Lingua publica
The
good and the bad...presented with permission from The Patriot E-Journal
web posted January 22, 2007
"Do you think you owe the Iraqi people an apology for not doing a better job?" -- CBS's Scott Pelley to U.S. President George W. Bush, who answered, "We liberated that country from a tyrant. I think the Iraqi people owe the American people a huge debt of gratitude."
"'Castro Reportedly in Grave,' begins an Associated Press headline. Unfortunately, the next word is ‘Condition'." -- James Taranto
"[Dick] Durbin called upon Iraq's government to ‘disband' the militias and death squads. Not destroy, but ‘disband.' How is that supposed to happen? By asking them nicely? ‘Disband, please, and on the way home, if you see a Sunni (Shiite), give him a hug'." -- George Will
"[Congressman Keith] Abu Ellison rhetorically inquired of the Dearborn Brethren: ‘How do you know that Allah... did not bring you here so that you could understand how to teach people what tolerance was, what justice was?' Right you are, Keith. After all, there are so many shining examples of justice and tolerance in the Muslim world, where minorities are treated with such admirable fairness, justice is impartially administered and respect for human rights is a standard we could all emulate. (Please note the sarcasm here.)" -- Don Feder
"Harry Reid is still in the first stages of a romance, fondling the keys to his own upscale toilet, and a little disbelieving at how many more microphones he can attract now when he feels the surge to say something irresponsible." -- Wesley Pruden
"[W]e will see unicorns grazing on the Capitol lawns and lions laying down with lambs in Washington's green and gentle Arcadian fields before we actually spot genuine bipartisanship in Washington." -- Tony Blankley
"My girlfriend in business school was drop-dead gorgeous, and a socialist. But I simply couldn't marry someone who didn't understand the importance of cutting the capital gains tax -- unless tremendous quantities of money were involved and she was old with a bad heart." -- Grover Norquist
"Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd is running for president. He says that he was been having conversations with the mirror over running. The mirror first said, 'Who are you again?' The bad news is today the mirror said that it favors Barack Obama. ... John Kerry is hiring staff and preparing another run for the White House. He is telling people he will not make the same mistakes again. This time, all new mistakes." -- Jay Leno
web posted January 15, 2007
"Mr. President... [y]our intention to win must be forcefully communicated, not just because it is preferable to losing, but because the alternative to victory in this War for the Free World is unacceptable." -- Frank Gaffney
"Imagine this war as a sort of grotesque race. The jihadists and sectarians win if they can kill enough Americans to demoralize us enough that we flee before Iraqis and Afghans stabilize their newfound freedom. They lose if they can't. Prosperity, security and liberty are the death knell to radical Islam. It's that elemental." -- Victor Davis Hanson
"Peace and stability require both a military and a political solution -- but the political rests on the military one rather than vice versa." -- John O'Sullivan
"A more liberal policy agenda isn't all that will be moving into the spotlight. There will be a heightened focus on liberal arguments as well -- which means we'll be hearing more about good intentions and less about good results. Political discourse will dwell even more than it already does on ‘fairness' and ‘compassion' and ‘unmet needs' -- and even less on factual evidence and the historical record." -- Jeff Jacoby
"The law of supply and demand works in the labor market, too. If government mandates a higher minimum wage, some workers will get a raise. Some. But something else will happen. Employers will hire fewer low-skilled workers. Others will let some current workers go. Some will choose not to expand their businesses. A few will close altogether." -- John Stossel
"I am running for president. I'm going to be Joe Biden, and I'm going to try to be the best Biden I can be. If I can, I got a shot. If I can't, I lose." -- Joe Biden on entering the presidential race
"My thinking as a leader has evolved. Identifying a problem is not good enough, but taking action to solve it is key." -- John Edwards
"In the past week, there are 476 documents on Nexis heralding the magnificent achievement of Nancy Pelosi becoming the FIRST WOMAN speaker of the House. I thought we had moved beyond such multicultural milestones. The media yawned when Condoleezza Rice became the first black woman secretary of state (and when Lincoln Chaffee became the first developmentally disabled senator)." -- Ann Coulter
"Yesterday was all about celebrating estrogen. More powerful than strontium-90, deadlier than polonium-210, estrogen is better for you than testosterone. That was the new speaker's message, and she got a lot of ‘amens,' even if most were from the ‘womens'." -- Wesley Pruden
"This is not the time to lament the dictator [Saddam], but of course that's what many did. As his appointed hour grew nigh, the humanitarians of the world found a new champion. ‘He held the country together!' Well, if President Bush gassed New York and California and outlawed the Democratic Party, he could impose the same sort of remarkable cohesion." -- James Lileks
"Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has a new plan in California that will give free health insurance to everyone. The plan is being paid by Blue Cross of Mexico." -- Conan O'Brien
"A new poll shows Hillary Clinton finishing fourth among Democratic hopefuls in Iowa. Which is not really that bad considering she came in eighth behind other women in her own home." -- Jay Leno
"The Democrats want the political mileage of opposing the troop increase rhetorically. What they don't want is to take responsibility for their own policy choice. Meanwhile, their rhetoric will only serve to reassure the Jihadis that sooner or later Democrats will force a U.S. withdrawal." -- The Wall Street Journal
"Sure, the average voter is glad Hussein is gone and would be delighted if the Iraqi people opted for democracy, but the man on the street can't see any reason why Americans should suffer to make Iraq safe for Iraqis. They're far more interested in hearing how the sacrifices Americans are making there are making the world safer for Americans. And that's something they haven't been hearing." -- David Keene, president, American Conservative Union
web posted January 8, 2007
"Pacifism, self-hatred and complacency are lengthening the war against radical Islam and causing undue casualties. Only after absorbing catastrophic human and property losses will left-leaning Westerners likely overcome this triple affliction and confront the true scope of the threat. The civilized world will likely then prevail, but belatedly and at a higher cost than need have been." -- Daniel Pipes
"A Social Security reform that raises the tax share on upper income Americans hovers like a cloud over the GOP. Not only is President Bush refusing to rule out such a tax increase but Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has been actively considering such a politically volatile provision. On top of all his other troubles, President Bush could finally lose his base on this issue and split the party." -- Robert Novak
"President George W. Bush has endorsed an increase in the minimum wage... Government wage-setting is supported by organized labor, and not for the purpose of helping poor people. Rather, the goal is to put out of work lesser-trained, low-wage competitors to union members. We need a Republican president to help labor do this?" -- Doug Bandow
"Today, roughly half of those serving in uniform are married -- proving that the hearts of even our toughest troops can be pierced by Cupid's arrow. It also shows that military service is as much a family commitment as it is personal." -- Oliver North
"They say that those who ignore history are condemned to repeat it. Pensively, anxiously, the people of the United States and Iraq -- as well as students of history from around the world -- wait to see if the newly elected majority in the U.S. Congress bring with them the wisdom that only history can provide." -- Frank Salvato
"In Washington today the funeral for President Gerald Ford was held and all the living presidents were in attendance. Jimmy Carter said Ford was a wonderful man. Clinton called Ford a true American. And President Bush said Ford was the guy who invented the automobile." -- Conan O'Brien
"[John Edwards is] running for president on five big priorities: ‘guaranteeing health care,' ‘leading the fight against global warming,' ‘strengthening our middle class and ending the shame of poverty,' and by then my fingers were too comatose to write down the fifth theme but, if memory serves, it was guaranteeing to lead the fight to strengthen ending the shame of platitudinous campaign rhetoric." -- Mark Steyn
"John Edwards announced his candidacy Thursday for the Democratic presidential nomination. It's the second time he has run. The desire to be president is a siren's call, and no one responds to a siren faster than a personal injury attorney." -- Argus Hamilton
"In the annual spirit of compulsive declarations, summations and resolutions, let me just say, I'm sorry. For everything. The Crusades, destruction of the Mayan temples, the Spanish Inquisition, (really sorry for that), the Bay of Pigs and, not least, typing the word ‘possom' when I really meant ‘possum'." -- Kathleen Parker
"[T]here were many pesky problems left over from 2005 that refused to go away in 2006, including Iraq, immigration, high gas prices, terrorism, global warming, avian flu, Iran, North Korea and Paris Hilton." -- Dave Barry
"There is now a new law outlawing melting down pennies and nickels for profit. Based on current metal prices, both pennies and nickels are worth more melted down. Leave it to the government to figure out a way to lose money while making money." -- Jay Leno
"We [American women] have waited over 200 years for this time to come. In more than 200 years of history, there was an established pecking order and I cut in line. All right, let's hear it for the power!" -- Nancy Pelosi, newly seated House majority leader, bringing into question whether she can behave in a bipartisan manner with men, much less Republicans