David Frum's Blog, page 200

Why No One Stops Biden's Gaffes

Todd Akin has been blasted from all corners of the political spectrum for his recent remarks about rape. Yet there is another national political figure who regularly makes offensive gaffes and who has no chance of being removed from his party's ticket. The figure, of course is Joe Biden. The list of Biden's gaffes is long, most recently he suggested Republicans would usher in a return of slavery ("They're going to put y'all back in chains." he said to a Virginia...

Global Alert: Turkey's Fundamentalist Turn

What news from foreign countries will we be talking about in two months? To keep readers abreast of the latest developments abroad, Brian Stewart will provide semi-regular commentary for the blog, highlighting global alerts that merit attention.

In Defense of Skinny-Dipping

Conor Friedersdorf chuckles at Politico's breathless coverage of a year old skinny-dipping incident, and proposes every member of Congress take up the activity:

No Keystone Pipeline, More Saudi Oil

The New York Times reported on August 16 that American imports of Saudi Arabian oil increased dramatically in the past year. This is a concern due to rising tensions with Iran, Saudi Arabia's bellicose neighbor and the potential source of a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, the key export point for Persian Gulf petroleum. Irwin Stelzer notes at The Weekly Standard that the story fails to note the key point: Why is America forced to make up this petroleum shortfall?

In Defense of Niall Ferguson

Niall Ferguson has ignited a controversy with his Newsweek cover urging rejection of President Obama. One point in the story that has roused special fury is this chart, projecting China's economy will overtake Americas by 2017.

Ron Paul Wins At Last

It's not as big a prize as going back to the gold standard, but Ron Paul can claim victory now that Mitt Romney is publicly in favor of an audit of the Federal Reserve:

The State of Punditry Today

A. Barton Hinkle captures it.

National Review Acknowledges Political Reality

National Review joins many other Republicans and conservatives and calls on Todd Akin to drop out of Missouri's senate race. It notes there is no political majority calling for abortion to be banned even in cases of rape:

Young Conservatives Discover Climate Change

As recently as 2010, major Republican leaders such as Lindsey Graham were comfortable proposing (although not passing) market-based solutions to climate change. That was largely swept away with the Tea Party, but the hints of a comeback are emerging. From National Journal, the tale of two young conservatives attempting to create safer conditions for GOP politicians to vote on climate-change issues:

How Legitimate Was My Rape?

Tom Doran skewers Todd Akin with a sarcastic questionare for women seeking to determine the "legitimacy" of their rape. In the process, Doran lambasts Julian Assange of Wikileaks fame for ignoring the alleged sex crimes for which he is accused of in Sweden: