Monthly Archives: January 2009

January 29, 2009

Moscow plays coy

So, Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama talk on the phone and agree that the U.S. and Russia need to do something about “stopping the drift in U.S.-Russian relations.”  According to the White House, “”The presidents agreed that, as they were … Continue reading →

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Filed under Barack Obama, Dmitry Medvedev, Russia

January 29, 2009

Damon Linker blogging at TNR

Damon Linker, former editor at First Things and author of The Theocons: Secular America Under Siege, now has a blog  at TNR.com.  I met Damon a few years ago at a Liberty Fund conference, and we had some great conversations.  … Continue reading →

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Filed under blogs, religion

January 28, 2009

… in which yours truly gets Palined

So I googled myself today (yes, I ego-surf) and came across this piece on the Slate blog, The XX Factor, eviscerating a feature in More magazine (a glossy targeting 40+ women) in which three writers, including yours truly, comment on … Continue reading →

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Filed under feminism, Sarah Palin

January 24, 2009

I’m looking at you, Vladimir Putin

My favorite part of Obama’s inaugural speech: To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not … Continue reading →

6 Comments

Filed under Barack Obama, Russia

January 24, 2009

A secular inaugural speech?

Susan Jacoby, author of Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism, praises Barack Obama for delivering an inaugral address “notably lacking in religious rhetoric”: Yes, he mentioned God, but as an atheist, I have no objection to a president who believes … Continue reading →

3 Comments

Filed under Barack Obama, religion

January 24, 2009

Post-inaugural thoughts

The speech: The best inaugural address since Ronald Reagan, says Thomas Sowell.  That’s pretty high praise.  “A fine speech,” says Michael Goldfarb on The Weekly Standard blog, particularly impressed by Obama’s emphasis on the role military force has played in … Continue reading →

6 Comments

Filed under Barack Obama, left and right, race

January 20, 2009

Why Bush is not Putin

Over the past several years, whenever I have written about the slow (and sometimes not so slow) destruction of freedom in Russia, my responses have invariably included comments that boiled down to, “Well, how is that different from what Bush/Cheney … Continue reading →

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Filed under George W. Bush, Vladimir Putin

January 20, 2009

My take on the Bush legacy and the Obama transition

The paradox of George W. Bush.

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Filed under Barack Obama, George W. Bush

January 20, 2009

Some pre-inaugural thoughts

No, I’m not suggesting that everyone has to join the Obama worship. Criticism, in a democracy, is a healthy thing (pardon the cliché). But some of the conservative sniping is silly or downright ridiculous (dear Lord, not the “Bill Ayers … Continue reading →

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Filed under Barack Obama

January 18, 2009

Russia’s undead heroes

My take on the “Name of Russia” contest, in The Weekly Standard.

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Filed under articles, history, Russia