Naomie Emery in this week's cover story for the Weekly Standard provides a detailed and fascinating discussion of the unstable, tense balance of power in the eight years of the Clinton Administration, with both the Vice-President and First Lady setting their sights on the highest office from well before Day 1. The article helpfully explains why Gore lost in 2000 while Hillary Clinton won. It also sheds light on why Hillary is now struggling (as I write, she is 10 points behind Obama in NH). The Intro: Between January 20, 1993, and January 20, 2001, the Clinton White House was home to three … [Read more...] about Clinton, Clinton, & Gore: A Complicated Triad of Power
Archives for January 2008
Byron York of NR on the Iowa Caucuses
National Review White House correspondent Byron York pens an insightful piece on the contrast between the strategies of Team Huckabee and Team Romney in Iowa. The campaign’s strategy was shaped by two things, Saltsman said. First was Huckabee’s talent as a communicator, and second was the fact that the campaign was always nearly broke. Put those two together, and you had a campaign constantly searching for free media exposure. “We’ve been criticized sometimes for — after a big event, we went straight to Washington to do media, or we went straight to New York to do media,” Saltsman said. “That … [Read more...] about Byron York of NR on the Iowa Caucuses
Message Over Money: Understanding the Huckaboom
Last night, Governor Mike Huckabee won the Iowa caucuses, besting Governor Mitt Romney by 9 percentage points (34% versus 25%), even though Romney had outspent Huckabee by a 15:1 margin. As Senator John McCain noted, this sends two messages: 1. One cannot buy Iowa (Romney spent an estimated $10MM). 2. Negative attack ads are ineffective, particularly in Iowa. Joe Carter chimes in with his usual incisiveness, commenting on the CNN entrance polls. Compare the following hard data to what you have relentlessly been told by both the MSM and many conservative pundits: 1. In Vote by Ideology … [Read more...] about Message Over Money: Understanding the Huckaboom
The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment
This much-anticipated book is available now. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on it. From the publisher: "Spiritual discernment is good for more than just making monumental decisions according to God’s will. It is an essential, day-to-day activity that allows thoughtful Christians to separate the truth of God from error and to distinguish right from wrong in all kinds of settings and situations. It is also a skill—something that any person can develop and improve, especially with the guidance in this book."The blurbs: "Tim Challies is one of the finest young evangelical thinkers of … [Read more...] about The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment
A Biblical Perspective on Recreation
Yours truly gave it his best shot in his latest boundless essay. Here are the opening lines: My wife and I recently had one of those free two-week subscriptions to Netflix. They offered to extend it for another two weeks, but we cancelled. The lady on the phone wanted to know why, but our reason wasn't on her list. She asked, "Have you enjoyed it?" We said yes, and thanked her. "Are you finding the movies you want?" Affirmative. "Are you able to find the time to watch the movies?" Again, yes. "So, why are you canceling?" she asked incredulously. The worldview in our culture is … [Read more...] about A Biblical Perspective on Recreation
Joe Carter on Being a Campaign Staffer for Huckabee
Joe Carter shares what he learned in his 30-days as a staffer for Governor Huckabee. Whatever you think of Huckabee, Carter is an outstanding blogger whose posts are always worthy of serious consideration. … [Read more...] about Joe Carter on Being a Campaign Staffer for Huckabee