News

Palin-Bashing Press Keeps Swinging and Missing
Saturday, September 06, 2008 by Jonah Goldberg "What is wrong with these people?" was the nigh-upon-universal reaction among conservatives at the GOP convention this week. Liberal reporters inquired of conservative journalists, Republican delegates, right-leaning janitors, free-market short-order cooks, even the guys walking around in elephant suits: Will Sarah Palin drop out? What about the Eagleton Option? For those who don't know, the Eagleton Option refers to Thomas Eagleton, George McGovern's first VP pick in 1972, who was forced to withdraw because allegations of mental illness.

Obama's Abortion Positon: To the Left of NARAL
Saturday, September 06, 2008 by Frank Pastore Frank Pastore from KKLA in Los Angeles interviews Jill Stanek, the former registered nurse who served at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois. She testified before Congress about the death of infants who survived the abortion procedure only to die without care, giving rise to the Born Alive Infant Protection Act. Frank Pastore: As you know Sarah Palin has five children her youngest is a child that has Down syndrome. She was diagnosed, obviously while she was still pregnant with the child, and she chose to go forward. You have got to remember that 90 percent of Down syndrome children are aborted in this country, and it brings the life question right back regarding Senator Obama and question of what was going on in Illinois, what his record was regarding partial birth abortion—what he claims. You’ll remember that he said pro-lifers were lying about his record in an interview.

Chatting with Obama
Saturday, September 06, 2008 by Bill O'Reilly Like him or not, you have to give Barack Obama credit for waging a smart, focused campaign. Destroying the Clinton machine was a major achievement, and so was putting together a successful convention in Denver. Obama is now firmly a part of U.S. history no matter what happens in the presidential election. The problem some Americans continue to have with the senator is that he is long on charisma, but short on detail. This frightens some voters. Who the heck is this guy, anyway? So, when Obama finally agreed to speak to me this week, specifics were on my mind.

Report From a Forgotten War (5th and Last in a Series)
Friday, September 05, 2008 by Oliver North KABUL, Afghanistan -- It is good to be heading home, where there are paved roads, no Russian landmines, and the man standing at the next intersection isn't going to blow himself to pieces trying to kill me, my family and my friends. At home, drinkable water comes out of a faucet, not just from a plastic bottle. Home is where meals come on plates -- not in brown plastic bags -- and we have air conditioning and fresh green vegetables and showers last as long as we want. At home, we go to work in coats and ties instead of body armor and helmets. At home, our vehicles don't have turrets, and if we drive after dark, we use headlights instead of night-vision goggles. At home, "overhead cover" is protection from the elements, not a defense from enemy rocket or mortar fire.

Incumbents for Change?
Friday, September 05, 2008 by Charles Krauthammer "There are two questions we will never have to ask ourselves, 'Who is this man?' and 'Can we trust this man with the presidency?'" -- Fred Thompson on John McCain, Sept. 2. WASHINGTON -- This was the most effective line of the entire Republican convention: a ringing affirmation of John McCain's authenticity and a not-so-subtle indictment of Barack Obama's insubstantiality. What's left of this line of argument, however, after John McCain picks Sarah Palin for vice president? Palin is an admirable and formidable woman. She has energized the Republican base and single-handedly unified the Republican convention behind McCain. She performed spectacularly in her acceptance speech. Nonetheless, the choice of Palin remains deeply problematic.

Some Empirically Proven Value in School Choice
Friday, September 05, 2008 by Paul Weyrich One of the arguments which opponents of school choice always make is that it would adversely affect the public school system. Opponents claim that the alternative schools would siphon off the best students, leaving those who remain who are the least able and the poorest and most disadvantaged students. Just as all of the rest of the arguments which opponents have made have proven false, so also has this argument. The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice and several other Ohio and national organizations have conducted a study of the public schools which have been affected by Ohio's Educational Choice Scholarship program. It turns out that the threat of competition and losing students is causing these public schools to improve their academic outcomes.

Want Real Change? Quit Nominating Lawyers!
Thursday, September 04, 2008 by Victor Davis Hanson The 2008 presidential campaign is supposed to be a referendum on "change" -- who brings it and who doesn't. Real change, however, hasn't yet proven to mean new politics. The "hope and change" Barack Obama sounds like a traditional Northern liberal who always wants to raise taxes on the upper classes and businesses, expand government services and provide more state assistance to the middle class and poor. "Maverick" John McCain talks like a conventional Western or Southern conservative in favor of spending cuts, across-the-board lower taxes and smaller government.

"Bloom where you're planted."
Thursday, September 04, 2008 by Rebecca Hagelin I don't know who said it first, but I'll never forget who said it first to me: my mother. It was an admonishment to look around me at the opportunities and needs within my grasp - and to embrace them. Her message was clear: If you bloom where you are planted, beautiful, unexpected things can happen. This is the story of Governor Sarah Palin. What makes her absolutely appealing to ordinary citizens across the country - both young and old - is that she didn't go looking for greatness somewhere "out there" - instead, she sought to make a difference in the lives of the people in her path - and in so doing, greatness found her.

The Four Stages of Conservative Female Abuse
Wednesday, September 03, 2008 by Michelle Malkin There's something about outspoken conservative women that drives the left mad. It's a peculiar pathology I've reported on for more than 15 years, both as a witness and a target. Thus, the onset of Palin Derangement Syndrome in the media, Democratic circles and the cesspools of the blogosphere came as no surprise. They just can't help themselves. Liberals hold a special animus for constituencies they deem traitors. Minorities who identify as social and economic conservatives have left the plantation and sold out their people. Women who put an "R" by their name have abandoned their ovaries and betrayed their gender. As female Republican officeholders and female conservative public figures have grown in number and visibility, so has the progression of Conservative Female Abuse. The astonishing vitriol and virulent hatred directed at GOP Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is the most severe manifestation to date.

Foreign Policy "Experience"
Wednesday, September 03, 2008 by Thomas Sowell Now that the Democrats have recovered from the shock of Governor Sarah Palin's nomination as the Republican's candidate for vice president, they have suddenly discovered that her lack of experience in general-- and foreign policy experience in particular-- is a terrible danger in someone just a heartbeat away from being President of the United States. For those who are satisfied with talking points, there is no need to go any further. But, for those who still consider substance relevant, this is an incredible argument coming from those whose presidential candidate has even less experience in public office than Sarah Palin, and none in foreign policy.