by Victor Davis Hanson
Commentary Magazine
First, some perspective is key. Romney’s “47 percent” remarks and Hurricane Sandy probably turned an Obama one-percent win into the three-percent margin that he attained — especially considering Republicans kept the House and are doing well with governorships.
Continue reading “What Is the Future of Conservatism?”
by Victor Davis Hanson
PJ Media
Most things that we read in the popular media about radical Islam are fantasies. They are promulgated in the mistaken belief that such dogmas will appease terrorists, or at least direct their ire elsewhere. But given the recent news — murdering in Algeria, war in Mali, the Syrian mess, and Libyan chaos — let us reexamine some of these more common heresies. Such a review is especially timely, given that Mr. Brennan believed[1] that jihad is largely a personal quest for spiritual perfection; Mr. Kerry believed[2] that Bashar Assad was a potentially moderating reformer; and Mr. Hagel believed[3] that Iran was not worthy of sanctions, Hezbollah was not deserving of ostracism, and Israel is equally culpable for the Middle East mess.
Continue reading “Our Old Grand Fantasies About Radical Islam”
by Victor Davis Hanson
Tribune Media Services
The horrific Newtown, Conn., mass shooting has unleashed a frenzy to pass new gun-control legislation. But the war over restricting firearms is not just between liberals and conservatives; it also pits the first two amendments to the US Constitution against each other. Continue reading “The War Between the Amendments”
Angry Reader #6 wrote: “Mr. Hanson unfolds the conservative Procrustean hide-a-bed. If a Democratic president is wealthy, he’s a hypocrite. If a Democratic president isn’t, then he’s guilt of envy and class warfare.”
VDH replied: Continue reading “Angry Reader #7: A Response to “The Liberal Aristocracy””
by Victor Davis Hanson
PJ Media
A rule of the modern age: all confident, reelected presidents trip up in the second term. LBJ was sunk by Vietnam. Reagan faced Iran-Contra. Bill Clinton had his comeuppance with Monica. George W. Bush was overwhelmed with the Iraqi insurgency and Katrina. And Obama will have his as well, obsequious media or not.
Continue reading “Second Term Reckonings”
by Victor Davis Hanson
NRO’s The Corner
Barack Obama once had a lot of insightful things to say about the debt ceiling that transcended the usual political game of voting for debt-ceiling increases when your guy was president and against when he was not — and even some things that were quite blunt if not harsh about anyone who would be so reckless as not to address balancing the budget. According to Obama, raising the debt ceiling was a sign of leadership failure (“The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure”), and a clear indication that the US was simply incapable of paying what it already owes (“It is a sign that the US government can’t pay its own bills”) — a fact that made us vulnerable to foreign pressures (“It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our government’s reckless fiscal policies”).
Continue reading “Dr. Barack and Mr. Obama on the Debt Ceiling”
by Victor Davis Hanson
NRO’s The Corner
Like many, I was confused not by General Colin Powell’s endorsements of Barack Obama, but rather his recent remarks alleging Republican extremism and racism. His barrage was internally inconsistent and ultimately made little sense at all. Such unfounded charges are out of character with his distinguished record and career. Continue reading “The Powell Tragedy”
by Victor Davis Hanson
Tribune Media Services
As a senator and presidential candidate, Barack Obama said that he detested budget deficits. In 2006, when the aggregate national debt was almost $8 trillion less than today, he blasted George W. Bush’s chronic borrowing and refused to vote for upping the debt ceiling: “Increasing America’s debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that ‘the buck stops here.'”
Continue reading “When Big Deficits Became Good”
by Victor Davis Hanson
NRO’s The Corner
The Meaning of Hagel and Brennan
Chuck Hagel and John Brennan, given their long public service, will probably be confirmed. Their appointments will have a force-multiplying effect on our new foreign policy as it pertains to the Middle East. If one were to collate their speeches and more unfortunate statements, a surprisingly similar view of the world after 9/11 emerges. Continue reading “Hagel, Brennan, and the Obama View of the Middle East”
by Victor Davis Hanson
PJ Media
What Is Hip?
America has always been a country of self-invention. Yet there used to be some correlation between the life that one lived and the life that one professed. It was hard to be a phony in the grimy reality of the coal mine, the steel mill, the south 40 acres, or atop a girder over Manhattan. Continue reading “The Hipster Façade”