Ilana Mercer

The French may have spurned the European Union’s Constitution for the wrong reasons, but overall their instincts were sound. That the pro-free market Dutch have seconded the non vote with a resounding nee ought to give pause to the collectivist superstate’s illiberal American supporters, the most notorious of whom are concentrated in the Bush State … Continue reading “Adieu to the Evil EU”

“All great truths begin as blasphemies,” said George Bernard Shaw. But not all blasphemies are the beginnings of great truths, a distinction worth remembering when it comes to Ward Churchill. The chairman of the ethnic studies program at the University of Colorado gained notoriety for calling the victims of 9/11 “little Eichmanns.” By this he … Continue reading “Yes, Some People Do Push Back”

The (unrequited) love of my life did his basic training in an elite Israeli commando. Once, after he had been characteristically belligerent, his "merciful" commanders made him stand in the rain throughout the night, bed on back. At 19, he was a powerfully built six-foot-three. Although temperamentally not suited to obedience, no one doubted his … Continue reading “About a Boy”

A couple of tedious paragraphs into her paean to George Bush, scribbler Suzanne Fields divulges triumphantly that she hangs with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. These two Beltway Babes got together last week to dish “over a Danish and a cup of black coffee.” Their tête-à-tête inspired a serenade for the man whose testes, says … Continue reading “Second Thoughts, First Principles”

Who hasn’t heard soldier after American soldier burble on about how freeing Iraqis inspires him? Or, if injured, this archetypal GI will often say how eager he is to get back to his “buddies,” those he considers his real family. (Come now, Objectivists: How do you finesse such lack of enlightened self-interest – such sacrificial … Continue reading “The International Highway to Hell”

Most real people had a 9/11 moment. Ann Coulter’s call to arms was particularly memorable. For exhorting, "We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity," she was even banished from National Review. This was indeed a puzzling purge, considering neoconservatives promptly adopted her recommendations, invaded Muslim countries, and killed their … Continue reading “Syria Out Doesn’t Mean U.S. In”

People with no principles look to consequences to justify their actions – the Republican Party and its media megaphones now contend that Iraq’s first democratic election has provided a final and irrefutable justification for America’s invasion and conquest. That Iraqi Shi’ites turned out en masse for Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani and sharia law doesn’t alter … Continue reading “Ink Stains and Blood Stains”

Beyond Buzzwords In his second inaugural address, George W. Bush preached that freedom (mentioned 27 times) and liberty (15 times) are powerful medicines – they “break the reign of hatred and resentment, and expose the pretensions of tyrants, and reward the hopes of the decent and tolerant.” And he warned that unless we prescribe freedom … Continue reading “His Rhetoric, Our Reality”

How generous are Americans? Inconceivably so. An official collecting private donations for victims of the Asian tsunami has described American largess as a “tidal wave of generosity.” How generous are Americans compared to everyone else? Canada’s Fraser Institute measured the "generosity gap" that separates Americans and Canadians, in both "the extent and the depth of … Continue reading “Yes to US Aid, No to USAID”

There’s blood in the water and the neoconservatives in and around the administration are thrashing about like sharks. They’ve thrown Donald Rumsfeld over the side, and to many, their treachery is evidence that Rumsfeld can’t possibly be one of them, a neoconservative. The iconic Robert Novak has been particularly vocal in his attack on the … Continue reading “The Neoconnerie’s Plan For Iran”