So, at the end of the 1986-1987 Supreme Court term, Associate Justice Lewis Powell decided to retire from the Court. Accordingly, Justice Powell submitted his resignation letter to President Reagan. The president nominated Judge Robert Bork to replace Powell. Bork got voted down 58-42 by the United States Senate, the first Senate rejection of a …
Donald Trump and the Lost (or Never Possessed) Art of the Deal
Because the incumbent president of the United States regularly inundates us with boasts about how he is supposedly a clever and masterful negotiator--notwithstanding the overwhelming amount of evidence suggesting that as with other claimed skills, the incumbent president of the United States suffers massively from a severe and pronounced case of the Dunning-Kruger effect when it comes …
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. . . The Republican Party Left Me.
Today, I joined the Libertarian Party. The screenshot of my signup can be found above. For the first time since 1984, I no longer identify as a Republican. Making this decision was wrenching, much like saying goodbye to an old friend who has been twisted and perverted into something and someone unrecognizable. The 1980 presidential …
Quote of the Day
The memos, stamped “confidential” and kept under wraps for years, portray a White House eager to assert U.S. leadership on climate change. Global warming will have “profound consequences,” one document warns, and the United States “cannot wait” until all scientific questions are resolved before taking action. The source of the memos: Not the Obama White …
Why Shouldn’t We Make an Issue of Hillary Clinton’s Age?
Back when Bob Dole and John McCain ran for president--heck, back when Ronald Reagan ran for president--we were told that tremendous demands are made on those who occupy the Oval Office and that the president had to be young and vigorous enough to meet those demands. If candidates for the presidency were older people, issues were made …
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Extremism in the Defense of Liberty Is No Vice. But Extremism Can Be a Vice Sometimes.
Apparently, those of us who think well of Jeb Bush--and might even formally endorse his soon-to-be candidacy for the presidency of the United States--are supposed to be deeply upset by the fact that he sometimes has nice things to say (gasp!) about the Obama administration. I recognize that candidates and campaigns get nitpicked all the …
George Shultz on How to Deal with Climate Change
It is nice to see that more Republicans have accepted the reality of climate change, and are calling for action. Add George Shultz's name to the list of those who believe that something has to be done. After showing what the current climate trends are, and showing why they should alarm us, Shultz--who along with Henry Kissinger …
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Social Media: Not the Place to Go for Sober-Headed Legal Analysis
There has been a lot of debate about the letter sent by 47 Republican senators to the Iranian regime regarding the negotiations over nuclear energy use--likely for weapons--by Iran. I happen to think that sending the letter was a bad idea; foreign policy has been found to be the province of the executive branch, with …
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Don’t Know Much about History (Paul Krugman Edition)
Look I understand that Paul Krugman is loath to give Ronald Reagan credit for anything good. But when he goes and makes things up about Reagan's economic record, someone should really call him on it. Preferably someone at the New York Times who is actually in charge of editing and fact-checking. Or doesn't the Times employ …
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In Which Jimmy Carter Tries to Rewrite History
I know that I am late to this, but it is worth noting that the 39th president of the United States is busy trying to change how we remember the past. He shouldn't be allowed to get away with it. Jimmy Carter didn't merely lose because he failed to get tough with Iran. He lost …
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