Obama’s Newspeak

The meaning of works, and history itself, are malleable when it comes to our president and his record.

by Victor Davis Hanson // National Review Online 

The nightmare societies portrayed in the George Orwell novels 1984 and Animal Farm gave

AnimalFarm_1stEdus the word “Orwellian.” That adjective reflects a vast government’s efforts not just to deceive and control the people, but also to do so by reinventing the meaning of ordinary words while rewriting the past itself.

America, of all places, is becoming Orwellian. The president repeatedly reminds the American people that under his leadership, the U.S. has produced a record level of new oil and natural gas. But didn’t Obama radically curtail leases for just such new energy production on federal lands? Have the edicts on the barn wall ofAnimal Farm been changed again, with the production of new oil and gas suddenly going from bad to good?

Does anyone remember that the Affordable Care Act was sold on the premise that it would guarantee retention of existing health plans and doctors, create 4 million new jobs, and save families $2,500 a year in premiums, all while extending expanded coverage to more people at a lower cost?

Only in Orwell’s world of doublespeak could raising taxes, while the costs of millions of health plans soars, be called “affordable.” Is losing your existing plan and doctor a way of retaining them?  Continue reading “Obama’s Newspeak”

Obama’s Bluster Pulpit

The president’s saber-rattling in the Middle East makes America look weak and puts the world in danger

by Victor Davis Hanson

Defining Ideas

At the turn of the century, Teddy Roosevelt famously advised statesmen to “speak softly and carry a big stick.” Continue reading “Obama’s Bluster Pulpit”

The Baffling Logic of Barak Obama

by Victor Davis Hanson

NRO’s The Corner

When President Obama virtually ceases all new federal oil and gas leasing on public property, why would he then brag that despite his efforts, private companies on private land increased U.S. oil and gas production to new highs? Continue reading “The Baffling Logic of Barak Obama”

Bush’s Warranted Rehabilitation Will Come

by Victor Davis Hanson

NRO’s The Corner

George W. Bush’s September 14, 2001, so-called “bullhorn” speech, that he gave with his arm around fireman Bob Beckwith at Ground Zero (“I can hear you! Continue reading “Bush’s Warranted Rehabilitation Will Come”

Brave New World

by Victor Davis Hanson

PJ Media

The Revolutions We Missed

Sometimes societies just plod along, oblivious that the world is being reinvented right under their noses. In 2000, one never saw pedestrians bumping into themselves as they glued their noses to iPhones. Continue reading “Brave New World”

Iran 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0

by Victor Davis Hanson

Tribune Media Services

On the campaign trail, presidential candidate Barack Obama once called for a “reset” policy with Iran. Supposedly, the unpopularity of the Texan provocateur George W. Bush and his administration’s inability to finesse “soft power” had needlessly alienated the Iranian theocracy. Continue reading “Iran 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0”

Obama, Storyteller

by Victor Davis Hanson

National Review Online

A sign of an undisciplined mind is serial lapses into self-contradiction, or blurting out a thought only to refute it entirely on a later occasion. For a president to do that is to erode public confidence and eventually render all his public statements irrelevant. Continue reading “Obama, Storyteller”

Two, Three, Many Obamas

by Victor Davis Hanson

National Review Online

As the campaign heats up, one problem is that we continue to meet lots of different Barack Obamas — to such a degree that we don’t know which, if any, is really president. Continue reading “Two, Three, Many Obamas”

Obama’s Gay Marriage ‘Evolution’ Deception

by Bruce S. Thornton

FrontPage Magazine

In yet another act of election-year cynicism, Barack Obama has announced, “I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.” This statement follows similar pronouncements by Joe Biden and Education Secretary Arne Duncan. To hear Obama tell it, this change reflects his “evolution” away from his previously stated position, which he made clear in 2008 a few days before the election: “I believe marriage is between a man and a woman. Continue reading “Obama’s Gay Marriage ‘Evolution’ Deception”

Winning Battles, Losing Wars

by Victor Davis Hanson

PJ Media

Can We Still Win Wars?

Given that the United States fields the costliest, most sophisticated, and most lethal military in the history of civilization, that should be a silly question. Continue reading “Winning Battles, Losing Wars”