Columns, pieces and posts
People approach the Trent Lott story in political terms. Does it hurt the Republican Party? Do the Democrats get more out of the scandal if they successfully campaign for Mr. Lott’s departure, or do they gain more if he continues as GOP leader, functioning as a handy daily symbol of the racism that resides in […]
“Watch, he’s gonna tax the snow.” We turned toward the TV mounted on the wall. “Gonna pay for it now!” the counter clerk said, and people in line laughed as they paid for their papers. Mayor Mike Bloomberg had just come on to do a live news conference. They had the TV on in the […]
Rudolph Giuliani loves opera—big, lush, over-the-top opera, with sobbing clowns and jubilant courtesans. And this makes sense because Mr. Giuliani is a very emotional man. He thinks about the city, about the Yankees and the subways and the people and parades, in an emotional way. He doesn’t just fight crime, he acts a whole drama […]
There is so much to be thankful for that no column could begin to encompass it. Here are just three things, from the past year: 1. The continuance of the new patriotism which is marked not by a tinny boastfulness but by an intellectually and emotionally experienced fidelity to and respect for the founding ideas, […]
The big things to say about the recent JFK allegations—amazing, isn’t it, that “recent JFK allegations” is still an operative phrase in 2002?—are obvious. Illnesses as serious, varied and potentially debilitating as JFK’s, which included Addison’s disease, chronic and intense back pain due to the collapse of bones in his spinal column, intestinal problems including […]
There’s a lot to think about this week—the rise of Nancy Pelosi, the meaning of the Republican triumph—but my thoughts keep tugging toward a group of people who are abused, ostracized and facing a cold winter. It’s not right what we do to them, and we should pay attention. I saw them again the other […]
Every party has a reason for being. The Republican Party was formed in the mid-19th century to achieve a specific historical goal: the end of slavery. From there it became the party of Lincoln, the party that saved the Republic and, ultimately, the party that gave a natural home to those who felt enslaved by […]
That was some debate, the best so far of the political year. Each man was up to the battle. Each revealed what he thinks, how he operates, where he stands. Norm Coleman won. But Fritz Mondale showed there’s life in the old boy yet. I wouldn’t have bet that Mr. Coleman would emerge the victor. […]
It’s over. Or at least it appears to be. Black October is over, and the children around Washington can once again feel safe, or as safe as children these days are allowed to feel. They’re all little veterans of national trauma now. When I told my son Thursday morning—I stuck my head in his room […]
Liberals don’t appreciate conservatives enough. Conservatives don’t appreciate liberals enough either. Here’s an appreciation of Paul Wellstone, who died a few hours ago in the middle of a great battle in the heart of the great democracy. I met him only once, in Washington, in 1996. I wish I’d taken notes and could refer to […]