William F. Buckley Jr., in the words of the New York Times, “marshaled polysyllabic exuberance, famously arched eyebrows and a refined, perspicacious mind to elevate conservatism to the center of American political discourse.†Many people probably know Buckley, who died today at age 82, for being the longtime host of the “Firing Line†TV show — and because of the comedians who imitated his urbane speaking style and slouched posture. But he also wrote at least 55 books and founded the National Review magazine. Buckley’s biggest achievement was legitimizing modern conservatism and shaping its intellectual framework.
Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama both went over mostly familiar policy terrain in Tuesday night’s debate. Clinton was good, as expected, on health care. But Obama was surprisingly strong on Iraq and foreign policy, an area that’s supposed to be Clinton’s strength.
Obama also laughed good-naturedly at a video clip of Clinton in a mocking harangue against his speeches. He didn’t take the bait. The effect was to elevate Obama and make Clinton look small and petty. She didn’t help matters by sounding peevish at times, at one point complaining that she was always asked the questions first.
Is this her newfound voice — whiner?
Both did fine overall. But Clinton won’t get the boost she needed from this debate.
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Whether you agree with his politics, give Mike Huckabee credit for having a good sense of humor. The GOP presidential candidate appeared in a newscast skit last weekend on “Saturday Night Live†(how many evangelical leaders would even agree to be on the show?) that poked fun at his seeming inability to know when to leave — either the skit or the presidential race, which is mathematically impossible for him to win.
Meanwhile, the Clinton campaign has been trying to use an “SNL†debate skit as evidence of how the media favor Barack Obama.
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On a 2006 visit to his father’s native Kenya, Barack Obama was photographed wearing the traditional white turban and robe of a Somali elder. Abetted by the Drudge Report, which points to Clinton staffers as its source, those now trying to use the photo to smear Obama as some kind of scary foreigner are missing the mark. The vulnerability for Obama is how goofy he looks. This could end up being Obama’s version of the photos of Michael Dukakis in the tank and John Kerry in the NASA “bunny suit.â€
Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., threw his support behind Barack Obama Tuesday — the first of the Democratic also-rans to endorse — saying, “It’s now the hour to come together.â€
Dodd is an influential party elder with longtime ties to Hillary Clinton, so his call for unity will carry some weight, especially with superdelegates.
Bird lovers and disc golfers are squawking over recent tree and brush trims in Oak Park that they say went too far and damaged habitat. Given that Oak Park is a magnet for wild birds and those who watch them, it’s important for park department employees to exercise caution and preserve healthy habitat when doing upkeep and maintenance.
But park and recreation department director Doug Kupper rightly notes that brush clearing is needed to ensure access by parks trucks that maintain a water pump and other wildlife-friendly assets.
The tree and brush growth along the road will come back, sooner than people realize. And our guess is that the birds will keep coming back, too.
Maybe birders should just be glad that Westar Energy didn’t do the trimming.
Minnesota is among the states that included an exemption for theatrical smoking in their statewide smoking bans. Right on cue, bars are offering “theater nights,†when they dodge the law by deciding that their bar is the stage and all the men and women in it the players. The state may try to close the loophole, but until then, “We have our karaoke night and we have our rock night. Now we will have our theater night,†said one nightclub owner.
William F. Buckley Jr., in the words of the New York Times, “marshaled polysyllabic exuberance, famously arched eyebrows and a refined, perspicacious mind to elevate conservatism to the center of American political discourse.†Many people probably know Buckley, who died today at age 82, for being the longtime host of the “Firing Line†TV show — and because of the comedians who imitated his urbane speaking style and slouched posture. But he also wrote at least 55 books and founded the National Review magazine. Buckley’s biggest achievement was legitimizing modern conservatism and shaping its intellectual framework.
