by Unknown | 7/17/2008 10:47:00 PM
From Eric Rauchway's excellent new column at TNR on Theodore Roosevelt and John McCain (hat tip):

"Speak softly and carry a big stick" is an elegant and catchy aphorism, but they aren't words that Roosevelt lived by. His near-constant bluster undermined the first part, and the second half of the phrase was likewise unrealized, because it was (and is) so unrealistic. No stick was ever big enough to match the force of TR's language, or be the panacea for the world's ills that McCain seems to think it could be.


Congratulations to my co-blogger Mark Safranski for this op-ed at Pajamas Media. Mark's exercised about what he perceives to be an attempt to muzzle Congresspeople's online free speech by Democratic House member Michael Capuano. The liberal Matt Stoller agrees with him. I disagree with them both, and explain why here. (Hat tip Mark, in several places.)

For anyone concerned with the recent spate of police brutality incidents, Elle's post is required reading. (Hat tip.)

What's on your mind?

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2 Comments:


Blogger PhDinHistory on 7/19/2008 8:28 AM:

What are your thoughts on Hillary Clinton these days? Has she really dropped out of the race? Why hasn't she defended Obama against McCain's criticisms? Why hasn't she instructed her delegates to support Obama? Why is she asking her campaign contributors to let her keep their donations? Is she hoping that Obama will get bruised up a bit between now and the convention? Would she like it if some of Obama's delegates wavered in their faith? What are the odds that she could win over some of his delegates at the convention? Didn't she threaten a convention fight back in May? What are the odds that she is still preparing for a fight at the convention?

 

Blogger Unknown on 7/19/2008 4:47 PM:

I think she's really dropped out of the race. The only way she could win if is something terrible happens to Obama (dead girl or live boy, as they say), and she may be keeping her delegates for that purpose, but I'm inclined to think it's just petulance. She's endorsing him, but she doesn't have to like it. The money is a different story -- she finished the campaign with something like $11 million in debt, so she needs that money badly.