President Pretentious & Self-Absorbed

MC isn't the only one to have noticed the President's infatuation with, well, himself! Click on the title of this post to read our friends at The Weekly Standard comment on the same subject. We think it is going to get very old very fast. At least we can hope.

In Which We Loathe David Brooks

The insufferable David Brooks reviews Simon Schama's latest book "The American Future" in today's New York Times Review of Books. In a stunning display of his tedious writing style, combined with avoidance of subject matter, Brooks tells the reader nothing about the author, his prior books nor, really, whether the book accomplishes what it sets out to do. Yes, many of us know Schama and his work. Many other readers may not and this hardly makes them uninformed or uneducated. Yet the review shows nothing so much as the vapidness of Brooks's thought. Conservatives listen to him why? Click on the title of this post to read David's review and make up your own mind.

The Eternal City

The blogging half (cough) of MC is off to Rome today so posting will be even lighter than usual unless Her Highness deigns to comment on whatever suits her fancy. Moi? I'm in Rome and the rest of you are not. Poda.

Liz Cheney 2012?

Liz Cheney appears on Mornin' Joe and destroys the foolish MSNBC anchors who gang up to take her on. Click on the title of this post to see an astonishing tour de force in defending enhanced interrogation techniques and the prior administration's war on terror which kept us safe for the last 7 1/2 years. Kudos Liz!

Parsing The Pontiff

MC is religious. We believe. We just don't fight about it. Click on the title of this post to read George Weigel's piece about what Benedict XVI faces as he flies into the Middle East and Israel.

Israel Today, The West Tomorrow.

MC tends not to fret in public. Yet we admit to fretting about the welfare of Israel and its citizens. We hope Mark Steyn (no, not Jewish) is wrong but click on the title of this post to read his latest.

Spengler: Confessions Of A Coward

Exhausted by the hoi polloi. Figure it out yourselves. Sing me Spanish Techno. Click on this post to learn more.

The Enigma Of Arrival*

A dear friend of MC's is leaving for Rome shortly. He's probably too young to know much about Joni Mitchell. He'd do well to make her acquaintance. The lyrics below speak for themselves, although LL should listen to the song in its entirety.

Maybe I’ll go to Amsterdam

Or maybe I’ll go to Rome
And rent me a grand piano and put some flowers ’round my room

But let’s not talk about fare-thee-wells now
The night is a starry dome.
And they’re playin’ that scratchy rock and roll
Beneath the mantle of the moon.

*Apologies to VS Naipaul

Margaret Thatcher 30 Years Ago Today

Thirty years ago today Maggie Thatcher took up residence at 10 Downing Street. It is difficult to overstate her importance. The always superb John O'Sullivan makes the case that she halted Great Britain's decline. Click on the title of this post to read him.

In Defense Of Shoes

OK, look. Small potatoes: things that don't amount to much. Now it's Michelle Obama's sneakers? Not so long ago it was John McCain's Ferragamo shoes. Do the media, left and right, think we're so stupid that we don't realize people who make it this far can buy very very expensive shoes? Are we the mob being told to eat cake? MC doesn't think so and wishes everyone would buy the most expensive shoes they can afford. For the economy's sake, of course! The Edina half of MC is fond of Jimmy Choo. The St. Paul part is fine with Ferragamo. Both halves of MC prefer black, naturlich.