Author Archives: Chicago Tribune
On gun control, there’s the Constitution and there’s Daley’s rules
In Chicago, Daleytution is the law of the land As Independence Day approaches, let’s remember that our Founding Fathers created a marvelous document to protect individual freedoms from the aggressions of government. We call this the Constitution. But along The … Continue reading
American culture as seen through the lens of reality
British historian Arnold Toynbee argued that civilizations thrive when the lower classes aspire to be like the upper classes, and they decay when the upper classes try to be like the lower classes. Looked at through this prism, it’s hard not to see America in a prolonged period of decay Continue reading
Posted in film & television
Leave a comment
Obama’s uncertain trumpet call to battle
We shall fight in the air, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields, we shall fight in the hills — for 18 months. Then we start packing for home. Continue reading
Posted in foreign affairs
1 Comment
Obama’s envelopes
Old Soviet joke: Moscow, 1953. Stalin calls in Khrushchev. “Niki, I’m dying. Don’t have much to leave you. Just three envelopes. Open them, one at a time, when you get into big trouble.” A few years later, first crisis. Khrushchev opens envelope 1: “Blame everything on me. Uncle Joe.” A few years later, a really big crisis. Opens envelope 2: “Blame everything on me. Again. Good luck, Uncle Joe.” Third crisis. Opens envelope 3: “Prepare three envelopes.” Continue reading
Posted in foreign affairs
Tagged afghanistan, bush, charles krauthammer, khrushchev, obama, stalin
Leave a comment
After beating video, Daley gets more help from Obama
By their speeches, the politicians transform a murder victim into a political icon, the dead now oblivious yet quite utilitarian, a fulcrum for government funding and calls to action. Continue reading
If Obama gets 2016 Games, Daley will be king, not mayor
The president of the United States shouldn’t have to fly halfway around the world to humble himself before a posse of international sports influence peddlers and beg for a track meet. Continue reading
