Peggy Noonan: Further Thoughts on The Inaugural

Some conservatives were taken back at the response from their side concerning president Bush's inaugural address. Peggy Nonnan, Bill Buckley, David Gelertner, David Frum etc. all had strong criticisms for the president. I noted Peggy's remarks last week.

Well, in response to her article in the Wall Street Journal last week, Peggy provides some additional insight in her WSJ article today:

"You know the dispute. Last week I slammed the president's inaugural address. I was not alone, but I came down hard, early and in one of the most highly read editorial pages in America.

A week later, do I stand by my views?

Yes. If I wrote it today I wouldn't be softer, but harder.

What was the biggest mistake of the speech?

They forgot context. All speeches take place within a historical context, a time and place. A good speech acknowledges context often without even mentioning it.

Bill Buckley and David Gelertner suggest the speech was badly written. Isn't that really the essential problem?

No. It was badly thought."

Read her full article here.

I'm Sure You Do

In Davos, Switzerland where the World Economic Fourm is taking place, former president Bill Clinton said that,

"most of the terrible things that Saddam Hussein did in the 1980s he did with the full, knowing support of the United States government. Because he wasn't Iran, and Iran was what it was because we got rid of their parliamentary democracy back in the '50s. At least that's my belief. I know it is not popular for an American ever to say anything like this, but I think it is true."

Yes, I'm sure you do.

Something to Think About

I'm sure many of you know that Norma McCorvey, the original "Jane Roe" on behalf of whom the Roe v. Wade case was fought, has now admitted that she was "used" by abortion-rights attorneys in their quest to legalize the procedure.

I wonder how many in the pro-choice community have seriously thought about their positions and the basis of our current abortion law? David Kupelian has written a powerful article titled, "How lying marketers sold Roe v. Wade to America." Note: the content is strong.

I would love to hear some feedback from pro-choice readers after digesting David's article.

You Won't be Disappointed

I have just come across an excellent blog written by Carol Platt Liebau. Here is a sample from a recent post on the confirmation drama of Condoleezza Rice,

The Democrats attack Condoleezza Rice without regard for the truth; next up? Alberto Gonzalez.

Yep, this is apparently their grand new strategy to hold their coalition together. Guess they're not interested in including all the Latinos or African-Americans who will resent seeing historic advances being marred by rabid partisanship at the expense of the national good.

Wow...I recommend placing her in your favorites. You won't be disappointed.

I Would Not Underestimate a Clinton

Today Hugh made a prediction concerning Hillary and the '08 election,

Oh, by the way. Hillary is running for president. Official announcement to follow in three years. Obama will be her veep pick. It will be a campaign with energy on the left beyond anything you might have thought you saw last year.

Glenn Reynolds adds, "Well, this would be in accord with the prediction that she'll be 'the most uncompromising wartime president in the history of the United States!'"

We'll see, but I would not underestimate a Clinton.

Welcome Home!

EAGLE PASS, Texas (AP) -- More than 60 years after his plane disappeared during World War II on a mission to raid a Japanese base, an Army Air Corps soldier's remains are coming home.

Welcome Home!

But Then Again

Here in South Carolina we have a another battle brewing. Again this legislative session Gov. Mark Sanford will battle the General Assembly to end popular voting of the state superintendent and the agriculture commissioner. His goal is to reduce excessive election costs and duplicative bureaucracies.

Lee Bandy of The State newspaper says, "The issue is simple and straightforward...It's a no-brainer." Hold on Lee, there are opponents on both side of the aisle who disagree with the governor's approach to reduce the cost of government. They say it's a "power grab" by the governor.

I'm sure there's more than parochial interest here, but then again...

Whew . . .

An opinion article in Newsday outlines the next 4 years of Bush's work.

George W. Bush is,

"a president of consequence and substance. He's trying to change the course of the nation's politics and its government."

"The agenda is breathtaking. Not only has Bush committed the nation to an aggressive foreign policy that will favor freedom over stability, but he also wants to privatize the Social Security system, alter the civil legal system, reduce the size of government, cut taxes permanently even in face of whopping deficits, change the immigration laws and appoint enough new justices to the Supreme Court to affect judicial policy well into the century. "

Whew . . .

Only Time Will Tell

I did not get to watch much of the event yesterday, but I did get a chance to read Glen ,Fred, Peter, Hugh and to view some of the coverage. The quotes below seem to me to be a good summary of the feelings of the 51% who voted for Bush and the 49% who did not.

Jonah Goldberg of the 51%,

...what President Bush understands now is that America itself is a radical nation, founded on the revolutionary principle that self-government is simultaneously the best form of government and the most moral. And that lovers of liberty in all parties should seek to conserve that legacy. The circumstances we face today are new, but the principles are eternal. So yes, George W. Bush is a revolutionary, but he is merely the latest in a long line of American revolutionaries.

(Late addition Thanks Kirk)

Peggy Noonan also of the 51%,

...The inaugural address itself was startling. It left me with a bad feeling, and reluctant dislike. Rhetorically, it veered from high-class boilerplate to strong and simple sentences, but it was not pedestrian. George W. Bush's second inaugural will no doubt prove historic because it carried a punch, asserting an agenda so sweeping that an observer quipped that by the end he would not have been surprised if the president had announced we were going to colonize Mars.

and

Andrew Sullivan of the 49%,

...How do you reconcile the expansion of freedom with Bush's expansion of government? How do you square domestic freedom with the curtailment of civil liberties in a war on terror? How do you proclaim that America is a force for freeing dissidents, when the government now has unprecedented powers to detain anyone suspected of terror across the globe and subject them to coercive interrogation techniques that the government will not disclose?

Only time will tell.

“A Vision of America”

C-Span is a Great place to watch the Inauguration

Inaugural Ceremony
The swearing-in ceremony takes place on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol with the president-elect being sworn-in by 12 noon on January 20.
LIVE coverage begins at 8am ET on C-SPAN

An Inaugural Celebration

President and Mrs. Bush with Vice President and Mrs. Cheney

Posted by Hello

Little to lose and few expectations to meet

Terence Samuel of U.S.News & World Report has written a good article about the mindset of the opposition party for this term. The Democrats are poised to engage in a very contentious session. I think that it a good thing. After all, they have little to lose and few expectations to meet. Read the article here.

Arnold Kling and Max Sawicky on Social Security

Interested in the ongoing debate on Social Security Reform? Take a look at THE WALL STREET JOURNAL's online ECONOBLOG, "Social Security Reforms: Necessary or Not?"

A Right? Uhh?

The AP's Elliot Spagat reports that,"Mexico will continue to press for an immigration agreement establishing a right for Mexicans to work temporarily in the United States."

A Right?

Edith M. Lederer also of the AP reports on the UN conclusion that, "Global poverty can be cut in half by 2015 and eliminated by 2025 if the world's richest countries including the United States, Japan and Germany more than double aid to the poorest countries."

Uhh?

Red vs. Blue

I'm sure you are all aware of the "blue wrist band." If not then you should read this link first. When I first noticed this story last week my reaction was, "There is a potential market of 49 million people who might want one." Not a bad target to sell to.

Hugh Hewitt's take is refreshing and as usual to the point. The blue bands will provide "the next generation of Sore-Loserman Democrats" with a way to display their contempt for President Bush. Not to be outdone, how long will it take for the "Red is for Re-Election" band?

Who Said?

Every day this week we will post a poll. You will see it at the top of the right-hand column. The question will ask which president said the statement in his inaugural address.

60%

The AP's Will Lester reported yesterday that:

• 60% of Americans say they feel hopeful about President Bush's second term.
• Public perceptions of the president's personal strengths are his biggest asset today.
• Almost two-thirds of those polled described Bush as likable, strong and intelligent.
• A majority said he is dependable and honest.
• Close behind Iraq in public concerns is the economy, which moved past terrorism as a top concern.

For such a "divided country" I guess we will take 60%. (For Now)

Along The Way

Has someone excitedly shared a personal accomplishment with you, only to have you shake your head at your oversight of his progress? Celebrating with others over their achievements (however big or small they may seem) brings a great deal of shared pleasure.

My youngest daughter is undergoing the dreaded "potty training" thing. I'm sorry, but I find nothing pretty about the whole drama. Anyway, a few days ago when I arrived home from work, she ran up to me and stated, "I made it the whole day Daddy!"
Not grasping what she was really referring to, I responded with, "That's terrific!"
"Yes," she said, "and you know what?"
"Uhh... no, what?"
"I get the princess." Ok, by this time I knew that I had worked myself into a clueless parent corner, but with all of the loving support that I sensed the moment required I said, "Wow, that’s great!"
"Yes, do you want to see the princess?"
"Well sure..." All of a sudden she revealed her new "princess" pull ups. (Ding!)
"Don't you like them, Daddy?"
"Oh, they are incredible!"
"Thank you, Daddy."

Make a habit of congratulating others along the way.

I Believe in Democracy

"All I need is for at least one person to know what I believe in, in case I lose my life."

That's what an Iraqi election worker said to Christine Hauser of The New York Times. Hauser filed a report yesterday concerning the more than 6,000 election employees working throughout Iraq. These workers have, as you already know, become targets of the terrorists. Many have been threatened, attacked, kidnapped and in all to many cases killed. To what end? For the opportunity to have a vote in the historic Iraqi elections scheduled for the end of the month.

These workers are brave patriots. Many opponents of the whole Iraqi effort seem to think that since America has been the force behind the freedom effort nothing good can result.

Captain Ed commented on the Hauser report that:

"Reading [Hauser's report] reminds me of Michael Moore's famous assertion that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and his terrorist minions were Iraq's answer to the American Revolution's Minutemen -- a group of freedom fighters against a colonial presence. Moore couldn't be more wrong if he tried."

I agree! Freedom has always come at a cost. We are witnessing this now in Iraqi.

"I believe in Democracy."

Let's see?

Pete Yost of the AP has written a story on Homeland Security Head Tom Ridge and his connections to a lobbyist. As I read the story, I immediately thought, "Oh no, another Armstrong Williams." I sense a trend here. My hunch is that we are only at the beginning of a flood of stories/allegations concerning prominent Bush supporters and their "ties" to nefarious plots to "trick" the American people to support the president and his agenda. Agenda journalism?

Let's see.

Where did the turkeys go?

Wow, I totally missed this one. The left is consumed with hammering Armstrong Williams and clearly not interested in the Rathergate saga. Meanwhile, Ed at Captain's Quarters (the blog that started questioning Rather's report an hour after it aired) noticed a Drudge link on The Detroit Free Press story concerning Democratic Rep. John Conyers. Conyers' staff obtained 60 turkeys from the Detroit food bank to deliver to needy people. But after rumors of staff friends receiving Thanksgiving turkeys, the question remains: Where did the turkeys go?

Judging Bush

There will be a lot of talk about judges this year. Instapundit has posted an article by Professor Bill Stuntz of Harvard. Like it or not President Bush will be leaving his mark on the Federal judiciary to been seen and felt for years to come.

Born

Stories like this give one hope.

The Blog Factor

You need to read John Fund's post in today's WSJ Online OPINION JOURNAL: "A stolen election in Washington state? Not if bloggers can help it." (Read it here)

You think?

Here's how candidates for chairman of the Democratic National Committee proposed Saturday to pick up Southern votes (read AP story here).

Howard Dean: "Show up."

Former Indiana Rep. Tim Roemer: "Steer left...steer right...It's not about that. It's about expanding the bus."

Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen: "Listen to the locals."

None offered to change the party's positions...

Hmmm...sounds like they are on to something. You think?

Hey Moon

One night as my family was traveling in our car, we heard from the back seat, "Hey moon." I turned to my wife and said, "Did you hear that?" She just smiled.

My two-year-old daughter was looking out of the car window and saw the full moon and apparently felt compelled to say, "Hey." We had been teaching her to greet people with a friendly smile, so she was doing just that -- it wouldn't be polite to ignore the moon's salutation. Why, anyone knows that.

I guess one of the "qualities" of adults is the ability to understand the complexities in life. Yet all too often we get bogged down with all of life's serious issues and forget to enjoy its simple pleasures.

So, take a minute tonight to look up and say, "Hey Moon!"

January 12th World Vision Tsunami Relief Day

Captain's Quarters started a blogging consortium a few days ago to raise money for tsunami relief through WorldVision, and has set a goal of $25,000 by next week. Please give generously to WorldVision through Ed's link.

Leahy's Hat Dance

Today Senate Judiciary Committee members will be holding the confirmation hearing for White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales to be the next attorney general.

Democratic senators like ranking Democratic Judiciary Committee Member Patrick Leahy made his views of President Bush's Judicial nominations very clear last year "With respect to his extreme judicial nominations, President George W. Bush is the most divisive President in American history. " And I think that it is safe to say that his tactics will apply to Mr. Gonzales as well.

What are the odds that today's hearing will provide any meaningful discourse on Mr. Gonzales qualifications? Many feel, as history has shown, that we will witness yet another display of the decay of our great political discourse?

Bloomberg's James Rowley reports that:
Senator John Cornyn, a Republican from Gonzales's home state of Texas, said that Leahy[has]employ[ed] the same tactic Democrats used to stymie Bush's nomination of Miguel Estrada to a federal appeals court. Estrada, who refused to produce legal advice he gave while an assistant to the U.S. solicitor general, withdrew his nomination in 2003 after Democrats blocked Senate action on it.

``This is not about providing information,'' said Cornyn, a Judiciary Committee member. ``This is about trying to keep the nominee on the defensive, suggesting, wrongly, that they are withholding critical information, then bloodying the nominee during the process for their unwillingness to do something which legally they cannot do.''
The information Leahy seeks includes the ``most sensitive'' communications between the president and his advisers that ``have to be given some protection,'' Cornyn said.

Clearly there are questions that need to be addressed as MSNBC's National affairs writer Tom Curry writes:
A primary focus of [The] questioning of Gonzales will be why he asked Bybee to write the Aug. 1, 2002, memo [ on interrogation methods ] and whether it was designed to justify techniques the CIA or other military interrogators were using to pry information out of al-Qaida suspects.

To be sure such questions should and will be asked. But to what end? In order to gain a better understanding of Gonzales and his fitness to hold the office? Or will it just be another opportunity to conduct what Justice Thomas said during his confirmation hearing as a type of high tech lynching.

Today we will see if the 2004 election did anything to reduce the fighting over President Bush's nominees, but I would not hold your breath for too long. I think I see Mr. Leahy's hat right now.

Perhaps Bush is on to something?

I noticed that Germany made one of largest pledges in Aid for the Tsunami affected region to date. The WSJ's Marcus Walker points out that Schroeder "Announc[ed] the package at a time when Germany is seeking international support from Asian governments for its claim to a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council." You can read his article here.

I'm a rather simple guy, but I fear that compassion is not a leading motivation driving giving from the governmental bodies around the world. Perhaps Bush is on to something?