The New Republic

Now that Conrad Black is no longer in jail, he is free to spread his ideas to the hungry masses. National Review, which is always pining for the glory days of imperialism, has taken Black under its wing, and apparently decided that July 4th was an opportune time for him to pen a piece about the glories of empire. He begins: READ MORE >>

Amidst all the talk of a Republican "alternative" to Obamacare, it's refreshing to hear one Republican politician concede that, you know, he just doesn't care much about the uninsured. Here is Mitch McConnell, the senate minority leader, on Fox News Sunday, being badgered by Chris Wallace: READ MORE >>

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Imagine: How Creativity Works By Jonah Lehrer (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 279 pp., $26)  READ MORE >>

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[Guest post by Isaac Chotiner] A gunman killed seven people in the great city of Oakland yesterday. Tragic, you say. But not tragic for everyone. Take Deborah Lee, who studies at the university where the shooting occurred. Lee heard gunshots, but not to worry. As she told The New York Times: READ MORE >>

[Guest post by Isaac Chotiner] Ross Douthat's New York Times column yesterday made the argument that the much-maligned Republican Party has not gone crazy. Republican voters showed no interest in voting for Herman Cain, Michele Bachmann, or Donald Trump, and they (the voters) are inevitably going to hand the nomination over to Mitt Romney. READ MORE >>

Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai UndercityBy Katherine Boo (Random House, 256 pp., $27) READ MORE >>

[Guest post by Isaac Chotiner] From Gavin Polone's anti-Oscars piece in New York magazine: Can you really say that Borat didn’t deserve a [Best Picture] nomination but Letters From Iwo Jima did? Er, yes. Yes you can. READ MORE >>

[Guest Post by Isaac Chotiner]  READ MORE >>