Thoughts on the Presidential Race

Nothing too deep here, just that I've become fed up with Fred Thompson's inability to commit to the race; as someone noted, at his height and weight, he's not exactly coquettish. So I'm done with him for the time being, and now I'm leaning back towards Rudy. Why? Because he's bright, right, articulate, and electable.

So the Fred widget will be gone from the sidebar, replaced by a Rudy widget.

The End of an Era

After 38 years, the British Army is ending its operation in Northern Ireland. When it began in 1969, the Army expected to be in the provinces for mere weeks. That low-intensity conflict certainly helped shape the British military and establishment, in ways that are affecting us today. Perhaps most importantly, the establishment showed a willingness to try and meet the IRA and others halfway, a willingness that is now on display towards Islamists in Britain.

Data Shows Durbin Vulnerable?

That's the claim from a poll cited on Illinois Review, which pegs the approval rating of the Senate's #2 Democrat at 49% favorable/24% unfavorable, and almost a dead heat (36%-33%) on whether he puts Illinois or Washington first.

As much as I'd love to see Durbin returned to private life, none of this data paints a picture of vulnerability by any stretch of the imagination. It's actually difficult to gauge any sort of vulnerability on Durbin's part due to a real paucity of polling data. No Senator's invulnerable, but Durbin's not exactly an endangered incumbent at present.

Oh and I treat these numbers with the greatest degree of skepticism because of the poll itself - only 400 respondents, MOE +/-4.9%, no notes as to who the pollster is etc.

Better Days Ahead for London

Having finally finished Melanie Phillip's Londonistan (I'll try and get a review up tomorrow), I'm hard-pressed to predict a bright future for either Britain or London. However, Emily Henderson, New Criterion's perceptive and endlessly amusing summer intern, provides hopes for a slight improvement: Conservative Boris Johnson has entered London's mayoral race. Admittedly, I'd be hard-pressed to pick this particular Johnson out of a lineup, nor was his name a particularly significant one to me prior to today, so in accepting this as a positive development, I have to take Miss Henderson's word.

But let's be entirely honest. Almost anything is an improvement to London's present Lord Mayor, the ultra-leftist Ken Livingstone.

Democrats Fearing Victory?

For a while now, I've thought (and perhaps blogged?) that the latest round of Democratic shenanigans, attempting to force a pullout from Iraq without waiting for Petraeus's September progress report, was driven by fear. Fear that the good news coming out of Iraq (and if you're not hearing it, you're simply choosing to ignore it) is a harbinger of things to come, a sign that the tide has finally turned and that the definite potential for victory exists. If so, Democrats are going to look pretty damn stupid. Their solution? Short-circuit things to avoid that outcome. If true, I will again overflow with disgust for this party - that they'd throw our troops and the Iraqi people under the bus for short-term political gain.

And I'm not alone in thinking this - Thomas Sowell agrees. He notes, and I agree (and they understand) that victory in Iraq likely means a Republican presidential victory in 2008. Here's hoping.

Edwards Getting Talking Points from Harper's?

It sure looks that way: this week's Harper's cover story is a piece by Kevin Baker, a novelist/essayist/critic who apparently has it out for Hizzonor (he's the author of at least two pieces savaging the man's mayoral record) claims that he would be worse than Bush. Lo and behold, John Edwards comes out and says that Giuliani would be Bush on steroids in San Francisco. Shady.

Sir Elton the Luddite

He admits as much, and also says we should shut the internet down. Why? Because it's killing artistic creativity of course! I liked his old music, but now the diva's lost it; dare we say the fellow's more of a disaster than Billy Joel driving?

Another Positive Review and a Jumping-Off Point

Warm reviews for economist Bryan Caplan's The Myth of the Rational Voter continue to pile up (indeed, I thought I'd made mention of the book here before, but can't find any such post). The latest is that of John Stossel - though warm may be a trite too optimistic; reviewers recognize the value of the book and its contribution to the discussion of voting behavior, turnout, etc., but no one is exactly cheered by its message.

NRO's Jonah Goldberg (writing on Townhall), however, goes one step further. He points out that if Caplan's arguments are correct then we shouldn't be trying to increase turnout (the ones who stay home in the first place are stupid) or make voting mandatory. Instead, in what is truly (a welcome) anti-democratic effort, he suggests that if immigrants must take a test to become citizens (and thus vote) why shouldn't we subject native-born citizens to such a test? Obviously it wouldn't go over too well in much of the US - Democrats and Republicans alike would scream bloody murder. Such distinctions within the electorate were quickly destroyed in the earliest days of the US; I doubt they'll make a return in the "enlightened" modern era. But he does breach a subject that has been wholly untouched by the recent immigration debate; namely changing the qualifications of citizenship so that one does not become a citizen automatically by being born here. In that the US is relatively alone in the West, and while it might give us warm fuzzy feelings inside, it also creates plenty of ingrates - both of native and immigrant stock. Maybe it's time to start talking about this?

Sharia Is Just Like Western Law

So say the Saudis...except of course for things like this:

Claims must be proven and substantiated by two male witnesses, preferably Muslim, or one male witness and two females, or one male and the oath of the claimant.

Render that mathematically: 2 women = 1 man.

Why are liberals opposed to crushing al Qaeda?

Koran In Toilet = Hate Crime

Last year, a senior at Pace University allegedly tossed a Koran in a campus toilet on two separate occasions (so two Korans, two toilets); he's now charged with a pair of felonies for those actions (I believe on the grounds that what he did was "hate speech"). I saw the story the other day, didn't have time to blog about it. Thankfully Rick Moran over at Right Wing Nut House has more time than I do. Read it and be shocked, and then spread the word. And to think Congress just expanded the definition of hate crimes...