by Bruce Thornton
Frontpage Magazine
Last week’s poll numbers seemingly confirmed the doubts about democracy’s viability expressed in last week’s column. After a barrage of outrageous smears fired off by the Obama campaign, which accused Romney of killing a woman with cancer and failing to pay any income tax, Obama is leading Romney by 7-9 points. Continue reading “What the Ryan Choice Means for November”
by Victor Davis Hanson
PJ Media
I confess this is the first time in my life I will break the old Hellenic rule: ton tethnvêkota mê kakologein(speak no ill of the dead). That Gore Vidal was a cruel person is no excuse for not refraining from criticism after his recent death, but here I sin nonetheless. Continue reading “Remembering the Dead, from Selma”
by Victor Davis Hanson
National Review Online
Barack Obama, both substantively and symbolically, ran in 2008 as a much-needed healer. He was to bring the nation together as never before — a vow taken to heart by millions of voters of all backgrounds who ensured Obama’s 2008 victory. Continue reading “Barack the Healer”
by Victor Davis Hanson
NRO’s The Corner
In open worries that the EU disaster may spread to the US and thereby endanger the reelection of Barack Obama, campaign consultant Bob Shrum recently wrote: Continue reading “‘Germany May Destroy Europe for the Third Time’–Really?”
by Victor Davis Hanson
Tribune Media Services
The recent indecisive Greek elections could be summed up by two general themes: Greeks want to stay in, and expect help from, the Eurozone. But they still do not want to take the necessary medicine to stop borrowing billions of euros from northern Europeans, who want a radical Greek reform of the tax code, deregulation of labor laws, fiscal discipline, massive cuts in bureaucracy, and greater transparency — all unlikely given Greek history and contemporary culture. Continue reading “Greece Alone and Broke–Again”
by Bruce S. Thornton
Defining Ideas
“To read the Latin & Greek authors in their original,” Thomas Jefferson once wrote, “is a sublime luxury.” Fortunately, for those who don’t read Greek and Latin, the great works of Classical literature are available in first-rate translations. The following five classics are some of the best works from the astonishing variety and brilliance of Greek and Roman literature. Continue reading “A Summer With Virgil”
by Victor Davis Hanson
National Review Online
Who would not prefer “growth” to “austerity”? That is the false dichotomy that insolvent Western governments, both here and abroad, are now constructing. After all, everyone prefers growing things to starving them. Yet in truth, there is no such clear-cut choice. Continue reading “‘Austerity’ versus ‘Growth’”
by Bruce S. Thornton
FrontPage Magazine
Traveling through Europe can obscure the looming crisis threatening the continent. Visiting the medieval villages of Alsace, the castles on the Rhine, or the magnificent cathedrals in Basel or Cologne, it’s easy to forget that Europe is on the brink of disaster. But these days even EUrophiles are sounding apocalyptic. Continue reading “Don’t Let America Imitate a Burning EU”
by Victor Davis Hanson
PJ Media
Editor’s note: Recently, VDH led a group on a tour of the Rhine and wrote these thoughts.
Rhine Watching Continue reading “Thoughts on the Rhine”
by Victor Davis Hanson
PJ Media
Cologne, Germany
I’m still in Germany, and keep noticing a predictable, but continually interesting, pattern in talking to Germans of all walks of life — tourists, hoteliers, guides, drivers, casual bystanders, or students. When Greece comes up (or rather is brought up by Americans), there is a noticeable tension. Continue reading “The Limits of German Patience”