I had the opportunity to see John Bolton in action, as I was in Europe earlier this year, where the UN receives considerable coverage. Over in Europe, they seem to love the sight of pompous bureaucrats waddling in and out of expensive eateries.
Libertarians opposed Bolton’s nomination as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations for, as far as I could tell, ideological reasons. They were rankled by his neoconservatism. Nevertheless, what I saw of the man, who has been serving as our envoy to the U.N. under a temporary “recess appointment,” surprised me (I had accepted libertarian arguments for his rejection out of hand ). He was tough, intelligent, and focused. He did the US’s bidding very effectively.
I was quite surprised at the discrepancy between the derogatory description of Bolton (here for example) and what I saw of him in the course of his duties at the UN. He did not appear to be acting as an ideologue, but as a shrewd, tough diplomat.
Letter of the Week: Short and Sweet
In “It’s About Federalism, Stupid!,” I thought I had written a straightforward column, the logic of which every clear-thinking person, whatever his party, would follow. How wrong! I am still incapable of assessing the slavish fealty among my readers for the Republicans and those who “carry the water for them.”
The column is running again on WND over the week-end. Adjacent to it are letters berating—as opposed to debating—me.
E-MAIL TO THE EDITOR
Wanted: Conservative savior
Exclusive: Readers hammer one another, take columnist Ilana Mercer to woodshed
–WND
PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM
Exclusive: Ilana Mercer skewers Rush Limbaugh, calls for adherence to Constitution
All is not lost. Joe, a reader, absolutely gets it. His is BAB’ Continue reading
Robert Bidinotto Gives Rush the Bum's Rush
Objectivist Robert Bidinotto has an interesting analysis of the aftermath of “Limbaugh’s self-indulgent, mocking tirades against actor Michael J. Fox on the issue of federally-funded embryonic stem cell research.”
He agrees with my “It’s About Federalism, Stupid,” writing, in his signature style that:
“Not only was Limbaugh’s mockery of a sick man disgusting, it was incredibly stupid. Rather than focus the debate on the narrower question of whether such research should be government-funded, he and other conservative Republicans chose instead to mock Fox, and to hinge their case on faith-based ‘right to life’ premises that every poll shows that most voters reject. As columnist Ilana Mercer points out today in a scathing column:
Limbaugh needed only to remind Fox (and his own soon-to-be-dethroned party) of a thing called the Constitution. He needed to berate Fox not for his spasticity, but for using his celebrity to petition Congress for money not his. Limbaugh ought to have suggested Fox refrain from pickpocketing the taxpayer, and raise money for private research among his stinking rich pals. Instead—and in character—Limbaugh beat up on a cripple.
“There is an irony here,” Bidinotto continues, “one that I hope conveys a lesson for ‘conservatives.’
Rush Limbaugh’s influence was widely credited with inspiring the ‘Republican Revolution’ of 1994, leading to the GOP takeover of Congress. But at that time his message — and that of the GOP conservative candidates — had focused on limiting government intervention into our lives.
By abandoning its core principles of individualism and limited government in the decade since, the Republicans in Congress have been fired by American voters. Likewise, by focusing stupidly on the alleged ‘rights’ of embryos rather than the actual rights of living citizens — and by substituting cruel personal attacks for principled arguments — Rush Limbaugh has now helped engineer his party’s crushing defeat.”
Read the post in its entirety here.
Robert Bidinotto Gives Rush the Bum’s Rush
Objectivist Robert Bidinotto has an interesting analysis of the aftermath of “Limbaugh’s self-indulgent, mocking tirades against actor Michael J. Fox on the issue of federally-funded embryonic stem cell research.”
He agrees with my “It’s About Federalism, Stupid,” writing, in his signature style that:
“Not only was Limbaugh’s mockery of a sick man disgusting, it was incredibly stupid. Rather than focus the debate on the narrower question of whether such research should be government-funded, he and other conservative Republicans chose instead to mock Fox, and to hinge their case on faith-based ‘right to life’ premises that every poll shows that most voters reject. As columnist Ilana Mercer points out today in a scathing column:
Limbaugh needed only to remind Fox (and his own soon-to-be-dethroned party) of a thing called the Constitution. He needed to berate Fox not for his spasticity, but for using his celebrity to petition Congress for money not his. Limbaugh ought to have suggested Fox refrain from pickpocketing the taxpayer, and raise money for private research among his stinking rich pals. Instead—and in character—Limbaugh beat up on a cripple.
“There is an irony here,” Bidinotto continues, “one that I hope conveys a lesson for ‘conservatives.’
Rush Limbaugh’s influence was widely credited with inspiring the ‘Republican Revolution’ of 1994, leading to the GOP takeover of Congress. But at that time his message — and that of the GOP conservative candidates — had focused on limiting government intervention into our lives.
By abandoning its core principles of individualism and limited government in the decade since, the Republicans in Congress have been fired by American voters. Likewise, by focusing stupidly on the alleged ‘rights’ of embryos rather than the actual rights of living citizens — and by substituting cruel personal attacks for principled arguments — Rush Limbaugh has now helped engineer his party’s crushing defeat.”
Read the post in its entirety here.