David Frum's Blog, page 158

There Are Still Communists?

David Pryce-Jones' obituary for communist Eric Hobsbawm is brutally frank.

The Future: Compost Fueled Cars

Or, as regular commenter NHThinker puts it on Twitter, "horses."

Cameron Clings to Power in Britain

Fraser Nelson explains the current state of Britain's Conservative-Liberal coalition in The Spectator, quoting a newly promoted cabinet minister: "The glue that binds both of us together is fear of the electorate."

Reddit v Gawker: Why Can't Both Lose?

Most of you are probably aware of the flame war being fought by Reddit and Gawker, two of the lowest-common denominator sites on the web. The Daily Beast's Alex Klein correctly paints this as a battle between creeps on one side and creeps on the other. Here's his takedown of Gawker's faux outrage about "creepshots:"

Credibility Trumps Power

Andrew Coyne's tribute to his late father takes the form of a profound meditation on individual moral responsibility in a competitive party system. The column is deeply worth your time and care.

Will Italy Rebel Against the EU?

In the October Prospect, former Economist editor Bill Emmott observes that Italy may soon rebel against EU-imposed austerity:

Mitt's Binders Full of Affirmative Action

A mea culpa: Yesterday's post on how only Mitt Romney could make liberals bash affirmative action did not mention that his story was, in classic Mitt fashion, not exactly accurate. I took for granted that most of the readers on this blog would already be familiar with this, but I should not have done so. My apologies, and here's a link to the definitive piece on the subject.

Reporting from the Rust Belt

For proof good long-form journalism should never die, read Dan Barry's five part series on Elyria, Ohio.

Meet a Serial Killer

Clifford Olson was the most atrocious serial killer in Canadian history, responsible for 11 murders of young boys and girls. When Olson was at last apprehended in 1981, his case was dealt with in a very Canadian way. The authorities accepted a guilty plea for the murders and despatched Olson to prison without trial. This method avoided a gruesome public recounting of Olson's crimes. In part, the authorities were motivated by a wish to avoid pain to the families of the murdered young peop...

Only Mitt Romney Could Make Liberals Bash Affirmative Action

You might recall Mitt Romney's passing mention last evening of his efforts to incorporate more women in his cabinet while serving as Governor of Massachusetts.