Newsday

Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2008: To understand how the Republicans did the seemingly impossible -- win the presidency for a third straight election -- we must go back to the pivotal period: spring 2007.

That was when the GOP finally snapped out of its infatuation with George W. Bush and his "invade the world/invite the world" ideology. On the one hand, the Bush policy was to fight open-ended foreign wars in the name of abstractions simply not applicable to Muslims in the… more

“Those who are looking to find fault with this bill will always be able to find something." That was George W. Bush at his press conference Thursday, defending his proposed immigration legislation. He didn’t quite say to critics, "Bring ‘em on" -- but was close enough to get this critic going.

Of course, the president immediately went on to laud the "comprehensive" virtues of his bill, urging its congressional enactment. But if we examine the legislation, we will indeed see plenty… more

One assumes that Ron Paul knows he is not going to be the next president of the United States -- or even the next Republican nominee. Yet the Texas congressman is campaigning hard, aiming particular ire and fire at Rudy Giuliani.

Paul is commonly regarded -- by those who have heard of him -- as more of a Libertarian than a Republican. That is, he believes in minimal regulation at home and minimal intervention abroad. Indeed, Paul took a detour out… more

Inside the mind of Sen. Teddy Kennedy:

I see that many of my fellow liberal Democrats, including Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama, are trashing my immigration bill.

Those fools! Can’t they see the gift I’m giving them? This bill will not only improve social justice and enhance racial diversity in America, but will also wreck the Republican Party -- what’s not to like?

And here’s the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund coming out against the bill. And the Massachusetts Immigrant and… more

Rudy Giuliani went into the most recent Republican presidential debate as the front-runner, and he emerged as the front-runner. And he’s doing it, to coin a phrase, his way.

The spectacle of 10 hopefuls onstage in South Carolina, all yakking away, might be wearying, even to the GOP faithful, but fairness requires that everyone have a shot.

Besides, some new stars will emerge. For example, not only did former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee have the funniest line of the night -- "We’ve… more

“Sir Winston, this is a no-smoking building!"

I have been well trained by the P.C. police, and so my first reaction, upon receiving a visit from the legendary British war leader, was to tell him to put out his cigar.

"My dear boy," Winston Churchill said to me in his famously rumbly voice, "I was rarely far from a Cubano or a glass for my whole adult life. Yet, not only did I rally Western civilization to victory over Nazism, but I… more

So three of the men arrested for plotting to massacre American soldiers in New Jersey were here illegally. Here’s a dumb question: Why are there any people here in this country illegally?

It’s possible to argue back and forth about the economic and social impact of illegal immigration into the United States. But surely there can be no argument about the undesirability of terrorism.

And, since we have just been reminded yet again that illegal aliens can be terrorists, we should ask… more

“Finally, a revolution in France that I approve of!”

That was Edmund Burke, reacting happily to the election of conservative Nicolas Sarkozy as the new French president.

Burke looked and sounded pretty chipper, considering that he’s been dead for 210 years. OK, I’m not sure I was really talking to Burke. But I felt his spirit, knowing he would be delighted to see the French socialists defeated once again.

Those socialists, of course, are the inheritors of the 1789 Revolution that Burke so… more

In Spider-Man 3 the title character -- could we call him an "Arachno-American"? -- leads a double life.

But Spider-Man is in the wrong city: New Yorkers feel no need to hide anything; they are open about themselves, eager to let it all hang out. Spidey should have been in Washington, D.C., where duality is king and hypocrisy is queen.

The Beltway is currently atwitter with speculation about the so-called "D.C. Madam’s" black book, now in the possession of ABC News. So… more

Who’s sorry now? Lots of people these days are rushing to the cameras, claiming to be misunderstood -- but none of them seems truly regretful.

Saying that one is sorry, of course, is just the beginning. Those who are genuinely apologetic know that repentance is a stern taskmaster. According to Catholic doctrine, for example, "contrition" is "a sorrow of soul and a hatred of sin committed, with a firm purpose of not sinning in the future."

In other words, if you are… more