The Accident That Toppled History
Posted in Main Blog (All Posts) on November 1st, 2009 5:30 am by HL
The Accident That Toppled History
Mary Elise Sarotte, Washington Post
BERLIN — Once events make their passage from news of the day into history books, it is hard to imagine that they could have happened any other way. They're history, after all. And 20 years later, the fall of the Berlin Wall seems like that kind of history — a world-changing event that we commemorate and celebrate, its heroes and villains well established, its images and significance clearly comprehended.But the real story of the wall coming down is a lot less tidy than it may appear in the rear-view mirror. The "decision" to open the border was not a conscious choice…
Will J Street Disavow Its Extreme Left Flank?
James Kirchick, TNR
The self-declared mission of J Street, the dovish "pro-Israel, pro-Peace" lobby that just concluded its first national conference this week, includes redefining the meaning of the term "pro-Israel." For too long, the organization's founders and supporters argue, right-wing elements in the Jewish community have abused the term to hijack the debate and tarnish mainstream, sensible advocates of a two-state solution.J Street's "pro-Israel" bona fides were questioned almost immediately after its launch, and with good reason. For…
Splitting the Difference and Losing
Donnelly & Sullivan, Weekly Standard
Increase Font SizePrinter-FriendlyEmail a FriendRespond to this articleIn its continuing search for an alternative to General Stanley McChrystal's comprehensive counterinsurgency approach to the war in Afghanistan, and with President Obama having eliminated the minimalist counterterrorism plan of Vice President Joe Biden, the White House has lately been floating a split-the-difference trial balloon: “McChrystal Lite” or, to give the veep his due, “McChrystal for the cities, Biden for the countryside.”Last week the New York Times was allowed a sneak-peak of what this…
A Reaganite or Jacksonian Wave?
Ron Brownstein, National Journal
Sign In nationaljournal.com > National Journal Magazine > Political Connections Sponsored LinksAdvanced Searchby Ronald BrownsteinSaturday, Oct. 31, 2009Fittingly for a politician who represents Las Vegas, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., this week doubled down on his party's defining political bet.From the White House to Capitol Hill, Democrats are wagering that they can sell Americans on a sweeping and in some ways unprecedented expansion of government's reach to confront both the immediate economic downturn and such long-term challenges as health care and…
Dems’ Deep Divisions on Health Care
Michael Tanner, New York Post
By MICHAEL TANNER Last Updated: 4:39 AM, October 31, 2009 Posted: 12:28 AM, October 31, 2009 Weary of news stories that legislative support for health-care reform is all but dead, Democratic leaders have been seizing every handy podium to declare that “the votes are almost there,” “there is 90 percent agreement” on a proposal, “we are now…
