a priest, a psychologist, and an economist. They get behind a *very* slow two-some, who, despite a caddy, are taking all day to line up their shots and four-putting every green, and so on. By the 8th hole, the three men are complaining loudly about the slow play ahead and swearing a blue streak. The priest says, "Holy Mary, I pray … [Read more...] about A Centrist Solution

Another one bites the dust. Indiana Senator Evan Bayh has dropped his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008, just two weeks after announcing the formation of an exploratory committee. Bayh's statement: "During my two terms as Governor and now in the United States Senate, it has always been more about the people I was able to help than the job I held. As you … [Read more...] about Bye-Bye-Bayh

There are many excellent arguments against the death penalty, and TMV co-blogger elrod wrote passionately about them in an earlier post. From arbitrary and racist sentencing to the truly horrible risk of executing an innocent person, worries abound, because once the ultimate penalty has been carried out, there's no going back. Yet this latest Great Debate about capital … [Read more...] about Time Out on the death penalty, please