World

As an addition to this post on wartime France, Clive Davis directs one to this Max Hastings op-ed from a couple of years ago that makes similar points: Hearing a recent conversation about collaboration, I made myself unpopular by suggesting that, if Britain had succumbed to Nazi rule, our own people would have behaved pretty much as the French did. Anthony Eden is seldom quoted with respect these days. Yet the former foreign secretary made an impressive contribution to Marcel Ophüls’ great film on wartime France, Le Chagrin et la Pitié. He said, in impeccable French: “It would be impertinent for any country that has never suffered occupation to pass

I’m indebted to Rod Dreher for the reminder that Willie Nelson celebrates his 75th birthday today. And there was me thinking he’d been around for longer than that. Here he is with that other great survivor Merle Haggard, singing the classic Pancho and Lefty: In 2003 Reason named Willie one of its 35 Heroes of Freedom.

Marty Peretz links to this Daily Mail account of an exhibition of photographs taken in wartime Paris which is, for obvious reasons, a matter of some debate in France. And yes, the photographs are shocking. Just not in the way in which either Peretz or the Mail seem to think they are. The Mail headline, subtle as ever, is “Oh what a lovely war! The dazzling photos of innocent Parisian fun that make the French so ashamed” while Marty titles his post, “What the Nazi Occupation of France was Really Like”. Here, for instance, is a photograph of three mademoiselles relaxing in the Luxembourg, circa 1942. How, the Mail wants

On the other hand, PJ O’Rourke isn’t the only one to have lost it. Consider, for instance, Maureen Dowd’s latest column: Is he [Obama]skittish around her [Clinton] because he knows that she detests him and he’s used to charming everyone? Or does he feel guilty that he cut in line ahead of her? As the husband of Michelle, does he know better than to defy the will of a strong woman? Or is he simply scared of Hillary because she’s scary? Good grief. Clearly the answers are: Sure, Absolutely, Indubitably and Of Course. Or maybe not. He is frantic to get away from her because he can’t keep carbo-loading to

Congratulations to Joe Bavier, a Reuters correspondent in the Congo. You could work years in this trade and never get to tap out an intro like this: KINSHASA (Reuters) – Police in Congo have arrested 13 suspected sorcerers accused of using black magic to steal or shrink men’s penises after a wave of panic and attempted lynchings triggered by the alleged witchcraft. [Via, Passport, Foreign Policy’s excellent blog.]

From James Joyner: News Corporation chairman Rupert Murdoch says that NATO is in a “crisis of confidence” because Western Europe is “losing its faith in the values and institutions that have kept us free.” He calls for a radical redefinition of the Alliance in order to save it, including extending membership to Australia, Japan, and Israel. Murdoch, who is receiving the Atlantic Council of the United States’ Distinguished Business Leader Award for 2008, says in his prepared remarks that, “We must face up to a painful truth: Europe no longer has either the political will or social culture to support military engagements in defense of itself and its allies. However

Patrick Hillery, President of Ireland from 1976-1990, has died. From the Telegraph’s obituary: As president, Hillery’s main achievement was the restoration of stability to the office; this he accomplished largely through invisibility and silence. If only other Presidents – and especially ones with more power – could be persuaded to follow Paddy Hillery’s excellent example…

I hadn’t realised until Sallie James at Cato pointed me in the right direction that neither John McCain, nor Barack Obama nor Hillary Clinton voted on the (awful) 2007 Farm Bill. Well, I guess one can see why. Still, it would be nice to hear their answers to the questions: 1.Why didn’t you vote on the Farm Bill? and 2. If you had would cast a vote, would you have voted Yes or No? Plus: How protectionist is your candidate? Find out here!

I’m talking about kidneys of course. Over to Alex Tabarrok: Only one country in the world has eliminated the shortage of transplant kidneys.  Only one country in the world has legalized financial payments to kidney donors.  That country is Iran. In an important report, transplant surgeon Benjamin Hippen argues that the Iranian system has saved thousands of lives and it should be used if not as model then to inform America’s efforts to eliminate its deadly shortage. Want to solve the organ donor shortage? Learn from Iran and permit donors to be compensated.

Did you know that you can be arrested for dancing at the Jefferson Memorial? Julian Sanchez explains. Megan also leaps into the fray. Almost no-one writes sensibly about house prices. Thankfully Chris Dillow is a bird of rare common sense. Norm remembers Botham at Brisbane. Happy days. If Clinton could be the “first black President” is George W Bush the “first Roman Catholic President”? Marc Ambinder on “Bittergate” (Can we please stop adding “Gate” to every minor tempest or bouhaha? No, probably not.)

There’s a gauche quality to Chris Matthews, the long-time MSNBC gab-fest host, that could almost be endearing if it weren’t for the unfortunate – and transparently obvious – truth that the man is a monumental ass. Anyone who has ever been tempted to throw a brick at the television when Matthews is yapping away will enjoy this delicious profile by Mark Leibovich in the New York Times Magazine. I doubt it’s quite what Matthews expected when he agreed – with great enthusiasm I imagine – to be profiled. Granted, it’s a peice for cable news junkies and Wahsington hacks above all else, but it’s a great article. This is just

From our old friends at National Review: Or, as Bill Bennett puts it: Colombia is the Israel of Latin America. Your nominations please for other unlikely Israels in unlikely corners of the planet. eg, Andorra is the Israel of Europe or Orvieto the Israel of Umbria etc. A prize to the best suggestion…