Monday, February 11. 2008
Re Enron and Sarbanes-Oxley, from Criminalizing Capitalism in City Journal: ... in the end, Sarbanes-Oxley has just made it easier for ambitious government attorneys to criminalize bad business judgment and complex accounting in hindsight. Further, in their focus on strengthening legal enforcement, the feds have passed up opportunities to create commonsense protections for investors. Worse still, the government has instilled investors with false confidence by implying that they can rely on prosecutors, not prudence, to protect their market holdings. Now the housing and mortgage meltdown—which could hurt the economy far more than Enron did—is reminding investors that no law or regulation can protect them from economic disruption. Politicians and business pundits saw Enron’s collapse as an unprecedented market failure that cried out for a new remedy. Hadn’t the country’s best stock analysts believed the Enron “story”—permanently high growth through dazzling innovation? Hadn’t the nation’s bond-rating agencies awarded Enron a rating implying that prudent investors could lend to the doomed company? Hadn’t Enron’s “independent” auditors and outside counsel signed off on its crazy financial statements? And hadn’t Enron employees who had invested heavily in company stock seen their life savings evaporate? Yet Enron was actually an example of how markets work—messily, sometimes tardily, but in the end with ruthless efficiency. Even as most Wall Street analysts bought Enron’s sales pitch and accepted its financial statements, investors slashed the value of the company’s shares in half—far surpassing declines in the broader market—during the year before the accounting scandal broke. Investors had begun to withhold money before the government launched investigations. When Enron declared bankruptcy in December 2001, the regulators were left only to certify the market’s verdict. Those investors and lenders who hadn’t scrutinized the company lost money, as they should have. Though Enron didn’t signal a market failure, it was a business failure, of course.
 How about a "reasonable ban on free speech"? Bush admin supports "reasonable bans" on guns.
Speaking of speech, keep your mouth shut at the China Olympics. As with Hillary, do not mock the Leaders. How aging liberals "think." The guy is a racist and a dope. (h/t, Am. thinker) You are what you spend. NYT Captured diary: Al Qaida in Iraq on its last legs. In the meantime, they are making themselves unwelcome in Paki too. Maybe Chimphitler Bush is onto something. Westminster Dog show today and tomorrow. Alas, they do not do hunt trials. Who predicted this? With the Hillary campaign taking body blows and clearly in disarray, she is banking on the party insiders to pull it out for her. However, that would not look good. (TNR actually claims Clintons plan to steal the nomination.) Even Frank Rich and John Cole are tiring of the aging Clinton machine, and it occurred to me today that the "change" mantra of Obama was really first directed at the Clintons - while not appearing to be. Very clever. As VA Gov. Wilder said yesterday, "They have had their time." Whose side are they (the press) on? Am Thinker More on the "curious affinity of the Left with Islamism." "Why are Democrats so bitterly divided along gender and racial lines?" The answer, of course, is that that is what Marxist-Gramscian thought suggests as a tactic. When government controls the purse strings, they make the decisions (for the good of "all," of course - which doesn't mean you. Who makes the life and death decisions in socialized medicine? Flat out lies at the LA Times. More on the coming global cooling crisis. It's as cold as hell up here. We know you don't need us to monitor Insty for you, but sometimes we can't help ourselves (he keeps getting better and better - does he really have a day job?): I'M SURE THIS WILL PROVE ENTIRELY UNCONTROVERSIAL: "In a major policy shift aimed at reducing a ballooning immigration backlog, the Department of Homeland Security is preparing to grant permanent residency to tens of thousands of applicants before the FBI completes a required background check."
Sunday, February 10. 2008
 The 35 things you should not do on a job interview. h/t, Wall Street Fighter
You might not want to send your kid to Bryn Mawr. It's not your Mom's, or your Granny's, Bryn Mawr. The end of the Polaroid. Nikon is giving up on 35 mm, too. It's creative destruction at work. Bolton on McCain (with video). It makes Tammy happy. Who in Congress supports the DC gun ban, and who opposes. Mark Steyn at CPAC (video). Oh, man. Tears again! Maybe the polls show it works. Blame anybody but Heath Ledger. Maybe the word hasn't gotten out yet that drug abuse is bad for you.
Saturday, February 9. 2008
 Photo: the famous Mark 1 Vickers took a licking and kept on ticking
Dick Cavett remembers Bobby Fischer Spinning a failure tale in Afghanistan. It's the elections, stupid. Obama's church. I once quit a UCC church something like that one. Did you make some money? Go away. But what if I made it on Powerball? Speaking of which, why is CEO pay sometimes astronomical? Megan McArdle. Personally, I do not care what they make, although there is a touch of envy for Michael Eisner's income...and also for Roger Clemens' and Bill Clinton's and for that matter, Barack Obama's. Our government is buying carbon offsets with our money. How wrong is that? Neil Young: "Music can't change the world." A slow learner. Biofuels are worse polluters than gasoline. Who cares? Excellent example of how the Clintons control reporting. They threaten you with lack of access. More from Jules How does West Point build a class of cadets? And how does Berkeley build a world of moonbats? Hating America: Still trendy. My feeling is that it's so yesterday. Larry Kudlow makes the case for McCain Re environmental problems, the authors of a new book state (h/t, Insty): [T]he authors conclude that an authoritarian form of government is necessary, but this will be governance by experts and not by those who seek power.
Of course not. Experts don't even like power, do they? I cannot believe American citizens said that seriously.
Friday, February 8. 2008
 Thoughts about John McCain. As somebody said on the radio, "I would crawl over broken glass to vote for McCain over Hillary Clinton." McCain is not a Conservative ideologue, but he is a Conservative. When it comes to immigration law, I see no Liberal-Conservative ideology issue at the heart of it; only a Dem-Repub issue. When it comes to McCain-Feingold, McCain was way wrong on the spirit and word of the Constitution. His CPAC speech yesterday is here. You might term it pandering, but McCain isn't much of a panderer.
Are we heading into a cooling phase? h/t, Insty McCain-Palin? Ace Anna Schwartz: There is no recession, just a slowdown. Society expects perfect medicine. "Society" is a spoiled brat. Englishman not happy with his Archbishop. Also, Roger K: Who will rid us of this troublesome priest? Boring but important, and it involves a heck of a lot of our money: Farm policy Surber: "If she runs health care like she runs her campaign, better become a millionaire if you want to see a doctor." I strongly suggest that you read the essay by Robert George linked in the preceding QQQ post. Romney's speech dumped on France, and righly so. h/t, No Pasaran. A quote: "Europe is facing a demographic disaster," he said. "That's the inevitable product of weakened faith in the Creator, failed families, disrespect for the sanctity of human life, and eroded morality." Romney said if the United States did not change course "we could become the France of the 21st century."
I hope we have not heard the last from Mitt.
Thursday, February 7. 2008
 Retiring from the field with dignity. What Mitt could have done differently: Halprin. A good man. By the way, McCain's CPAC speech today was good, whether you believe him or not, he said all the right things.
Moslem tennis star in trouble. They don't like her legs, but they look fine to me. Archbishop Moonbat: "..Dr Williams says the argument that "there's one law for everybody… I think that's a bit of a danger". Blue Crab. Where do churches find such spineless wimps who will only stand up for suicide? The Archbishop should refresh his memory on Sharia. Bobby the Jew? Look at the names of these goombas. Warming is good. Coyote. Speaking of Moslem women, the CharmingBurkha breaks no Koranic rules Will pharmaceuticals make a more-authentic you? LaShawn takes a look at Bartlett's Wrong on Race Exxon's taxes. Exxon paid more taxes than the bottom 50% of American taxpayers. Of course, that tax $ they paid came out of my 401K, didn't it? So, really, I paid Exxon's taxes because it's a public company. "What is it about business success that turns so many retired executives into socialists?" View from 1776 Tim Blair's recovery update Even the NYT is beginning to print some global warming hysteria doubts What's the future of AOL? Does anyone care? Is there a human right not to be offended? The very notion offends me, deeply. "How I learned to stop worrying and to love John McCain" Sissy
From Kohlmeyer's Why American Evangelicals are the West's Last Hope. He quotes Belien: In Europe a secularized post-Christian culture is facing a Muslim one. The secularized culture is hedonist and values only its present life, because it does not believe in an afterlife. This is why it will surrender when threatened with death because life is the only thing it has to lose. This is why it will accept submission without fighting for its freedom. Nobody fights for the flag of hedonism, not even the hedonists themselves.
Also: Appeasement, accommodation and outright defeatism overwhelmingly characterize the conduct of western countries in the face of Islamic resurgence. Many of them are so hapless that they are even turning against those who would protect them; several EU states have initiated legal proceedings against American agencies for capturing and removing terrorists from their midst. Last year, for example, a German court issued an arrest warrant for thirteen CIA agents involved in the capture and interrogation of a terrorist suspect that took place in Macedonia. The man, one Khaled al-Masri, is a German national of Lebanese descent. In an almost surreal twist, al-Masri's lawyers in a press conference referred to the agents as ‘suspects.'
Coldest January in 15 years. Do you have a "work spouse"? It's a common phenomenon. The bad guys in Iraq are on the run. What do you owe your kids? How to prepare for Basic Cadet Training at West Point Why don't Jews like the Christians who like them? James Q. Wilson notes that evangelicals are strong supporters of Israel, while mainline Protestant churches tend to oppose it. Will immigration be an issue in the fall elections? Tiger The internet cable cuts in the ME. (h/t, Pajamas) If I were paranoid, I'd wonder about all of this. Shut up and sing direct: Lorin Maazel has some odd things to say about the NY Philharmonic's trip to North Korea The three factions of the Repub Party Election stuff, and McCain Derangement Syndrome update (McCain has won - it's over): - Obama takes the lead in delegate count - Hillary should be worried - Jim Miller notes that there was no laughter after these lines of Obama on Super Tues: We have to choose between change and more of the same. We have to choose between looking backwards and looking forwards. We have to choose between our future and our past.
- NY Post claims John will make a Left turn - Dobson throws a tantrum - Kurtz: Staying home is not an option. Further thoughts from Bill Kristol
Wednesday, February 6. 2008
Election time is Silly Season. Happened to hear Rush while doing a quick errand today. Rush re McCain: "They are trying to run us out of the Republican Party." Rush is usually right about things, but this proves to me that he has MDS bad. It's nice, in a way, to see that he is imperfect in his insights. My comments for Rush: 1. Who is "they"? "They" are Republican voters, like me. There is no vast anti-conservative conspiracy.
2. "run us out"? That's crazy. I voted for McCain, but I am much more conservative than McCain, and I have no wish to run anybody out. I just voted for the guy who I think can win, and who will put sane folks on the courts and benches.
3. The "Republican Party." The GOP, as we have said before, is not owned by Conservatives. There are times when I wish it were, but a diversity of opinion is a healthy thing, overall. People need to get a grip. One more point: I do not think people vote simply on proposed policies and positions. If they did, you could run position papers for office. Sometimes they vote simply for who they "like" or trust as a person. How people vote is often complex, but they own their vote, and can do with it whatever the heck they want. It's silly to blame them and it is silly to blame McCain, because no-one is forced to vote for him. Addendum: Wizbang on why to get behind the peoples' choice
...but I have a conscience and would not be comfortable participating in a scam like the Climate Change Industry. Climate lawyers charging $700/hr.
McCain? I have a few major disagreements with him, but far more major disagreements with the Dems. When it comes to the folks, like Rush and some bloggers, who are mad at McCain: don't blame McCain - blame the Repubs who seem to have selected him. Are they stupid? Also, VDH has some thoughts. If I had had a slave, maybe I could feel badly Feelings of fraudulence. Not necessarily neurotic: often justified. NYT What's with Scientology? David Thompson Another example of how light rail makes no economic sense. Coyote Putting out public feelers. Clinton-Obama? Speaking of which, I guess politics and religion do go together after all - if it's Dem politics. Obama's appeal. via Drezner. He does smoke cigarettes, which is in his favor. Thomas Sowell's new book. Interview via Betsy Inequities in medical insurance. From a piece in the WSJ: The core problem is that people who get insurance through their employers pay no income or payroll taxes on the value of the benefit. The Treasury defines this as a "tax expenditure," meaning it's revenue the government forgoes to encourage certain behavior. If these losses were converted to the equivalent of direct spending, the tax exemption would have cost more than $208 billion in 2006. The only federal programs that cost more are Social Security, Medicare and national defense. But all that money props up only employer-provided insurance. Individuals who buy policies don't get any tax breaks and pay with after-tax dollars.
Tuesday, February 5. 2008
 Would you want to try to run against Obama? Am. Spectator
Forced neutering of dogs? Why? Vanderleun goes to the heart of the problem of the McCain-hating syndrome. The internal contradiction of liberal society - tolerance of the un-liberal. Powerline Another view: Old age sex is disgusting, say Docs. Earn more, work less. A government job. Sorry, Al. Sea ice back to normal. Whatever "normal" is. What would Dem penalties be for not buying medical insurance? Death? The real story about the Sandy Berger burglaries. It is beyond me why he was not criminally prosecuted. Thanks for the help, Germany. Polygamy now legal in England. Think about what Henry Vlll might have enjoyed. A Wonder Bread national security plan. RWNH War and Love. From AVI on war fatigue: A human being can only remain in love 12-18 months. If you're still together after that, it is because you have built something more permanent along the way. It's a good thing, too. Imagine how tiring it would be to have twenty years of "I wonder if she is thinking of me right now, right this minute...if I don't see her as we pass at lunch it will ruin my whole afternoon..." There is apparently a brain fatigue which sets in. The level of excitement which being in love generates is unsustainable. The mind adapts, as it does to anything else, to a new normal. A fever pitch of excitement cannot be maintained indefinitely.
Image via Kentucky's Slower Pace
Monday, February 4. 2008
From a piece at Mr. Free Market on the BBC: 
Here come the tears again. Is there a primary election anywhere, soon? Oh, tomorrow? Well, it seemed to work for her in New Hampshire. This is just one day after this sensitive, caring person was caught using push-polling against Obama in California.
Steyn revisits his 1998 review of The Ice Storm Looking forward to this year's spaghetti harvest. Rove: No Imminent Demise of the Repubs Iran endorses Obama The Race, Class and Gender Campaign. VDH Did you miss yesterday's Carnival of the Insanities? Hillary caught again. Her push polls in Calif. Apparently utterly incapable of playing by rules. Does she think she is Queen Elizabeth l ? Also, Hillary in Love What is really killing newspapers? Rogue Columnist (h/t, Businesspundit) “We shall abandon them in the mountains! We shall abandon them in the cities! We shall run like frightened children! Out of my way, I’m trying to surrender!” Jules Few want Bill back in White House US Out of Berkeley Now! Michelle John H on compulsory medical insurance: There is an analogy between the compulsory aspects of the candidates' health care proposals and Social Security. A young man or woman would be crazy to participate in the Social Security system if he or she had any choice. If anyone saved 12.4% of his earnings over a lifetime, he would not only have far more money in retirement than Social Security can provide, it would, equally important, be his money, to invest and dispose of as he sees fit. But the government needs young people's money to support their grandparents' retirements, so Social Security is forced upon them. The same thing, in essence, will happen with health care if any comprehensive "reform" plan is adopted.
Sunday, February 3. 2008
 The Manned Cloud. (h/t, Theo.) Image on right of what it will look like.
Banned at Stanford. (h/t, Minding the Campus) It begins: The wind of freedom blows, our university motto declares, but perhaps only until someone gets offended. A three-month investigation by the Stanford Review has discovered that university organizations declined to invite two high-profile intellectuals—Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, before his inauguration as Pope Benedict XVI—after consultation with faculty and students who objected to their views.
Muslims' demands for religious exemptions. Volokh believes that many of them are in the American tradition. Beet. A satiric look at an awful college. Jonathan Last on the role of Iraq in the elections. Front Page "Secure yourself a place in the belly of a green bird roosting on a chandelier danging from the Throne of Paradise, ladies." Bainbridge: Hillary as a guilty pleasure? GOP needs Dems to win. Dilulio. Yes, they do. Reagan knew how to inspire almost everybody with hope and optimism. The patio heater crisis. A family of Polar Bears dies each time you turn one on. Ouch. Poll says "Hillary will do anything."
Saturday, February 2. 2008
Guns to buy now, in case the Dems take over. Kim. Related: Confed. Yank wants advice on a carry gun. Related: W. VA. considering teaching gun handling to schoolkids. That is my America. How dare you believe that your religion is true. Fides Dr. Krauthammer psychoanalyzes Bill Clinton Britney Spears, c. 1942 Volker supports Obama? What? Do not teach kids national pride. Final word on the Swift Boat guys. Powerline Yet another Clinton money scandal. Tim Blair is back from his cancer surgery. That was quick.
Friday, February 1. 2008
 Hillary claims she can control her husband. Which I doubt very much. (Are they really married anyway, except in name?) Meanwhile, from Bill: We must slow our economy to stop global warming. That's done. Next problem? However, that quote was unfairly taken out of context. And, from Betsy, Washington never liked the Clintons.
Germany's nude airline. No thank you. Organic foods: A scam Nacreous clouds. Cool, and a sign of a cold upper atmosphere. We have warned against global cooling many times here, and I think it is beginning...we're all gonna freeze. Grim economic hardship in America Production function and government-run anything. S&M Safety helmets for rodeo cowboys? Quote from Right Thinking: Pew has some research about the issue that matter to Republicans and Democrats, highlighted by the 38 point gap in how important it is for the government to insure the uninsured. What struck me about the poll was the stark difference in philosophy. The Democrats overwhelming (60% or more) think the government should deal with global warming, improve jobs, reduce health care costs, deal with poverty, protect the environment, secure medicare, improve education, reduce crime, reduce the deficit, secure social security, deal with energy, strengthen the economy and defend against terrorism. That’s quite a laundry list. I’m surprised they don’t wnat the government to advise them on fashion. Never mind that not only has government proved inadequate to deal with most of these problems (apart from crime), it’s frequently made them worse. By contrast, the majority of Republicans only think the government should strengthen the military, strengthen the economy, deal with immigration and secure social security. Slim majorities unfortunately also favor dealing with “moral breakdown”, energy problems, improving education and reducing health care costs. It’s not that I don’t care about those things as well. it’s just that the governments record on all those issues is so dreadful.
Quoted from Strata (h/t, Winds of Change): ... the American people are leading the surge away from the hyper-partisans and the muck-raking, purity wars. Not only were the parties raging against each other - they had turned on the moderate middle and attacked with visceral hate towards anyone who could ’sell out’ and reach compromise. And of course the support for both sides of the aisle tanked as each end of the spectrum tried to see who could denigrate the midstream voters the most.
Excellent advice for Romney, from View from the Right: I saw most of the debate Wednesday evening. McCain’s meanness, egotism, and nastiness, so unsuited for a president (though perhaps some people see it as toughness), were again apparent, and Romney again showed himself an all-round better human being. But that’s not enough. If Romney is going to stage a major rally in the next week, which he must do to stay alive in this race, he has got to express two qualities he has so far not expressed. First, he has got to show the will to lead, and I don’t just mean generic executive abilities, which are manifest in Romney, but the will and toughness to be the leader of the U.S. Second, he has got to show a killer instinct, the ability to convey an attitude of (excuse the vulgarity) “ef you” to opponents and enemies. Bush demonstrated that quality against McCain in South Carolina in 2000, and it saved his candidacy. Romney hasn’t yet demonstrated it against McCain in 2008. Instead, he comes across as a nice businessman type, not as someone with the quality of controlled anger (Reagan had that quality), someone capable of coldly sticking in the knife when necessary.
Photo: John McCain, from Dr. X. Reader H reminds us that 40 years ago, McCain was enduring daily torture in the Hanoi Hilton.
Thursday, January 31. 2008
From Dr. Sanity's How Smart are Democrats? Personally, I do not think Democrats are stupid. Often in error about the realities of life, and often not viewing liberty as our most precious inheritance -but not stupid in an IQ sense.
 Good point about modern political rhetoric. Neoneo
The McCain fan vs. Romney fan kerfuffle: Insty, Donald Douglas, Viking. Hewitt wonders whether McCain is the next Bob Dole: apparently he did not impress in the debate last night. Banned: Hillary the Movie, thanks to McCain-Feingold. The Woodpecker Boom, gone bust: good photo essay in the NYT Obama: Clintons are a step backwards. Hawaii forgets about the First Amendment. Thank God for the Bill of Rights (which the Founders felt unnecessary because freedom under limited central government was assumed, having been the entire reason for their war). A Baghdad Hospital: Inside the Red Zone. Video Run, Ralph, run! Add some humor to 2008. Greenspan doubts that the Fed can prevent global recession. Economies are truly global now. The Kindle e-book. Will it catch fire? Our Opie knows somebody who loves the thing. Republicans not wanted at poetry readings. Taranto Insty writes a long one about the subprimes, which begins: SO I'M WATCHING MCCAIN TALK ABOUT THE SUBPRIME CRISIS, and how there may be some "greedy people on Wall Street who need to go to jail." But I heard a typically sad-toned NPR story on subprimes tonight, and despite their best efforts to evoke the Joads it was a story of people who "used their houses like ATMs," taking out home equity loan after home equity loan when they started with a subprime mortgage, only to wind up owing far more than their houses were worth and unable to make the payments. Boo hoo. Shouldn't there be a price for being an idiot? And -- despite not being on Wall Street -- a greedy idiot? Why does McCain want to bail these people out? Why does he want to put Wall Street people in jail?
Hinderaker on politicians vs. businessmen: Businessmen, in my experience, are generally more idealistic than politicians. Businessmen really do make deals with a handshake. No one would dream of doing that with Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi or the Clintons. Turning a businessman loose in the political world is basically a mismatch. That's the sense I get of McCain's reaction to having Romney as his last serious rival. He can't believe his good fortune; Romney is an amateur. McCain can poke him in the eye, knee him in the groin, and the rule-following businessman has no idea how to respond. I don't view this as an argument in Romney's favor. As President, he wouldn't be dealing with honorable, law-abiding businesspeople. He would be going up against the Vladimir Putins, Osama bin Ladens and Harry Reids of the world. This is not a game for amateurs. I think we should recognize that professional politicians bring important experience and skills to the table, and that one of those skills is the ability to knee an opponent in the groin and get away with it. It's not pretty. But, compared to politics, business is beanbag, and politics is the game the Republican nominee will have to play.
Wednesday, January 30. 2008
 Gaza: The New Media Math. SDA. Also, how Gazans and Egyptians do business. Also, from SC&A, the purposeful failure to build a middle class among the Palestinians (whence the image on right).
The Muslims of Nashville. Who knew? The GOP plans for medical care. Sesame Street needs warnings? Hands off my lightbulbs! A good rant. Are doctors the last people in the world to use email? The Bawer piece, First they came for the gays, re the Islamization of Europe. Beginning to wind things down in Iraq. Troops coming home. How Hillary played the newspapers for fools. Or are they simply colluding with her? Archbishop Moonbat wants laws against bad manners. Like Jules, I find Rowan Williams' speech deeply hurtful and offensive. There should be a law against that kind of talk. Can John McCain calm down the Conservatives? John Fund. And can he win their hearts? I doubt it, but, for a number of reasons, I think he is the most electable Repub after 8 years of a Repub in the White House. Surber has an excellent comment on the subject. For an example of foolish and immature petulance, try this for somebody who would rather end up with 3 more lefty Supremes for the next 20 years than to vote for McCain.
Tuesday, January 29. 2008
Doom update. Am. Digest. Repent! The end is near! Hitchens on the Clintonian history of playing the race card The NYT finally admits that the economy has been great. About those Polar Bears. EU Referendum All about The Jazz Singer A sedentary life may speed up aging. This WSJ page is a great daily read. Minivans. Insty said this: IN DEFENSE OF THE MINIVAN: "The minivan gets a bad rap in this country--it is almost universally reviled as a symbol of dweebish parenthood and mindless suburbia, a scarlet letter attached to soccer moms' chests. . . . The minivan's job is to haul people and cargo in as comfortable and efficient a manner as possible, and it fulfills that mission admirably."
How to invest in this market. Kudlow A good point, from Attack Machine, quoting Ted Kennedy: “It is time again for a new generation of leadership!”
Teddy’s been in the Senate for 45 years. Massachusetts needs a change. American needs a change, fiercely with the urgency of now!
Monday, January 28. 2008
Orwell would be proud. Steyn in the NY Sun: My favorite headline of the year so far comes from The Daily Mail in Britain: "Government Renames Islamic Terrorism As 'Anti-Islamic Activity' To Woo Muslims."
What role do biofuels play in rising food prices? CSM. Bill Clinton: Asset or liability? Media complicity with Hamas propaganda Is the FCC obsolete? What's with the French guy who lost 7 billion? "Is there a doctor in the house...who hasn't been sued?" How would China attack the US? Military Times Brit National Health: Don't treat the old or unhealthy. Bill Kristol in the NY Times sounds like our piece yesterday: Hillary’s advantage in the polls will, I suspect, erode. The erosion could be hastened by the expected endorsement of Obama by Ted Kennedy on Monday. It could be helped further along if Al Gore hops aboard the Obama bandwagon later in the week. Meanwhile, Tom Daschle, the Senate Democratic leader during most of the Clinton presidency, is actively supporting Obama. Talk to Democrats in D.C., and it’s amazing how many who know the Clintons well — many of whom worked in the Clinton administration — are eager that they not return to the White House.
And VDH: We are watching something historic—the crumbling of the Clinton façade. Its disintegration does not mean Hillary won’t be President, only that she can now be beaten when just a few months ago that was deemed impossible. Strange to say: the election is in Republican hands.
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He called for the United States to become energy secure, because "America must never be held hostage by the likes of Putin, (Venezuelan President Hugo) Chavez and (Iranian President Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad,"