Forget presidential politics. The real debate might be taking place outside that arena. And a good thing, too. The dumbed-down, lightning-fast, popular vanity answers by presidential aspirants might be irrelevant.
In August, the Wall Street Journal’s deputy editorial page editor, Daniel Henninger, brought up an important concern about the times we live in. The header boldly read, “The Death of Diversity.”
As the sixth anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, approaches, we should be grateful: al Qaeda has not successfully attacked Americans a second time on American soil. We also should be distressed: Americans are debating whether to fight al Qaeda — or whether to retreat from the one battlefield on which we have a chance to seriously damage al Qaeda, both militarily and ideologically.
Welcome to one of the world’s remote corners, an environmental treasure and a living test of whether man’s commitment to preserving this earth is written in concrete or in sand.
Fashion Week is happening in New York City, and, darling, I know you are excited. Because this is such a sparkling event, I will not spoil it by throwing a cheese sandwich on the catwalk and starting a food riot.
That would be so cruel. Those poor, underfed models are miserable enough without some overfed writer playing the well-meaning fool.
Most Senate Republicans want their Idaho colleague, Larry Craig, to just go and go soon. They have enough scandals in their ranks without Craig’s disagreeable little episode in an airport bathroom.
Privately, Senate Democrats would like to see him stay on to keep the scandal alive and help underline their contention that the GOP is the party of moral hypocrisy when it is not being the party of corruption.
Republican presidential contenders voiced support for the Iraq war Wednesday night despite a warning from anti-war candidate Ron Paul that they risk dragging the party down to defeat in 2008.
“Even if we lose elections, we should not lose our honor,” shot back former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, “and that is more important than the Republican Party.”
Huckabee was in the majority, Paul very much in the minority on a University of New Hampshire debate stage when it came to the war. The politically unpopular conflict has emerged as the dominant issue of the 2008 race for the White House.
The New York City-based Transport Workers Union of America endorsed John Edwards on Thursday, saying the former North Carolina senator was the most electable of the Democratic presidential candidates.
Edwards was to be in New York City to accept the endorsement.
In a statement, he said the Transport Workers “keep the city moving and help keep New Yorkers safe.”
“As president I’ll fight for them every day, so we can honor their hard work and make our infrastructure safe and secure,” Edwards said.
Fred Thompson officially entered a wide-open Republican presidential race Thursday, vowing to invigorate a dispirited GOP and promising to thwart another Clinton from capturing the presidency.
The former Tennessee senator harkened to the GOP glory days of 1994 when he and other Republicans seized control of Congress and established an equal counterpoint to Democrat Bill Clinton in the White House. Now an official candidate for the Republican nomination, Thompson promised to return the party to better times.
Eight Republicans argued over the Iraq war and immigration before a crowd of 3,600 New Hampshire voters. Missing in action: actor-politician Fred Thompson, who skipped the debate in favor of announcing his candidacy in the more comfortable setting of late-night TV.
With delight, they zinged him for ducking the debate, their fifth.
“Maybe Senator Thompson will be known as the no-show for the presidential debates,” former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said.
“Maybe we’re up past his bedtime,” joked Arizona Sen. John McCain. (At 65, Thompson is actually six years younger).