Driven Up the Rawls
It had been known for some time that during his last two undergraduate years at Princeton, John Rawls had immersed himself in Christian theology and considered studying for the Episcopal priesthood. More recently, a professor in Princeton’s religion department stumbled on Rawls’s senior thesis, “A Brief Inquiry into the Meaning of Sin and Faith: An interpretation based on the concept of community.” This discovery moved two noted philosophers, John Cohen and Tom Nagel, to explore possible links between his youthful theological speculations and his mature political philosophy.
On Rawls
It had been known for some time that during his last two undergraduate years at Princeton, John Rawls had immersed himself in Christian theology and considered studying for the Episcopal priesthood. More recently, a professor in Princeton's religion department stumbled on Rawls's senior thesis, "A Brief Inquiry into the Meaning of Sin and Faith: An interpretation based on the concept of community." This discovery moved two noted philosophers, Joshua Cohen and Tom Nagel, to explore possible links between his youthful theological speculations and his mature political philosophy.
A Cap And Trade Calamity?
It is gradually dawning on Washington that cap-and-trade legislation won't pass anytime soon--certainly not this year, and probably not next year either.
Barack’s Too-Long Wish List
A surprised Rudolph Penner, assistant director of President Ford’s OMB and later a CBO director, offered a blunt assessment of the new president: “[He] has proposed a huge restructuring of government, and people are actually taking him seriously.
Barack's Too-long Wish List
A surprised Rudolph Penner, assistant director of President Ford's OMB and later a CBO director, offered a blunt assessment of the new president: "[He] has proposed a huge restructuring of government, and people are actually taking him seriously. The man ...
David Brooks's "Moderate Manifesto" has attracted much attention, and deservedly so. It is a cri de coeur from a respected commentator who cannot stomach what conservatism has become, but who also cannot embrace what he calls the "transformational liberalism" of the Obama administration. Brooks' critique is fiscal, ideological, and moral--so let's cover the fiscal aspects first.
Making Legislative Lemonade
The agenda on which President Obama campaigned is in the process of colliding with the agenda that events have forced upon him. How he responds will determine the course--and perhaps the fate--of his presidency. In January of this year, the Congressional Budget Office projected deficits of $1.19 trillion for fiscal year 2009 and $703 billion for FY 2010. The stimulus package just signed into law added $185 billion to the 2009 deficit and $399 billion for 2010.
What Obama Could Learn From Reagan
I joined Walter Mondale's campaign as his issues director in June 1982, and I vividly remember the excitement that gripped most Democrats at the time. Ronald Reagan's approval rating had fallen below 40 percent, and party professionals believed that the failure of his economic plan to produce a turnaround all but guaranteed huge trouble for incumbent Republicans--political scientists predicted Republican losses of up to 50 House seats. It didn't work out that way, though: Republicans dropped a relatively modest 26 seats in the House and held steady in the Senate.
In Defense of Caution
If history is any guide, the decisions that a President-Elect Obama makes over the next few months will shape his administration. By the end of February, he will have to define his top domestic priorities, submit a budget, and begin the difficult process of unwinding America’s combat presence in Iraq. The good news is that the terms of his victory likely will have left him some room to maneuver.
In Defense Of Caution
If history is any guide, the decisions that a President-Elect Obama makes over the next few months will shape his administration. By the end of February, he will have to define his top domestic priorities, submit a budget, and begin the difficult process of unwinding America's combat presence in Iraq. The good news is that the terms of his victory likely will have left him some room to maneuver.
