Michael Barone has it about right—so far we are witnessing a presidential campaign completely devoid of themes. As he characterizes it, neither party’s candidates have a convincing narrative. I’m afraid that what we now see is what we’re going to get, and I am singularly unimpressed by the field in this possibly most important watershed […]

I haven’t wasted any time on the televised Presidential “debates” that have been staged by either party, but it is difficult to avoid the saturation of follow on coverage of the events, and I am struck more than anything by the pedestrian quality, the lack of depth, and the line of questioning. Former Ohio gubernatorial […]

It’s time to discuss seriously the means by which President Bush can maintain some sense of order and mission to his remaining time in office or, as Bill Clinton found necessary in his dark days of 1994-95, the pursuit of relevance. Clinton found it in a gift from Newt Gingrich in the budget impasse over […]

I was struck by this statement from a John Edwards campaign advisor, according to OpinionJournal.com, May 24, 2007: “John Edwards has seen the Bush administration use the phrase ‘war on terror’ to justify everything they do. So although he believes that there are terrorists and terrorism, the phrase itself has become a political tool the […]

Which brings me to this question—what kind of leader can fill the role that America and the world need? Although many of us probably feel we have already heard enough presidential politics, at least in the unattractive style in which it is presented to us, it’s not too early to get a fix on those […]

All the cuddly overtures in the spirit of bipartisanship on the part of the new majority that permeated the immediate post-election period will dissolve before the swearing in of the 110th Congress. In fact, most of that talk is disingenuous in the first place, because bipartisanship in the current usage only means one thing—you must […]

I remember writing in my journal in November 1994 that I thought I would never live to see conservative principles rewarded with victory on a nationwide basis in a non-Presidential election year, but as the spirit of the Contract with America swept the Gingrich-led revolution to Republican control of the House and Senate that year, […]

Thomas B. Edsall, who writes for The New Republic, is one of the most intellectually honest liberals I have read or heard. In a recent article, “Building Red America: The New Conservative Coalition and the Drive for Permanent Power”, he credits the rise of the Republican majority to their superior resources of anger, ruthlessness, and […]

Michael Barone is my pick as the most perceptive national political analyst on the scene today. Here is his take on the Ned Lamont primary win over Joe Lieberman in Connecticut: “The center of gravity in the Democratic Party has moved from the lunch bucket working class that was the dominant constituency up through the […]

Again the left showed no limits to its indulgence of the race and victimization hustlers and its hatred for the President in the shameful theatrics at the funeral of Coretta Scott King. Here were many of the usual suspects, including former Presidents Carter and Clinton, using a service of celebration and reverence as a political […]