Who won? Well, Obama of course. That’s not just my impression. Or yours. It’s also the view of the lads* at Election Debates where grizzled debating veterans from Australia, the USA and Scotland each awarded the palm to the Senator from Illinois. This followed Joe Biden’s 6-1 obliteration of lovely Sarah Palin. *Disclosure: yes, some
Rod uses the anniversary of the Battle of Lepanto to give Chesterton an airing. Grand stuff. But Mr Dreher also has this to say: Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Lepanto, the 1571 grand naval battle that saved Europe from Ottoman Turkish conquest. The victory — one of the greatest ever in naval
Well, campers, if it’s Wednesday you know it’s Disappointment Time. Yes, John McCain and Barack Obama are “debating” again tonight. This time in an all-holds barred “town hall” format. Can you contain your excitement? Well, for those of you who remain, despite all previous warnings to the contrary, demons for punishment, fret not we’ll be
Shockingly Tom Brokaw has rejected Bill Kristol’s internet-submitted question. Typical MSM bias. Fair play to the plucky folks at Fox however, they’re doing their best to best to suggest that Obama is less-American than a flesh-eating Muslim eskimo. Or something like that. Fred Barnes, a shit who aspires to being something more anatomical than that,
There’s plenty one could say about National Review’s blog The Corner. If nothing else it affords a grim panorama of the decline of the American conservative movement. Decline, at least, in as much as NR is considered the house magazine for mainstream Republicanism. Here, for instance, is Andrew McCarthy on last night’s debate: Now, as
Which is why blogging has been non-existent these past few days. However my new MacBook arrived half an hour ago and, all being well, we’ll be back up to speed pretty soon. *OK, I snorted liquor all over the keyboard in response to something preposterous she, or one of her cheerleaders, said. I forget which.
At Culture11 there’s some advice for the candidates before tonight’s “debate.” It’s unlikely much of it will be taken. At her own blog Kerry Howley adds this: I’ll just add that there is a massive gap between Obama’s actual rhetoric and the conservative portrayal of him as some sort of naive, starry-eyed internationalist. There is
Divided loyalties? JFK reassures voters in 1960 that they need not fear a Roman Catholic in the Oval Office.
Will it never end? In fairness, the question “What do you think is the best and worst thing Dick Cheney has done as Vice-President?” isn’t altogether fair. That is to say, one can’t expect Palin, alas, to start talking about torture. But still, did she have to say this? PALIN: Worst thing I guess that
Coffee? Check. Cigarettes? Check. Whisky? Check. Optimism? Not so much. But we’re live and uninterrupted here as we await the Brouhaha in Missourah, aka the biggest let down in Presidential sports. As always, have a pop in the comments or email me. Anyway, let’s get ready to rumble… 3.45: Oh, the CNN focus group is
An instant classic from 2004 as the Bush campaign returns to a favourite theme, first used, I think, by Nixon in 1972. Note too, whe wussy, hyper-european classical music…
It’s just like old times, ain’t it? The Sun wading in behind the Tory leader. The paper’s leader today has a headline Tory HQ would have written themselves: He’s Ready. The Sun says: DAVID Cameron finally stood up yesterday and showed what he is made of. Gone was the show pony politician. In his place
The slow drip torture is, as you would expect it to be, agonising. But here’s the latest from Katie Couric’s destruction of poor Sarah Palin. You can see why CBS kept these juicy bits back, but, christ, it’s painful to read*, let alone watch. COURIC: What other Supreme Court decisions [than Roe v. Wade] do
“In your heart, you know he’s right…” was a slogan that more or less conceded defeat. Also: the America of riots, swindles and general moral depravity, looks a lot more exciting than anything dear old Barry Goldwater offers in this 1964 ad:
As expected, David Cameron’s speech has been well received. In the Telegraph, Iain Martin says this was the moment Cameron “came out as a Conservative”. Indeed so. But amidst the sobriety and the resolution, there were moments of populist blue meat too. The BBC’s mini-focus group particularly loved this passage: For Labour there is only
Well, this is common-sense. So, obviously, don’t expect it to have an impact. A report on cannabis prepared for next year’s UN drug policy review will suggest that a “regulated market” would cause less harm than the current international prohibition. The report, which is likely to reopen the debate about cannabis laws, suggests that controls
You know what anticipation breeds, campers? That’s right, disappointment. Steel yourselves for a let-down. It’s almost inconceivable that tonight’s Brouhaha in Missourah can meet expectations. We’re not expecting a “debate” are we? We want a WWF show. Or, as the Politico boys put it: With all their potential for pitfalls and insta-classic moments, the pair
Politico’s Jonathan Martin has a telling scoop: John McCain is pulling out of Michigan, according to two Republicans, a stunning move a month away from Election Day that indicates the difficulty Republicans are having in finding blue states to put in play. McCain will go off TV in Michigan, stop dropping mail there and send
Away from the markets and in advance of tomorrow’s Vice-Presidential debate, you might enjoy this: Cruel, but fair.
A rather interesting development in Kabul. The French satirical newspaper Le Canard Enchaînė (France’s Private Eye) claims that the British Ambassador to Afghanistan, Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, has told the French that the war is lost. According to Le Canard: The British ambassador and his deputy have in turn contacted me to pass on their analysis