Tragedy in Africa

In terms of shear poignancy and conciseness regarding the causes of Africa's plight, I can't think of anything more telling than this headline from the AP:

No public criticism for Mugabe at African summit

Thus Spake Tom Wolfe: Dan Rather = Idiot

Tom Wolfe speaks truth to power:

CHARLIE ROSE: You are at the stage in your fourth decade where people want you to give one last great lecture. I know you do them too. So if you were giving one last lecture about journalism.

TOM WOLFE: About journalism.

CHARLIE ROSE: Not just about finance but about journalism, what would you say because you`ve seen so much of it?

TOM WOLFE: I think what I would say is today as newspapers are declining rapidly, they`re losing money. I would just point out that all news today comes from the newspapers. All of it. Television has never initiated a successful story in its life. When they have a big story it`s always wrong. They had something about Israelis and atomic bombs. Absolutely wrong. They have George Bush being criticized in some letter — The so- called Dan Rather ...

CHARLIE ROSE: About George Bush`s... How he got into the National Guard.

TOM WOLFE: Right. Idiots. They should have looked at the piece of paper. Obviously not written by a typewriter.

Political Spouses: A Jury Question

In recent weeks, I've grown tired of the debate over whether the wives of the presidential candidates should be topics of political discussion. My answer is that of course they should. In a democracy, the issue of what is relevant in electing a president should be left to the jury (i.e., the people) and not to the parties (i.e., the candidates) or to the judge (i.e., the elite media).

Welcome

Welcome to our blog. I am a recent law school graduate, an avid follower of politics, and, perhaps most importantly, an enthusiastic gastronome.

Like Justice Samuel Alito (and perhaps even Senator McCain), I consider myself to be a Hamiltonian. Although I consider myself to be a conservative, I believe that the government is essential to ordered liberty, and that a robust government is justified and, indeed, desirable in certain limited circumstances. I will attempt to bring this perspective to my blogging.

My aim is to use this blog to provide running commentary on current events, the law, popular culture, and the news media. I will also, from time to time, supplement my treatment of the burning issues of the day with reviews of fine (and not so fine) dining.

Again, welcome. This should be fun.