National Review articles from July 2005

National Review archives from July 2005

Don't forget guns.(letters to the editor)(Letter to the Editor)
July 4, 2005... John Miller's "Matinee Mitt" (June 20) missed one important point: No one from the Republican party gets the go-ahead without the blessing of the U.S. gun lobby. Gun-owners in Massachusetts are an increasingly endangered species, as evidenced...

Being and nothingness.(letters to the editor)(Letter to the Editor)
July 4, 2005... Daniel Oliver argues that in deciding the morality of abortion we are faced with "the need to make a choice while not knowing whether the fetus is a human being" ("Deciding Abortion," May 9). He asks "how we should decide how to behave in the...

A bankrupt idea.(letters to the editor)(Letter to the Editor)
July 4, 2005... Ramesh Ponnuru's "Option Four" (June 6) made some good points, especially in advocating the equal treatment of all non-married people who share a home and are financially interdependent, whether or not their relationships are sexual. But I do...

An eleventh point.(letters to the editor)(Letter to the Editor)
July 4, 2005... Mark Krikorian's "Re: Immigration" (May 23) is excellent. His approach to the reduction of illegal immigration is entirely reasonable. I would, however, like to add one more item to his ten-point package, which I feel would further reduce the...

Actually, they do still have Nixon.(The Week)
July 4, 2005... Actually, they do still have Nixon to kick around!

President Bush pressed Congress to renew the Patriot Act.(The Week)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... President Bush pressed Congress to renew the Patriot Act. Critics of the act have frequently been hysterical, but, as Bush noted, there have been no documented abuses of the act. Many of its contested provisions--such as the one that allows...

What does it take to convince a court in Washington State that last year's gubernatorial election--"won" by Democrat Christine Gregoire by a 129-vote margin--was irredeemably flawed? Apparently, rock-solid evidence of dead people voting, felons voting, provisional votes being mishandled, and votes mysteriously appearing and disappearing is not enough.(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... What does it take to convince a court in Washington State that last year's gubernatorial election-"won" by Democrat Christine Gregoire by a 129-vote margin--was irredeemably flawed? Apparently, rock-solid evidence of dead people voting, felons...

It turns out that John Kerry and George W. Bush, Yale students of the mid-Sixties, were both solid C students.(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... It turns out that John Kerry and George W. Bush, Yale students of the mid-Sixties, were both solid C students. Kerry, class of '66, had a cumulative average of 76; Bush, class of '68, averaged about 77 (Yale switched to non-numerical grading in...

Rep. Katherine Harris earned all the right enemies in 2000, when she was serving as Florida's secretary of state and played an important role in certifying George W. Bush's victory in Florida.(The Week)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... Rep. Katherine Harris earned all the right enemies in 2000, when she was serving as Florida's secretary of state and played an important role in certifying George W. Bush's victory in Florida. By taking the responsibilities of her office...

Who is MD4Bush?(Joseph Steffen and rumors with emails)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... Who is MD4Bush? Last fall, someone using that screen name engaged Joseph Steffen in a series of private e-mails through the conservative forum Free Republic.com. MD4Bush tried to get Steffen, a Maryland state employee with ties to Gov. Bob...

(John) O'Sullivan's First Law states that all organizations that are not explicitly conservative become left-wing over time.(Amnesty International and Guantanamo Bay happenings)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... (John) O'Sullivan's First Law states that all organizations that are not explicitly conservative become left-wing over time. For redundant proof, look to Amnesty International. Its political neutrality long ago morphed into Third Worldism and...

A host of Americans, from Jimmy Carter to Sen. Joe Biden to Sen. Mel Martinez, have called for shutting down Guantanamo.(The Week ...)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... A host of Americans, from Jimmy Carter to Sen. Joe Biden to Sen. Mel Martinez, have called for shutting down Guantanamo. While they do not agree with Amnesty International that the facility is the modern Gulag, they consider it a national...

Chuck Hagel, the Republican senator from Nebraska, wants to be president.(The Week ...)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... Chuck Hagel, the Republican senator from Nebraska, wants to be president. He has already established a name for himself in the party as a de facto opponent of the Iraq war and an advocate of a soft line toward Iran. In recent weeks, he has...

"Intent upon consolidating and abusing power to further their own agenda ... people who have no shame about what they're doing ... people who have never been acquainted with the truth ... it's only our Constitution and country at stake.".(The Week ...)
July 4, 2005... "Intent upon consolidating and abusing power to further their own agenda... people who have no shame about what they're doing... people who have never been acquainted with the truth... it's only our Constitution and country at stake." Okay,...

As Congress debates the Central American Free Trade Agreement, it must decide not merely whether to advance America's economic interests, but also whether to reaffirm our decades-long commitment to Central American democracy.(The Week ...)
July 4, 2005... As Congress debates the Central American Free Trade Agreement, it must decide not merely whether to advance America's economic interests, but also whether to reaffirm our decades-long commitment to Central American democracy. CAFTA would...

Homeless no more?
July 4, 2005... A recent Gallup Poll found that "nearly two-thirds of Americans are concerned about hunger and homelessness in the nation." Such widespread unease has the attention of public officials from city mayors up to the president, and they are lining...

It's hard to imagine that President Bush could have made a better choice for chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission than Chris Cox, the former securities lawyer and market-oriented congressman from California.(The Week ...)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... It's hard to imagine that President Bush could have made a better choice for chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission than Chris Cox, the former securities lawyer and market-oriented congressman from California. Bush's first two...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently signed an executive order committing California to the world's most ambitious program for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.(The Week ...)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently signed an executive order committing California to the world's most ambitious program for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. Shortly thereafter, President Bush came under fire when the New York Times reported...

The FBI arrested a father and his 22-year-old son when the latter admitted--after both had denied--that he had attended a jihadist training camp in Pakistan possibly run by al-Qaeda.(The Week ...)(Foreign Bureau Investigation)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... The FBI arrested a father and his 22-year-old son when the latter admitted--after both had denied--that he had attended a jihadist training camp in Pakistan possibly run by al-Qaeda. After the arrest, three more members of the Lodi, Calif.,...

It doesn't much matter who wins the Iranian presidential election, scheduled to take place the day after this issue goes to print.(The Week ...)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... It doesn't much matter who wins the Iranian presidential election, scheduled to take place the day after this issue goes to print. The all-powerful Guardian Council, appointed by Ayatollah Khamenei, disqualified about 1,000 potential...

Of all the changes now taking place in the Middle East, perhaps the most hopeful is the growing political presence of women, long the special victims of dictatorship and extreme Islamic culture.(The Week ...)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... Of all the changes now taking place in the Middle East, perhaps the most hopeful is the growing political presence of women, long the special victims of dictatorship and extreme Islamic culture. In Kuwait, women were recently granted full...

The Tenth Congress of the Syrian Baath party met in Damascus, threatened from three directions.(The Week ...)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... The Tenth Congress of the Syrian Baath party met in Damascus, threatened from three directions. Iraq's January elections provide a model of regional change; Lebanon's Cedar Revolution threatens Syria's satrapy and cash cow; popular discontent...

By a vote of 62-to-38 percent, Dutch voters gave the proposed European constitution a stinging nee, shortly after the French non.(The Week ...)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... By a vote of 62-to-38 percent, Dutch voters gave the proposed European constitution a stinging nee, shortly after the French non. Tony Blair, Europe's biggest British fan, called for a period of "reflection" on the document's fate, as his...

It's hard to believe that Georgia's Rose Revolution was less than two years ago, and we're cheered by what we've seen since: the Orange Revolution in Ukraine, the Purple Revolution in Iraq, the Cedar Revolution in Lebanon, the Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan.(The Week ...)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... It's hard to believe that Georgia's Rose Revolution was less than two years ago, and we're cheered by what we've seen since: the Orange Revolution in Ukraine, the Purple Revolution in Iraq, the Cedar Revolution in Lebanon, the Tulip Revolution...

Dean's Situation.(The Week ...)(Poem)
July 4, 2005... DEAN'S SITUATION When out of power like the Dems, The chairman plots the stratagems-- Wheedles the donors, sets the tone And, when required, shows backbone; The signs were there for all to see, The rude asides,...

At a meeting of the G8, the Bush administration agreed to cancel at least $40 billion in debt owed to international lenders by the world's 18 poorest countries, most of them in Africa.(The Week ...)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... At a meeting of the G8, the Bush administration agreed to cancel at least $40 billion in debt owed to international lenders by the world's 18 poorest countries, most of them in Africa. In earlier negotiations with Britain, the United States had...

China has nuclear weapons and the third-largest military budget on the planet; mounts invasion exercises directed at Taiwan.(The Week ...)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... China has nuclear weapons and the third-largest military budget on the planet; mounts invasion exercises directed at Taiwan, and fires the occasional missile as a warning shot at them; has bought into the European satellite guidance system...

When criticized for suppressing religious freedom, China's Communist rulers sometimes claim that churches in all countries are required to register with their governments.(The Week ...)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... When criticized for suppressing religious freedom, China's Communist rulers sometimes claim that churches in all countries are required to register with their governments. Meanwhile, word escapes Jilin province that 600 worshippers in...

A recent episode of the crime drama Tatort, which airs on taxpayer-funded German television and is watched by 7 million viewers, portrayed the brutal attacks of September 11 as the work of President Bush.(The Week ...)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... A recent episode of the crime drama Tatort, which airs on taxpayer-funded German television and is watched by 7 million viewers, portrayed the brutal attacks of September 11 as the work of President Bush. The story centered on a brave woman who...

George Zeliotis, a 73-year-old retired salesman from Montreal, may have brought a bit of economic freedom to Canada.(The Week ...)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... George Zeliotis, a 73-year-old retired salesman from Montreal, may have brought a bit of economic freedom to Canada. Faced with the prospect of an entire year of excruciating pain while meekly queuing for government-provided surgery, he...

Britain's Labour government has placed before Parliament a bill that will ban speech or writing "likely to stir up ... religious hatred.".(The Week ...)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... Britain's Labour government has placed before Parliament a bill that will ban speech or writing "likely to stir up... religious hatred." The maximum sentence for those found guilty of this vague, subjectively defined offense will be seven...

Those friendly English bobbies may be friendlier than you think.(The Week ...)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... Those friendly English bobbies may be friendlier than you think. One subset of them, the Gay Police Association, is hosting an event called Celebrate, at which delegates from all European Community nations will gather in London to discuss such...

In these days of frippery and idiocy on our nation's campuses it's nice to know that there remain a few genuine scholars still interested in such quaint notions as the spirit of disinterested, unpoliticized inquiry.(The Week ...)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... In these days of frippery and idiocy on our nation's campuses it's nice to know that there remain a few genuine scholars still interested in such quaint notions as the spirit of disinterested, unpoliticized inquiry. One such is William Kelso,...

The Venice Biennale, a leading showcase for avant-garde art, opened in mid-June.(The Week ...)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... The Venice Biennale, a leading showcase for avant-garde art, opened in mid-June. It has been clear for years that contemporary art must soon reach the outermost bounds of silliness, so that artists will either have to find real jobs or return...

Capital Gang is going off the air, and all our television sets will become quieter, and less interesting.(The Week ...)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... Capital Gang is going off the air, and all our television sets will become quieter, and less interesting. Robert Novak, Mark Shields, Al Hunt, Margaret Carlson, and our very own Kate O'Beirne banged away at the issues of the day, each other,...

A case for mercy.(the law )
July 4, 2005... MANY patients suffering from terrible diseases find that smoking marijuana provides them relief from their symptoms or from the side-effects of their treatment. The chief response to their plea for compassion, on the part of the drug warriors,...

The problem of Howard Dean.(politics)
July 4, 2005... As far as most Democratic politicians are concerned, what Howard Dean should do as chairman of their party is raise large sums of money to spend on their races and otherwise keep quiet. Alas for them, he is not doing either. Dean was supposed...

In from the Garage.(media watch)
July 4, 2005... WHY is the identity of Deep Throat more than a trivia question, like what happened to Judge Crater, or an item of Seventies nostalgia, like sideburns? Richard Nixon found himself embroiled in Watergate because he was Richard Nixon. Some...

notes & asides.(Letter to the Editor)
July 4, 2005... * Dear Mr. Buckley: After reading Gilbert Quezada's letter to you (N&A, May 9) wherein he discussed the word "encephalophonic," I am somewhat hesitant to call your attention to an incorrect word usage in your On the Right column (same issue),...

Are they in the army now? Cries of shortfall, exhaustion, and overstretch.(AT WAR)
July 4, 2005... FIGURES on U.S. military recruitment just released for 2005 show that the Army missed its monthly announced goal, achieving only 75 percent of its anticipated enlistments for this May. The Army National Guard and the Army Reserve also missed...

How to treat a captured terrorist: getting to the heart of an important question.(AT WAR II)
July 4, 2005... DEMANDS for closure of the U.S. detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay have been increasing ever since Amnesty International called the camps the "gulag of our times." Most of the critics argue that Guantanamo, which houses hundreds of captured...

Save Thune! The White House might be a little more sympathetic to the junior senator from South Dakota.(John Thune)
July 4, 2005... As a game of political chicken shapes up between freshman U.S. senator John Thune and the White House, the biggest casualty could be President Bush's agenda. With strong backing from the national GOP and the president, Thune defeated Tom...

Birkenstocks and stocks: 'Like everything else, investing is now politicized'.(the economy )
July 4, 2005... MOST second-graders spent the last school year struggling with multiplication tables and spelling tests. One special group from Connecticut, however, apparently conducted an analysis of corporate lending practices in developing countries. For...

Tiny Island, tiny dictator: Elba has something to teach us about tyrants and how they finish.(essay)
July 4, 2005... ELBA is a pinprick of an island off the coast of Tuscany, and very beautiful it is. The journey by ferry from Piombino on the mainland to the island's little capital of Portoferraio takes an hour. In the season, huge numbers of tourists,...

Time for the sun to rise: how a newly confident and engaged Japan would help the United States, and the world.(Cover Story)
July 4, 2005... PACIFISM has never been so silly. In an East Asia featuring both one of the world's most irrational states and a rising dictatorial power bent on changing the region's strategic balance, it is a crucial ally of the United States that labors...

Still movin' on up: the death of income mobility has been greatly exaggerated.(the economy II)
July 4, 2005... STARTING on May 13, the Wall Street Journal ran a series of four front-page stories--totaling almost 10,000 words--about what it manifestly considered a major threat to the Republic. Two days later, the New York Times launched a series of a...

The end of the federalism revolution ... if such a revolution had ever occurred.(the law)
July 4, 2005... THE Supreme Court's decision in the medical-marijuana case is being taken as the end of the "federalism revolution" that began under Chief Justice Rehnquist. The Court held that the feds could outlaw the medicinal use of marijuana, whatever...

Being Sharansky: on Russia, Israel, 'Reaganite readings'...(Natan Sharansky)
July 4, 2005... THE other day, someone asked me how old Sharansky was, and I said, "Oh, about 55." (In fact, Sharansky is 57, born in January 1948, a few months before the modern Israel.) My friend was surprised that Sharansky was so young. The ex-Soviet...

Bush's Judges.(Poem)
July 4, 2005... BUSH'S JUDGES Chris Dodd is a solon in torment. Joe Biden's abandoning hope. Both Boxer and Reid are inchoate; They can't--ain't it glorious?--cope. Like Bastogne, the 14 are holding. The doc is beginning to grin....

Help!!!!(Cartoon)
July 4, 2005... FOLLOW THE MONEY WAY AHEAD OF YOU Fred hates cats--luckily, cats don't care what people think." "DNC CHAIR HOWARD DEAN IS SPEAKING TONIGHT." "MORE REPORTS OF U.S. TROOPS USING THE TERM 'KRAUTS' HAVE HURT GERMAN FEELINGS--AND...

Transcript: Larry King Live.(the long view)(Transcript)
July 4, 2005... December 17, 2005 LARRY KING: "From Hilversum, Holland. Hello!" CALLER: "Yes, is it me?" LARRY KING: "Do you have a question for Michael Jackson, caller?" CALLER: "Yes. Yes, I do. Hello, Michael." MICHAEL JACKSON:...

The right man, if ...(The Prince of the City: Giuliani, New York, and the Genius of American Life)(Book Review)
July 4, 2005... The Prince of the City: Giuliani, New York, and the Genius of American Life, by Fred Siegel (Encounter, 408 pp., $26.95) THERE are two ways to enjoy this important and timely book. Everyone in New York who writes about politics knows Fred...

Twilight.(Forgotten Armies: The Fall of British Asia 1941-1945)(Book Review)
July 4, 2005... Forgotten Armies: The Fall of British Asia 1941-1945, by Christopher Bayly and Tim Harper (Belknap, 608 pp., $29.95) IN the predawn blackness of December 8, 1941, hours ahead of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor 3,000 miles away on the other...

William Stafford.(Poem)
July 4, 2005... WILLIAM STAFFORD He had already posed it dozens of ways, all of them graceful and quiet, and when its time came round death came politely. Bill said to Dorothy, "This was a good day," then went away all at once-- ...

Matters of life and death.(Malraux: A Life)(Book Review)
July 4, 2005... Malraux: A Life, by Olivier Todd (Knopf, 560 pp., $35) FEW men live the sort of life they imagine for themselves in the boldest daydreams of youth. Andre Malraux (1901-1976) was one of the few. Swashbuckling was his primary vocation;...

Assault on the Citadel.(Theory's Empire: An Anthology of Dissent)(Book Review)
July 4, 2005... FOR decades now, conservatives have been complaining about the failure of the academy to defend the cultural patrimony. If the university is not going to transmit to young people the highest achievements of the human mind and heart, it has...

Modern memory.(architecture)
July 4, 2005... DURING Operation Desert Storm, Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf revived the apothegm, attributed to Stalin, that "quantity has a quality all its own." The principle no doubt holds true for tanks, bombs, and troops. But memorials are another matter. ...

Blinding science.(THE STRAGGLER)
July 4, 2005... MY son and I were, I'll admit it, a little miffed at not having won either First or Second Honors at the school science fair. We did get an Honorable Mention: "Which kind of glue makes the strongest bond?" by Danny Derbyshire....

Foul Felt.(Mark Felt)
July 4, 2005... NEW YORK, JUNE 3 MARK FELT has made it clear that he wants to cash in on this whole Watergate business, and why indeed not? It was thought for some 30 years that Deep Throat did as he did to preserve the honor of his country. Perhaps that...

The Court on high.(on the right)
July 4, 2005... NEW YORK, JUNE 7 THE Supreme Court did what conservative court-watchers should welcome. It looked the California situation in the face and said: If Congress doesn't like the law, let Congress change it, but don't look to the Supreme Court...

Dems, behind closed doors.(Democrats)
July 4, 2005... NEW YORK, JUNE 10 HOWARD DEAN is great and redolent spice on the political scene. He has been rebuked by senior figures in his own party for his string of recent remarks in which he likened Republicans to poisonous snakes, never mind that...

Mitt 'n' marriage.(letters to the editor)(Letter to the Editor)
July 18, 2005... In light of John J. Miller's article on Mitt Romney ("Matinee Mitt," June 20), I believe it is appropriate to recognize that, in his capacity as head of the executive branch of Massachusetts, Romney seems to be enforcing a non-existent...

Economy-class syndrome.(letters to the editor)(Letter to the Editor)
July 18, 2005... Mark Steyn has missed the point ("Fly Me a River," June 20). The U.S. airlines do understand customer service, but they also know that people are not willing to pay for it. There has been a "noticeable decline" in cabin service because the...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
July 18, 2005... In the April 25 issue, the poem "With My God, the Smith," was attributed to Robert Mezey. It was actually written by Uri Zvi Greenberg, and translated by Mr. Mezey.

Newspapers report that the Clintons have paid all of their legal bills.(The Week)(Brief Article)
July 18, 2005... Newspapers report that the Clintons have paid all of their legal bills. Surely they should have added the words "for now."

Karl Rove, receiving an award from the Conservative party of New York, surveyed the differences between conservatives and liberals.(The Week)(Brief Article)
July 18, 2005... Karl Rove, receiving an award from the Conservative party of New York, surveyed the differences between conservatives and liberals. The "most important," he said, concerns "national security. Conservatives saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks...

"Some may believe that my remarks crossed the line," said Richard Durbin, the second-ranking Democratic leader in the Senate.(The Week)(Brief Article)
July 18, 2005... "Some may believe that my remarks crossed the line," said Richard Durbin, the second-ranking Democratic leader in the Senate. "To them, I extend my heartfelt apologies." This "apology" seems more calculated than heartfelt. It falls short of an...

John Bolton has been twisting in the wind for weeks now, but the case against his nomination has been getting weaker all the while.(The Week)(Brief Article)
July 18, 2005... John Bolton has been twisting in the wind for weeks now, but the case against his nomination has been getting weaker all the while. Democrats have lately been demanding to know more about a handful of National Security Agency intercepts. These...

Democrats want a commission to investigate Guantanamo Bay in the manner of the 9/11 commission.(The Week)(Brief Article)
July 18, 2005... Democrats want a commission to investigate Guantanamo Bay in the manner of the 9/11 commission. That commission did some worthy work. But the combination of partisan Democrats, passive Republicans, and an anti-Bush press also made the...

Edward Klein's The Truth About Hillary is so Nineties.(The Week)(Brief Article)
July 18, 2005... Edward Klein's The Truth About Hillary is so Nineties. Lesbianism, rape in Bermuda--all that's missing is Courtney Love on the soundtrack, and Tina Brown at The New Yorker. Of course, we at NR did not admire the Clintons. He was a weak charmer,...

Wal-Mart is American liberalism's favorite corporate punching bag, and the pugilists of the day are Sens. Ted Kennedy and Jon Corzine and Rep. Anthony D. Weiner.(The Week)(Brief Article)
July 18, 2005... Wal-Mart is American liberalism's favorite corporate punching bag, and the pugilists of the day are Sens. Ted Kennedy and Jon Corzine and Rep. Anthony D. Weiner. This trio has introduced a bill that would require states to report the names of...

George W. Bush is the first president to visit a nuclear-power plant since Three Mile Island, way back in 1979.(The Week)(Brief Article)
July 18, 2005... George W. Bush is the first president to visit a nuclear-power plant since Three Mile Island, way back in 1979. He would, wouldn't he?

Congress is about to miss a deadline.(The Week)(Brief Article)
July 18, 2005... Congress is about to miss a deadline. The World Trade Organization gave America until July 1 to end our export subsidies for cotton farmers. If we don't, the government of Brazil will be able to ask the WTO for permission to levy retaliatory...

During the controversy over Terri Schiavo, we argued that it was wrong deliberately to bring about the death of an innocent human being, whatever her condition.(The Week)(Brief Article)
July 18, 2005... During the controversy over Terri Schiavo, we argued that it was wrong deliberately to bring about the death of an innocent human being, whatever her condition; that it is especially wrong when there is reason to doubt that she wants to be...

The Fifth Amendment to the Constitution says that the government may take your property "for public use" so long as it provides "just compensation".(The Week)(Brief Article)
July 18, 2005... The Fifth Amendment to the Constitution says that the government may take your property "for public use" so long as it provides "just compensation." Cities routinely take land to give to private corporations. The cities claim that they are...

At the east end of Long Island stand the Hamptons, once sleepy farming and fishing hamlets, now prime real estate, containing the summer homes and playgrounds of the super-rich.(The Week)(Brief Article)
July 18, 2005... At the east end of Long Island stand the Hamptons, once sleepy farming and fishing hamlets, now prime real estate, containing the summer homes and playgrounds of the super-rich. The district also contains an 800-acre reservation for 500 or so...

What to do with the site in lower Manhattan where the World Trade Center stood?(The Week)
July 18, 2005... What to do with the site in lower Manhattan where the World Trade Center stood? Current plans are for a memorial complex including an art gallery and an International Freedom Center. The gallery--it is called the Drawing Center--already exists...

"For 60 years, my country, the United States, pursued stability at the expense of democracy in this region ... and we achieved neither.(The Week)(Brief Article)
July 18, 2005... "For 60 years, my country, the United States, pursued stability at the expense of democracy in this region... and we achieved neither. Now, we are taking a different course. We are supporting the democratic aspirations of all people." So spake...

From on high.
July 18, 2005... IN a famous scene in Mel Brooks's History of the World: Part I, Brooks plays Moses coming down from Mount Sinai. He declares, "I bring you these 15"--and then, mid-sentence, he drops one tablet, breaking it--"Ten! I bring you these Ten...

The Iraqi Baathists are hoping to return to power by provoking civil war.(The Week)(Brief Article)
July 18, 2005... The Iraqi Baathists are hoping to return to power by provoking civil war. The Syrian Baathists are following the same terroristic logic in Lebanon. Their huge political mistakes of tampering with the Lebanese constitution in order to keep their...

The majority of Iranians long ago lost confidence in their rulers.(The Week)(Brief Article)
July 18, 2005... The majority of Iranians long ago lost confidence in their rulers. Theirs is a totalitarian society, all the harsher for its theocratic trappings. They know that their Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, does nothing for liberty or...

Some Time Later.(The Week)(Poem)
July 18, 2005... SOME TIME LATER The EU seethes in disarray. The sandbox where it used to play Looks like Frankfurt in '44. Chirac--"Mother Superior" To Tony Blair--is in a snit Because the British won't remit Those cushy...

There was a certain bitter amusement in Vietnamese prime minister Phan Van Khai's call on President Bush at the White House: amusement, from seeing Communists grovel for a slice of the wealth they affect to despise; bitter, because they have enjoyed 30 years of unchecked power.(The Week)(Brief Article)
July 18, 2005... There was a certain bitter amusement in Vietnamese prime minister Phan Van Khai's call on President Bush at the White House: amusement, from seeing Communists grovel for a slice of the wealth they affect to despise; bitter, because they have...

Whether developing ballistic missiles, threatening Taiwan with truculent language, shrugging at North Korea's nuclear ambitions, or permitting the piracy of intellectual property, China's rulers do little to inspire confidence in their goodwill.(The Week)(Brief Article)
July 18, 2005... Whether developing ballistic missiles, threatening Taiwan with truculent language, shrugging at North Korea's nuclear ambitions, or permitting the piracy of intellectual property, China's rulers do little to inspire confidence in their...