Christopher Hitchens: RIP

Hitchens is — sadly — a disappearing breed of intellectual. Hitchens grew up left, moved right on several issues, and wound up belonging to no one. He was least convincing on the one issue he chose to expend most of his dogmatic effort in his final years — his atheism.

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Buckley: William F. Buckley Jr. and the Rise of American Conservatism

A review of Professor Carl Bogus' new book. Bogus, a liberal professor, is so intent on his thesis that he misrepresents Buckley's views repeatedly.

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Whither the West: Reid Buckley on The Idiocy of Assent

In his book, The Idiocy of Assent, Reid Buckley writes with a searing brilliance and anger that on occasion explodes into disgust.

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Has the Middle East Berlin Wall fallen?

Is this a cry for freedom or a cry for a new Caliphate, a longing for days long past when Arabs and Muslims ruled much of the known world?

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Remembering Joe Sobran

Joe Sobran was very much of the "republic not an empire" school and he resented, clearly, that the "paleocons" were losing influence to the "neocons."

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Ill Fares the Land: A Review

Tony Judt's latest book, Ill Fares the Land, looks forward — an attempt to dissect the problems facing the West at a time of severe economic uncertainty.

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William F. Buckley Jr. and the Conservative Future?

Athwart History: Half A Century of Polemics, Animadversions, and Illuminations is the most serious attempt since William F. Buckley's death to document in a systematic way his intellectual allegiances and his stylistic appeal.

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Health Care Hysteria

Republicans and conservatives are embarrassing themselves decrying Obama's attempts to defend the health care bill and use it for political gain.

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The Disillusionment of Garry Wills

Henry Adams, about whom Garry Wills has written at length, concluded upon observing politics up close that "power is poison." Garry Wills appears to have reached the same conclusion regarding Barack Obama.

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A Cracking of the Heart

David Horowitz's tribute to Sarah Horowitz is an act of grace, a recognition that however important his own work, it is no more important than the gifts his daughter gave to those around her who could never aspire to brilliance or success or celebrity. A review of A Cracking of the Heart.

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Words: A Personal Holiday Remembrance

My personal paean to a few great men, now lost to us, who had the capacity to think critically, to write movingly, to engage thoughtfully on the plain of ideas.

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Why They Fear Sarah Palin

If it is true you can measure the greatness of a person, by the greatness of their enemies, then Palin surely has greatness in her.

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The World of Chris Hedges

The formulaic response to America on the Left is all too familiar – we are wrong pretty much whatever we do, our culture despicable, our military ventures criminal, our economic and moral systems salvageable only by appeals to statism.

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How Reagan Won the Cold War

Ronald Reagan will go down as a critical leader at a critical time and as one of the United States' most important presidents. A review of James Mann's The Rebellion of Ronald Reaan: A History of the End of the Cold War.

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Christopher Buckley’s family chronicle

In his new book, Losing Mum and Pup, Christopher Buckley reveals in a moving way the human side of his famous father and mother, underscoring that even those known for their grace, charm and immense talents face the same challenges and limitations as the rest of us. It is also a moving tribute to his [...]

The Most Maligned President?

George W. Bush took on some of the toughest challenges in our nation's modern history — the worst attack on our shores, the worst natural disaster, the worst global economic situation in 75 years and he did it without ever whining or bashing others.

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Crossing Swords: Buckley in Perspective

William F. Buckley, Jr.  was arguably the most conspicuous intellectual lightning rod on critical political and intellectual issues for nearly three decades. The deeper you explore his life and the people with whom he conversed, debated and corresponded, the more you realize the remarkable reach of his enterprise.

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Crossing Swords: The Environmental Movement

Though William F. Buckley, Jr. was hardly a member in good standing in the environmental movement, he deserves credit for dealing with the issue seriously, if infrequently. While he was not hostile to environmental concerns, he positioned himself more in opposition to the fad of modern environmentalism than as a proponent of legitimate public policies around [...]

The Impending Defeat of John McCain

When we lose this year it will be largely because we failed to articulate in a compelling way the great enterprise for which we labor and struggle.

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The Inauthentic Man

The inauthentic man faces a difficult balancing act, for he is not only avoiding the truth, he has forgotten where he put the truth.

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Unintended Consequences: The Future War

In his new book Unintended Consequences, Peter Galbraith argues that the Iraq experiment, at least relative to Bush's stated goals, is doomed to fail.

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Orwell and Overheated Political Rhetoric

As liberal as he may be, there is no indication that Barack Obama plans to nationalize our major industries or centrally run our economy.

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Powell’s Endorsement of Obama: A Gesture

I find the General's endorsement rooted more in emotion than in the pressing issues, domestic and international, that face us as a free society.

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The Final Debate

Every Obama solution calls for centralized government power, while McCain demonstrated a pragmatic understanding of the limits of government.

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The Christopher Buckley Exodus

It hardly seems possible that William F. Buckley's son has endorsed Barack Obama.

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