The Potemkin President Disintegrates

by Bruce S. Thornton

FrontPage Magazine

After nearly four years in office, the tinsel and cardboard persona of Barack Obama is starting to fall apart. The political unifier who claimed, “There is not a liberal America and a conservative America — there is the United States of America,” has been exposed as one of the most divisive and partisan presidents of modern times. Continue reading “The Potemkin President Disintegrates”

The New American Helots

by Victor Davis Hanson

Tribune Media Services

Ancient Sparta turned its conquered neighbors into indentured serfs — half free, half slave. The resulting helot underclass produced the food of the Spartan state, freeing Sparta’s elite males to train for war and the duties of citizenship. Continue reading “The New American Helots”

Obama’s Presidency and the Pathologies of Progressivism

by Bruce S. Thornton

FrontPage Magazine

Obama’s presidency has failed miserably, but it has accomplished one thing: it has revealed for all to see the lethal pathologies of progressive ideology. This doesn’t mean progressivism will go away. Continue reading “Obama’s Presidency and the Pathologies of Progressivism”

‘Austerity’ versus ‘Growth’

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’”

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”

Secretaries Gone Wild

by Victor Davis Hanson

NRO’s The Corner

We’ve had some unusual cabinet secretaries in past administrations — Earl Butz, John Mitchell, and James Watt come to mind — but never anything quite like the present bunch. Continue reading “Secretaries Gone Wild”

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”

The Stupid Party

by Bruce S. Thronton

FrontPage Magazine

The presidency of Barack Obama has established once and for all that modern liberalism is now the stupid party. Very little of liberal thought these days represents anything fresh or new, but rather comprises what Lionel Trilling once reduced conservatism to: “irritable mental gestures which seek to resemble ideas.” Continue reading “The Stupid Party”

Change–and Some Hope

by Victor Davis Hanson

PJ Media

Rays of Sun Amid the Storm

The Rasmussen Tracking Poll recently had Romney up 50 to 42 over Obama. At this early juncture, such polls mean nothing — except as diagnostic indices of why perhaps both candidates go up and down in popularity. Continue reading “Change–and Some Hope”

All Fall Down

by Victor Davis Hanson

PJ Media

The temple of postmodern liberalism was rocked these last few weeks, as a number of supporting columns and buttresses simply crashed, leaving the entire edifice wobbling. Continue reading “All Fall Down”