David Frum's Blog, page 102

Texans Lose their Twang

I must apologize for my regional dialect taking over everything. Sadly, that includes distinctive accents such as the Texas twang that was my own until 5 or 6. One caveat: the accent thing is an urban issue. Rural kids have accents, city kids don't. Friends of mine from Austin, Dallas and Houston sound more like they're from Lincoln, NE than their fellow Texans in Abilene, Odessa and Wichita Falls.

Holly the Cat's Incredible Journey

Well this is bizarre. Today's New York Times features the story Holly the Cat, a Florida feline who traveled nearly 200 miles to get home. (Giving me an excuse to post the trailer for Homeward Bound on the blog!)

Life Imitates Patriots: Inaugural Version

In honor of this weekend's solemnities, I thought I'd post the chapter of Patriots set on Inauguration night. I'll mention: the incident with the drunken man asking rude questions of my protagonist's girlfriend actually happened to my wife Danielle and me at an inaugural ball in 1988. The man in the mullet haircut and flashing red bow tie is also taken from life - as, frankly, are most of the bizarre and ludicrous events in the book.

Hope and Change Meet DC, DC Wins

Jodi Kantor reports: The Obamas fought the system, and the system won.

John Lewis Responds to Rush Limbaugh

Representative John Lewis, who lost his wife earlier this month, replies to Rush Limbaugh's suggestion that Lewis ought to have used guns against the Alabama state troopers who attacked his march at Selma's Pettus Bridge in March 1965:

David's Book Club: Fateful Lightning

Allen Guelzo's new history of the civil war, Fateful Lightning , is a masterpiece of compression.

Syria Probes Obama's 'Red Lines'

My latest for the National Post wonders what Syria must do to cross President Obama's "red lines" and trigger American intervention.

You Read it First on Frum Forum

The New York Times discovers thenascent effortto make the third year of law school optional in New York state. This isn't news to Frum Forum readers. We (or, I guess, they) wrote about this in November of 2011.

A Response to Rod Dreher

Earlier today, I posted a link to a reply by Rod Dreher to a column that cited him. Rod felt I'd mischaracterized his views. Scroll down to read Rod's statement; here's the link to Rod in full.

We're Going to Need a Bigger Raft to Fight the Jobs Crisis

In the Financial Times today, business leader Mortimer Zuckerman grimly summarizes the crisis in American jobs and wages.