An international speaking tour aside, it’s hard to argue that the President Elect brings a wealth of real foreign policy experience with him to the Oval Office. Nevetheless, the activity of intimately directing a war can have a dramatic and transformative effect on one’s world . . . . Continue Reading »
A priest whose name shall not be mentioned emailed me this morning to remind me that in a week and two days "a new era in mankind will begin . . . " While millions of Americans cheerfully await the inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama II there are a few of us who are not quite so . . . . Continue Reading »
“Those who distinguish civil from theological intolerance are, to my mind, mistaken. The two forms are inseparable. It is impossible to live at peace withthose whom we regard as damned; to love them would be to hate God who punishes them: we positively must either reclaim or torment . . . . Continue Reading »
I’ll confess to being a little bit dissatisfied both by Helen’s latest screed contra statistics and by Prof. Kenneally’s argument that science improperly understood ignores the qualities of our lived experience . Both have managed to say a lot of true things but neither, in my . . . . Continue Reading »
John Gray begins his Enlightenment’s Wake with a breathtaking dismissal of neo-liberal political philosophy (the chapter is “Against the new liberalism”). I found it thrilling, and not just because I have a weakness for titles that begin with “Against.” A few . . . . Continue Reading »
Power and gift seem to be opposed to each other, but Milbank argues that true rule is always donative, always a gift of ruling. This is partly a matter of power-sharing, and obvious once the point is made: A ruler who does not share rule is, by definition, a tyrant; his rule is not rule by . . . . Continue Reading »
When does a quantitative change in politics become a qualitative one? Many, including Karl Marx, have puzzled over this question without providing a fully satisfactory response. At long last an answer now appears to be at our disposal. Blago, Bernie, and Barack, each in his . . . . Continue Reading »
OK, so the ubiquity of the Obamas at the news stand is an annoyance, but consider the alternative: Another round of Angelina v. Brad v. Jen v. the world, or Brittany’s latest meltdown, or whatever. The usual celebrities will be back soon enough, but for the moment let’s bask in the glow . . . . Continue Reading »
If memory serves I was sitting in sociology class, just after lunch, on this day forty-four years ago, when the loud speaker at the front of the class crackled. I leaned forward to the girl sitting in front of me, Patty Brennan, and whispered, "They’ve shot the president!" She . . . . Continue Reading »
I’ve expanded my consideration of the “culture wars” in the age of Obama on the First Things web site: http://www.firstthings.com. . . . . Continue Reading »
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