The New Republic

A son of Ariel Sharon--not Omri, the one who's waiting to go to jail after his father dies, but Gilad--has written a brave piece in Thursday's Ha'aretz. In it he presents the demographic problem Israel faces. And it is not just a question of numbers. It is a question of loyalty...or, rather, disloyalty, the disloyalty to the State of Israel of the Israeli Arabs. It is called "Let Taibeh go to Palestine." Uzi Arad, a READ MORE >>

"Here's a Washington political riddle where you fill in the blanks: As Alberto Gonzales is to the Republicans, Blank Blank is to the Democrats.... If you answered 'Harry Reid,' give yourself an A." READ MORE >>

Jason, Romney's plan to create an ambassador-at-large dealing with nuclear terror sounds like a fine idea, although I'd like to see more details. READ MORE >>

From today's NYTimes obituary for Warren E. Avis, who founded the car rental company that bears his name: READ MORE >>

No, not the one who's back under investigation. The one who writes a column for the Washington Post. READ MORE >>

Richard A. Posner is a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for theSeventh Circuit and a senior lecturer at the University of ChicagoLaw School. The Judge in a Democracy By Aharon Barak (Princeton University Press, 332 pp., $29.95) READ MORE >>

by Cass Sunstein No one doubts the sheer ability of Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito. No one should doubt their characters or their commitment to the law. But at the time of their confirmations, there was real disagreement about whether they would turn out to be essentially predictable in their votes, or whether their commitment to the law, and their lawyerly skills, would lead them, on occasion, in surprising directions. Many people, both liberal and conservative, argued that "you can never predict what a judge will do." READ MORE >>

by Jeffrey Herf READ MORE >>

It's been a good week for Larry, so we should just let him bask in all of his glory: There was another [after the Supreme Court decision], less visible piece of good news out of Washington this week. Namely, Democrats don't have the votes to affect government-sponsored price controls for drugs. Score it capitalism 10--socialism zero. Ten to nothing, wow! It's a blowout. READ MORE >>

by Alan Wolfe For those--I include myself--who continue to blame Ralph Nader for the disaster known as George W. Bush, the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Gonzales v. Cahart caps the story. It is not merely that this decision is one more example of the way in which the American right has become more statist than the left. It is that the paternalism of the decision flows directly from Nader's particular version of statism. Nader believes that consumers make irresponsible purchases and it is the job of the government to prevent them from decisions they will later regret. READ MORE >>