R.R. Reno is editor of First Things.

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More on Thiessen’s Moral Muddles

For those interested in a detailed discussion of the flaws in Marc Thiessen’s use of double effect to justify “enhanced interrogation techniques,” as well as a sober overall judgment about the moral status of our interrogation policies after 9/11, see Christopher Tollefsen’s . . . . Continue Reading »

27 Feb 2010

Muddled Moral Reasoning

In a New York Times column today , Mark Oppenheimer reviews the controversy surrounding former Bush speechwriter Marc Thiessen’s efforts to square waterboarding with Catholic moral doctrine. Mr. Thiessen has some ill-informed views, and Mr. Oppenheimer seems to have failed to do his homework. . . . . Continue Reading »

26 Feb 2010

France Revisited

While reading Jody Bottum’s reflections on Catholicism and modern France , I found myself disagreeing. I’m inclined to think that we have a great deal to learn from France. There is, of course, a lesson about the dangers to faith when the Church becomes intertwined with political . . . . Continue Reading »

26 Feb 2010

Defending Ruth Wisse

I find it odd that Jody and David have missed Ruth Wisse’s rather obvious point about the philosophical importance of Yiddish. Yiddish was the language in which the logically complex, multi-voiced world of the Talmud made its way into Jewish folk wisdom. The ironic and indirect ways of . . . . Continue Reading »

17 Feb 2010

Obama and Role Playing

Today’s Wall Street Journal ran a sharp op-ed piece by Shelby Steele. Without doubt, Steele has been one of the clearest and most forceful analysts of the tortured reality of race relations in the post-civil rights era. He has written with devastating persuasiveness about the the way in which . . . . Continue Reading »

30 Dec 2009

Conservative and Liberal Habits of Mind

It’s a blessing to have smart readers, and I’ve profited from the string of comments about the differences between conservative and liberal mentalities. Some point out that the Bush administration had its share of ideological blindness, especially with regard to policies after the . . . . Continue Reading »

28 Dec 2009

More on the Invincible Ignorance of Liberalism

Reader Nicholas Frankovich made an important clarification of my general observation that American liberal intellectuals have not come to terms with their moral mistakes. He points out that Susan Sontag spoke up against the self-complimenting anti-anti-communism of the Left. Excellent observation. . . . . Continue Reading »

23 Dec 2009

Service to the Communists

Monday’s Wall Street Journal ran an interesting review of a newly published biography of John S. Service by Jonathan Mirsky. Drummed out of the State Department during the McCarthy period, Service was long viewed as a victim of irrational anti-communism, and he was rewarded by the liberal . . . . Continue Reading »

22 Dec 2009

Nelson Caves on Abortion Funding

I had hoped that my senator, Ben Nelson from Nebraska, would stand up for the sanctity of life.  His vote turned out to be decisive for moving the health care legislation forward in the Senate, and it looked as though he would hold out for something like the Stupak amendment to the Senate . . . . Continue Reading »

19 Dec 2009

Re: When Heroes Wore Khakis

Whoa, wait a minute Joe . I think there’s a lot more going on in the Dockers ad that marketers trying to bring back trouser creases. I read this ad as a body blow to Baby-Boomer culture—casual Fridays, sloppily dressed professionals, sixty-year olds with sagging guts in blue jeans. And . . . . Continue Reading »

18 Dec 2009