HE’S BAAACK! Wright offering fresh fodder to Obama critics. If I didn’t know better, I’d think Rev. Wright was trying to sabotage the Obama campaign.
UPDATE: Reader Kyle Bennett emails: “Why do you think you know better? What do you think would happen to Wright’s raison d’etre should this country actually elect a black man as President?”
That comment, I’m sorry to say, reveals a shocking depth of cynicism. Which is not to say he’s wrong . . . .
LAST WEEK, I MENTIONED DOUG FEITH’S NEW BOOK, War and Decision. I haven’t had time to read it yet, but here’s a very positive review from National Review, noting the important role that public documents play in Feith’s memoir. Here’s another review from the Wall Street Journal, and here’s a story on the book from NPR’s Morning Edition.
Feith has also put copies of the documents online at his website. This is a degree of disclosure that I don’t think other recent memoirs have matched.
UPDATE: Hugh Hewitt interviewed Feith last night. Here’s the transcript.
ANOTHER UPDATE: At ClioPolitical: “Now, I know that–especially among academics–Feith is considered one of the neocon Sith Lords, but I think he’s done something with his book that is, well, pretty neat. He’s created a companion website to the book on which he provides links to the 600 documents he’s cited in his work. How cool is that? Could this be a way for academics to publish serious and scholarly history and save money by putting their citations on the web?”
CHRISTINA HOFF SOMMERS: “Women have surpassed men in most areas of education, but men continue to be more numerous in fields like math, physics and engineering. For more than a decade, feminist groups have been lobbying Congress to address the problem of gender “injustice†in the laboratory. Their efforts are finally bearing fruit. Federal agencies are now poised to begin aggressive gender-equity reviews of math, science, and engineering programs. Groups like the National Organization for Women must be celebrating — but American scientists should brace themselves for the destructive tsunami headed their way.”
I want to see aggressive investigation into the shortage of male elementary school teachers. The absence of male role models damages children, especially those from impoverished female-headed homes. The usual excuses: “Men aren’t interested,” “People don’t feel comfortable having their kids around men,” etc., are just prejudice. We need to break down those walls of exclusion.
LOTS OF TRICKS FOR saving electricity at home.
MICHAEL YON’S BOOK is showing as back in stock at Amazon, in case you were waiting.
JUSTICE IN the European Union.
FROM THE MIDDLE EAST, TO THE MIDDLE EAST OF EUROPE! Michael Totten is heading to Kosovo. If you like his work, consider hitting his tipjar.
Yeah, I know, I’m saying that about a lot of folks lately. But that’s because there are a lot of folks doing good independent journalism now. That’s what you want, right?
NOT SURE WHO THIS HELPS in the Presidential Race, but it looks like California will have an anti-gay-marriage amendment on the ballot in November.
DELTA ROLLS OUT fancy seats for economy class.
UPDATE: Ann Althouse says they’re not luxury seats, they’re anti-fat-people seats.
ROGER KIMBALL: “What is it about Dartmouth College that arouses the acquisitive instinct of bureaucrats?”
ABERCROMBIE AND FITCH: “We appreciate the exposure, but can not take credit for it. So, thanks to the Obama campaign for this great product placement. We wish we had thought of it.”
UPDATE: Link was wrong before. Fixed now. Sorry!
PHOTO CONTEST: WHO’S LONELIER? Nonsmoking bingo players, or New York Times subscription salesmen?
AIRLINES VS. DHS on border security.
IN THE MAIL: Sheldon S. Wolin’s Democracy Incorporated: Managed Democracy and the Specter of Inverted Totalitarianism.
Wouldn’t “inverted totalitarianism” be sort of like the “dictatorship of the proletariat?” Apparently not.
‘TIS THE SEASON FOR SPREADING POLLEN:
Shot in my front yard, using the Nikon D300 and the Nikon 18-200 DX VR lens. I think the D300 is as far beyond my old D70 as the D70 was beyond what I had before. Which isn’t to dis the D70: I made a 20×30 print of this picture, taken with the D70, and it looks great.
UPDATE: Various readers object that this is a wasp, and wasps don’t pollinate. Yes, it is a wasp, but in fact it was pollinating up a storm, going from flower to flower. Not surprising, as wasps are actually very important pollinators.
MICKEY KAUS: “Hispanic Caucus members denounce Dem Congressional leaders as ‘spineless’ for failing to move on ‘comprehensive immigration reform.’ Spineless? Why would they need spine? I thought we’d been told that illegal-immigrant-legalization was a surefire political winner for the Dems. …”
GOOD THING IT WAS BOMBED, THEN: North Koreans taped at Syrian reactor.
BOGUS BIBLICAL ECO-QUOTES. They were probably written by Chief Seattle.
OBAMA AND MCCAIN SPLIT over the idea of a gas-tax holiday. I regard it as a campaign gimmick, pretty much, which puts me in line with Obama’s current position.
THE NEW YORK SUN: “A funny thing happened on the way to Senator Clinton’s primary win Tuesday night in Pennsylvania: her party started moving back toward reality on the war.”
More on that here.
ASK NOT WHAT YOUR CHARITY CAN DO FOR YOU: A look at the lawsuit between the Robertson family and Princeton University, which the Robertsons charge broken promises about how it would spend their large donation. “Now valued at almost $800 million, the gift represents 6% of Princeton’s endowment. The Robertsons’ gift was made in response to President Kennedy’s challenge to Ask not what your country �. . . The Robertsons claim that, consistent with the patriotic impulse that motivated the grant, funds were to be used to establish a graduate program to educate students for careers in the U.S. government.” It didn’t work out that way. Background here, though in a somewhat Princeton-sympathetic form.