Opinion Journal: “Barack Obama is black, and it doesn’t matter. The implications could be enormous.” What we saw in Iowa was historic, even though I hope he doesn’t win the general election.
All posts by Phil
Coming Soon to a Bookshelf Near You
Buzz Girl has news on a few new books coming out this year. Here are ones I found interesting.
- The U.S. Poet Laureate has a book of poems coming in April.
- Buzz Girl writes about Ursula K. Le Guin’s new novel, “Unlike anything Le Guin has done before, this is an imagining of Lavinia, the king’s daughter in Vergil’s Aeneid, with whom Aeneas was destined to found an empire.”
- She says there will be a marketing splash made by Master of the Delta by Thomas H. Cook, a “literary mystery by a writer’s writer.” I haven’t heard of Cook, but I’m interested in literary mysteries and strong writing.
- She reports “HarperOne is the new identity for HarperSanFrancisco, publishing books on religion, spirituality and personal growth.” They have a couple books on politics and faith or religion coming soon. First, Jim Wallis thinks he’s gotten something to say in The Great Awakening: Reviving Faith & Politics in a Post-Religious Right America. I don’t care if the “religious right” label goes the way of the world, but if Wallis thinks the country has rejected conservative faith as exercised in government, he needs to get around more.
- Second from HarperOne is God in the White House: A History–1960-2004: How Faith Shaped the Presidency from John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush by Randall Balmer. Could be interesting.
- Bart Ehrman, author of Misquoting Jesus, continues to criticize his Creator and display his twisted faith in secondary sources with a new book, God’s Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question–Why We Suffer. Perhaps this one will inspire several response books too, just as his other one did.
In other news, Andrew Kalvan’s next book is coming this summer. Empire of Lies deals with a man with strong faith and a solid family who came from a violent life which comes back to haunt him. He is thrown into “a murderous conspiracy only he can see and only he can stop—a plot that bizarrely links his private passions to the turmoil of a world at war.”
In with a New Year, Out with the Neighborhood
Teachout quotes Ogden Nash on the new year.
Tim Challies on the Radio
Tim Challies is on Moody Broadcasting’s Prime Time America this week to talk about his book, The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment.
Freneau’s Heroes at Eutaw Sprtings
American poet Philip Freneau was born on this date in 1752. Since I know little about Freneau, I thought I’d post this link and point to his poem “Eutaw Springs,” spotlighted today on Bartleby.com. It’s one of those salutes to the fallen, heroes of America’s War of Independence who wrestled with their enemy at great cost.
Robert Frost’s Home Vandalized
A party of 50-some underaged drinkers tore up a summer home in Ripton, Vermont, used by poet Robert Frost, police report.
On the Eighth Day
Touchstone’s Mere Comments praises Eighth Day Books, saying they have a great selection and an enjoyable catalog.
The Resilient Country
Since I’ve written on political topics lately, let me link to this post on Giuliani’s article in City Journal. Harrison Scott Key argues that Giuliani has been the most forward-speaking candidate on the platform, telling us what we will or should do when problems come. “Government should harness the inherent strength of the American people and the private sector,” Giuliani writes, “in order to build a society that may bend-but not break-if catastrophe does strike. The American people are ready, willing, and able to take a more active role in our civil defense.”
Thompson, A Citizen Candidate
Fred Thompson has a blog post on Redstate which responds to an article claiming he doesn’t care much about running for president. Thompson writes:
It is clear that there are those in the media who will exact a high price for candor and from those whom they consider to be insufficiently ambitious. But it is with increasing amazement that we see that those who are willing to slant or leave out important parts of a story to make their point.
If a candidate succumbs to this he will be reduced to nothing more than a sound bite machine.
He reproduces a transcript, that I first saw over here, which states his desire to serve as president and his belief that he has the experience to do so. He paints himself as a citizen candidate, not ambitious for political power, but willing to serve the country. This is the man who declined to run for the senate again because he had agreed to the principle of term limits, meaning he would serve only two terms. He says:
I’m saying that I have the background, the capability and concern to do this and do it for the right reasons. I’m not particularly interested in running for president, but I think I’d make a good president.
Nowadays, the process has become much more important than it used to be.
I don’t know that they ever asked George Washington a question like this. I don’t know that they ever asked Dwight D. Eisenhower a question like this. But nowadays, it’s all about fire in the belly.
Kristol To Write for NY Times
Editor of The Weekly Standard, Bill Kristol, will write op-ed columns for the NY Times.