Over at the National Review, James Capretta has both short- and long-term advice for Republicans. In the short-term, when the issue of whether to raise the debt limit comes up in February, the Republicans should threaten to blow up the nation’s economy, but not actually do it. It is perfectly appropriate to use the occasion…
Behind the Candelabra, or Underneath it?
Behind the Candelabra is the widely hyped (how could it not be?) bio-pic starring Michael Douglas as Liberace and Matt Damon as Lee’s live-in lover, Scott Thorson. It will have to go some to match the one-two punch of Liberace and Liberace: Behind the Music, two made-for-TV movies about Lee that aired in successive weeks…
Whither Republicans?
Republicans have been doing a lot of soul-searching on their future these days. Ralph Douthat searchs here, and links to RedState Editor Erick Erickson, searching here. Commentary has a pretty massive symposium on the future of conservatism, rather than the Party proper, but I’m not going to link to it because you have to subscribe…
Etaoin Shrdlu, R.I.P.
Talking Points Memo has a squib that begins thusly: “Etaoin srhldcu” may read like nonsense to most English speakers upon first blush, but as it turns out, the combination is quite significant. It represents, in order, the most used letters in the English language, according to a new survey of 743 billion words conducted by…
Ted Nash—“Matisse Jazz”
Saxophonist and composer Ted Nash, working, I guess, with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, of which he is a member, comes up with Music to Watch Matisse By. If you’ve got a good monitor, you can look at this on full screen at YouTube and the Matisses look pretty good. Posted by David Clarke
Death and Sex
Back in the day, when porno was illegal, clever liberals used to wonder why it was OK to make films of people being tortured and murdered, but not to make films of people making love. Well, when it comes to being the director of the CIA, we’re still back in the Fifties: torture and murder…
Pseudo-New Yorker
Legal humor here.“I’m guessing, you folks wanted a hatchback with deluxe wheel covers! Congratulations!” “Just keep this little girl under sixty for the first five hundred miles. After that, the sky’s the limit!” “Damn straight this baby’s got Blaupunkt! If you’ve got the tunes, it’s got the power!” “Whoa, leather seating areas and deluxe body…
Rendering unto Caesar
Reason’s Matt Welch points me to three particularly pertinent paragraphs in a recent Washington Post story by Craig Whitlock bearing the head “Renditions continue under Obama, despite due-process concerns,” which perhaps should be headed “Renditions continue under Obama, because due process is not a concern.” The story is largely devoted to the continuing practice of…
Peter King, Wonderly Wroth
Well, the New Year is starting off right for me, providing the wonderful spectacle of portly Peter King, the IRA-lovin’ Republican from Noo Yawk, unloading on his fellow Republicans, House Speaker John Boehner in particular, for dissin’ the Northeast and not bothering to provide the promised $60 billion in Sandy relief cash. One could actually…
The plaint of Chait
Over at New York magazine, plaintive Jonathan Chait raises once more his plaintive plaint: “Why is Obama caving on taxes?” Yes, why, oh, why, after campaigning pretty much forever on his determination to raise taxes on those earning $250,000 a year and up, has Obama caved, for the umpteenth time in his negotiations with the…