My point was that recent Democratic administrations always welcome to Washington a fleet of eccentrics that are not to be believed. Both the Carter and the Clinton administrations were abundant with such characters, a woman who talked to...]]> Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:00:00 -0700 WASHINGTON -- These are vexed times. The country is at war on two fronts. Rogue states are edging towards acquiring strategic nuclear weaponry. We have been through a very serious recession from which we may not emerge into the bright morn of economic health for years. The dollar is frail. The future of national healthcare, finance, and corporate governance is in doubt. Yet that is not all. Over at the New York Times an issue that continues to torment the bien pensants is.... Well, let me quote the first sentence of a front-page tocsin that began the controversy on October 25: "Does the White House feel like a frat...]]> Thu, 27 Aug 2009 22:00:00 -0700 WASHINGTON -- According to the Gallup Poll, the Prophet Obama's job approval is now at its lowest since his coronation. It began at 70%. Now it is at 51%. Equally glum, his disapproval rating has climbed from 11% to 42%. So what about his golf game up there at Martha's Vineyard? From all I have been able to ascertain it is mediocre. In other words, Mr. Obama, you are no Dan Quayle. Vice President Quayle was a really superb golfer. Moreover, he ran a competent staff. Naturally it was smaller than Mr. Obama's, but it was competently run.

My belief, based on reports in the news and from my private network of seasoned agents and provocateurs, is that this White House is a carrousel of...]]> Thu, 13 Aug 2009 22:00:00 -0700 WASHINGTON -- Allow me a word of encouragement to our president. Mr. Obama, you are doing just fine. You wanted to set a new tone in Washington, and you have. You wanted an open debate on healthcare, and you have it. Admittedly, the tone is astoundingly rancorous, and not incidentally your approval ratings continue to decline. Then too, support for your healthcare reform is dropping, especially among independents. Yet I believe you can take heart. You have roused the interest of the American people in you, the Democratic Party, the Congress, and healthcare. That is good news, at least for us conservatives. Again, you are doing fine. Ever larger numbers of Americans are alarmed by you,...]]> Thu, 25 Jun 2009 22:00:00 -0700 WASHINGTON -- The anti-government protests in Iran following the government's rigged elections are doubtless a little more than the "robust debate" among Iranians that President Barack Obama welcomed during the election. Some of the debaters have been shot dead. Others have been hustled off to jail. I wonder if this is an eye-opener for our novice president.

Conservatives have objected to his Laodicean calm in the first days of the bloodshed. He fastidiously refused to take sides. Only by the weekend did he come to his wits and call "on the Iranian government to stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people." After that the bloodshed got worse. On Tuesday he expressed...]]> Thu, 18 Jun 2009 22:00:00 -0700 Wed, 15 Apr 2009 22:00:00 -0700 Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:00:00 -0800 Wed, 17 Sep 2008 22:00:00 -0700 Wed, 21 May 2008 22:00:00 -0700