Reflections on God … Man … Life
Opinions on contemporary political happenings and the workings of civil government.
Most political commentators, whether liberal or conservative, have formed a consensus about the latest State of the Union Address: it was too long and it is not going to go down in history as memorable. What we heard is what I anticipated—the same old thing we’ve heard for five years, topped off with a hubris that leaves one shaking one’s head over how anyone can come across as that arrogant. Amidst all the foolish and/or dangerous comments and ideas in… Read more »
President Obama’s approval rating continues to drop. He’s in George W. Bush territory now, with the only thing keeping him from dropping further is the fanatical loyalty of those Americans who will cling to him no matter what he does. Why has he dropped so far? If you ask him, he’ll tell you the reason is racism. In fact, he recently commented, There’s no doubt that there’s some folks who just really dislike me because they don’t like the idea… Read more »
The governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, made a rather startling statement in a radio interview recently. Speaking of the nature of the Republican party—of which he apparently claims to be an expert—he said a battle is raging within the party between moderates and extremists. He identified those “extremists” in the following words: Who are they? Are they these extreme conservatives who are right-to-life, pro-assault-weapon, anti-gay? Is that who they are? Because if that’s who they are, and they’re the… Read more »
Periodically, the American public needs to be reminded that on September 11, 2012, four Americans—including the ambassador to Libya—were murdered in Benghazi. Investigations into what happened, who was responsible for the lack of security, why the military sent no help, who was involved in the attack, etc., have been ongoing. One of the main problems with getting answers is that the Obama administration has refused to cooperate fully. Some people who were on the ground in Libya and others in… Read more »
Robert Gates is a man who has served faithfully on defense issues in administrations from Nixon to the present one. He has worked with both Republican and Democrat presidents and has built a reputation of steadfastness and integrity respected by both sides of the political world. He has now decided to let his thoughts out on what it was like to be secretary of defense for both the George W. Bush and Obama administrations. Gates’s new book, Duty: Memoirs of… Read more »
So now we have “Bridgegate.” Here are the facts—well, some of them, anyway. The George Washington Bridge, a key connector between Manhattan and New Jersey, and one of the busiest bridges in the country, had a number of its lanes closed a while back, thereby creating a massive traffic jam. The lane closures apparently were politically inspired, payback from some people who work for New Jersey governor Chris Christie for a Democrat mayor’s refusal to endorse Christie’s reelection bid. When… Read more »
The word “compromise” can give off both positive and negative vibes. Is it a good word or one to avoid? Well, the answer is “yes.” What do I mean? It depends on the particular compromise. Here’s how I try to encapsulate it in one pithy statement: A compromised principle leads to unrighteousness, but a principled compromise is a step closer to the principle’s ideal. This comes up when I teach about the Constitutional Convention. At one point, the Convention was… Read more »