History and War: An Interview with Victor Davis Hanson

John Hawkins  Hawkins:" America's media seems at times to be ambivalent, even to the point of being hostile toward our military and efforts to win the war on terrorism. Can you talk about other times in history that's happened and what the results of it have been?"

Hanson: "I think if we were to go back to England and France between 1920 and take an arbitrary date — 1936 — it was politically incorrect to evoke Verdun. The Battle of Verdun was not mentioned in the school system. By the same token, those who wanted to re-arm in Britain were accused of trying to evoke these ghosts of the Somme. The media wanted to condition the British public to the notion that any other war would end in the nightmare of the trenches. So, it was much better to use the arts of appeasement — which wasn't a dirty word. It was a positive word that meant you were willing to avoid a blood bath in the trenches. The result of that, of course, was the serial aggrandizement of Germany from 1936 to 1939."

Bob Lang cartoon

The Buckley Rule; Pro and Con

Charles Krauthammer "Bill Buckley — no Mike Castle he — had a rule: Support the most conservative candidate who is electable."....
"Castle wasn’t only electable. He was unbeatable. Why do you think Beau Biden, long groomed to inherit his father’s seat, flinched from running? Because Castle, who had already won statewide races a dozen times, scared him off. Democrats had already given up on the race.
"O’Donnell, a lifelong activist who has twice lost statewide races, is very problematic. It is not that the Republican establishment denigrates her chances — virtually every nonpartisan electoral analyst from Charlie Cook to Larry Sabato to Stuart Rothenberg has her losing in November."

The Limbaugh Rule   "It waters down and destroys the brands of Republicanism, and we end being blamed for liberal policies because our guys vote for it.  The Limbaugh Rule is if you got a liberal or a conservative running, you vote the conservative.  Period! End of story.  But who knows who's "electable"?  This was any point.  The "Buckley Rule" that these guys are all quoting -- and, by the way, half of these people quoting the Buckley rule couldn't carry his typewriter."

Jimmy Carter Slams Ted Kennedy (Updated)

CBS News "Former President Jimmy Carter tells Lesley Stahl Americans would've had comprehensive health care for decades had Ted Kennedy not killed his bill. Sunday, Sept. 19, 7 p.m. ET/PT."
They tease us with only this much.

Why Carter dissed Kennedy  "The interview proved that Carter is desperate to be credited with something – anything, be it health care reform, or as the architect of a never adopted, money-saving energy conservation program. For many reasons, Jimmy Carter’s presidency was, and is still, considered abysmal. Yet at this late date a departed senator could redeem Jimmy’s forlorn legacy.
"President Carter’s truthful “60 Minutes” expose of Kennedy’s willingness to “kill” to advance a political career has shed new light on Mr. Poucha Pond's malicious nature and could turn out to be the most glorious political achievement of Carter’s fifty-year career." Jeannie DeAngelis

Figures. Obama Drops “Creator” From Declaration of Independence

Gateway Pundit  "What a shock. Barack Obama dropped “that are endowed by our Creator” from the Declaration of Independence in a speech he gave this past week."

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness..."

Chuck Asay, Townhall 

Enough Already with Reverend Jones

Victor Davis Hanson "We are reaching the point where the damage done to America’s image by 50 book-burners is outweighed by the damage done by hypersensitivity on the part of the United States government, which hopes to assuage the hurt feelings of those abroad who equate that tiny number with our culture at large — often in an abjectly hypocritical fashion. We know where this leads — to endless efforts to micromanage all elements of American life to protect the sensitivities of those who, by act and deed, are far more intolerant of different religions and cultures."

The Strange — and Tragic — Case of Nagla Imam

Raymond Ibrahim "...As for her personal situation, approximately two weeks ago, state security arrested and took Nagla to a government building in Cairo. There, a top official twisted the crucifix she was wearing, tightening the chain around her neck, while saying "the cross will be the death of you." The official then proceeded to beat her — giving her a black eye, a bruised body, and broken teeth. Before releasing her, he said, "Stay in your house, till you are carried out to your grave," adding that, if she does not return to Islam, "people" will be dispatched to "take care of her."....
"Postscript: Last we heard, Nagla and her children have completely disappeared, bringing back the government official's threat to mind — that "people" could be sent to "take care of her." "
Raymond Ibrahim is the associate director of the Middle East Forum, the author of The Al Qaeda Reader, and a guest lecturer at the National Defense Intelligence College.

D’Souza to Obama with Malice

Forbes  "Ultimately, D’Souza’s rumination reveals less about how Obama thinks and more about how D’Souza thinks. It shows not that Obama is motivated by malice toward America, but D’Souza is motivated by malice toward Obama. How pathetic."  Shikha Dalmia is a senior analyst at Reason Foundation and a Forbes columnist. 
This is a counterpoint to an article posted here on Sept 9th.

The Myth of Conservative Vulnerability

Dick Morris and Eileen McGann "This week's primary victories of Christine O'Donnell in Delaware and Joe DioGuardi in New York illustrate how the tea party is cleansing the Republican Party and installing true believers over professional politicians. It is a healthy trend that will continue to recreate the Party of Reagan.
"But the conventional media, instead of hailing this trend, warns that conservatives cannot be elected ..."

Bob Gorrell, Townhall

California Schools: Monuments to Mediocrity

Meredith Turney  "It’s common for teachers unions to throw around huge dollars in political campaigns just to safeguard their interests. But ridding the state constitution of the added taxpayer protections in a two-thirds budget vote would clear the way for unions to get whatever they want—including the kind of wasteful spending found in LAUSD. Keep in mind LAUSD is currently grappling with deficit of $640 million. The $578 million school could have covered almost the entire deficit. Although bond measures financed the school’s construction, such wasteful spending is not uncommon throughout the school system." 

Meanwhile, most dedicated teachers spend their own money for many classroom items and visual aids .

Pictured: Entrance to the new school auditorium; via NowPublic

An artist protests Obama’s abuse of the Constitution.

National Review "A  man, crestfallen, is sitting on a bench in front of the White House, contemplating his country’s future. At his feet lie the causes of his distress: tattered dollars, representing a weak currency, and scraps of paper, symbolizing an abused Constitution. Behind and around him stand the 43 presidents of the United States, most of whom are outraged. One of them, James Madison, reaches pitifully for the ground, trying to collect the shards of American greatness. Unfortunately, he can’t retrieve our founding document from the dust, for it’s beneath the foot of Barack Obama." 
The story of this painting here.