Comment Central - Times Online - WBLG

Today's Web Grab

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• Libby Purves in Faith Central: Afghan death sentence, latest
• Peter Hoskin in Coffee House: Whither should we turn - America or Europe?
• Stephen J. Dubner in Freakonomics: Are Economists really evil?
• Kate Phillips in The Caucus: One word: Reagan
• Dizzy Thinks: As if the Greeks will listen to that!

Are these the Top Ten British speeches?

Last night, while some friends were swooning over Obama's Ebenezer church speech, we began to talk about whether such a speech could be made in Britain.

I remarked that when I wrote speeches for William Hague he used to tease me for drafting him texts that would be suitable for use on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial at the culmination of a million man march, when in fact he was addressing the North Western conference of the Royal Opticians' Assocation.

So do British political leaders ever have cause to make thunderous ovations?

Here is the one blogger's attempt at a top ten of British speeches:

1. Calgacus / Tacitus, speech to the Britons (85 AD).
2. Winston Churchill, “We will fight them on the beaches…” (1940).
3. Thomas Rainsborough, address to the Putney debates (1647). 
4. Queen Elizabeth I, “Heart and stomach of a king…” (1588)
5. William Gladstone, first home rule bill (1886).
6. David Lloyd-George, proposing the people’s budget (1909).
7. Oliver Cromwell, “for godsake go…” (1653).
8. Geoffrey Howe, savaged by a dead sheep (1990).
9. Earl Spencer, funeral oration for Princess Diana (1997).
10. Harold MacMillan, “wind of change…” (1960).

What has he missed?

I can't believe I didn't notice this

Earlier today I wrote about a criticism of Shelby Steele made by Diane Abbott in a comment posted underneath my column this week.

I've just had a note from Oliver Kamm (among others). "Diane Abbott says that Shelby Steele:

is a right wing black man who voted for George W Bush in 1980 & 1984.

For what?"

Why Hillary does not have the youth vote

Real Clear Politics points to this new Hillary ad. Here she is. The would-be nominee turned rock chick. I can only imagine that this patronising pitch will have young voters reaching for the nearest Obama banner.

Magazine Rack - Issue 155

You might enjoy:

• Michael Weiss in The Weekly Standard: Now a crackdown on the British Council
• Edward Stein in Mother Jones: what does the Edwards withdrawal mean?
• Chris Smith in New York Magazine: Bloomberg's Enabler
• Charles Goodhart in Prospect: Explaining the financial crisis

Why is this US election unique?

The emergence of John McCain as the Republican frontrunner makes this American election unique.

It looks as if this will be the first election in US history where the nominees of both parties are members of the Senate.

On only two previous occasions has a Senator proceeded directly to the White House - John Kennedy in 1960 and Warren Harding in 1920.

And it has been surprisingly rare for even one Senator to be a candidate in the general election. There was Stephen Douglas in 1860, Barry Goldwater in 1964, George McGovern in 1972 and John Kerry in 2004.

Technically Bob Dole doesn't count because he resigned his seat before the election in 1996.

The traditional theory about this striking feature of US elections? That Senators talk their own legislative language, dry, technical, boring and not emotionally in touch with voters. And that they become part of the Washington machine and vulnerable to an anti-Washington campaign (which interestingly is exactly how Mitt Romney is now planning to go).

You can see both these weaknesses in John McCain. Fortunately for him, he'll be fighting another Senator. And both his potential opponents exhibit the same weaknesses.

Are only left wing people allowed to have insights?

Diane Abbott - mischievously described by Rod Liddle in The Spectator this week as that "pantomime dame of an MP" - has sent me an "Oh no he isn't" message.

And very revealing it is too.

In my column in The Times on Wednesday I praised the writing of Stanford University academic Shelby Steele.

Ms Abbott had this to say:

Shelby Steele is not "one of America's leading chroniclers of racial politics". He is a right wing black man who voted for George W Bush in 1980 & 1984, supported the war in Iraq and makes a living peddling the kind of inanities about black people that white people like to hear.

Right. So it is impossible to be a leading chronicler of black politics and be right wing is it? If you voted for George Bush you cannot chronicle racial politics. You are disqualified. Only left wing people are allowed to have insights.

Extraordinary. What's the Iraq war got to do with it, Diane? Aren't black people allowed to support the Iraq war if they want? Or does that somehow cancel out their blackness?

Shelby Steele's writing is a revolt against precisely this sort of thinking.

If you want to judge whether or not my claim about Steele is justified, try reading his short, punchy book The Content of Our Characters. You will not regret the investment of time I assure you.

Thursday's comment from the papers in...

Today in Times Comment

• Camilla Cavendish: The great Heathrow con
• Anatole Kaletsky: Now you've got to speak out
• Matthew Parris: Ring my health and safety hotline!
• Robert Crampton: The Great Fire of 16.66 miles
• Robin Shepherd: A barrage against Israel
• Bronwen Maddox: Problems with troops, aid and time means Afghan war may not be forgotten so easily
• Sandra Parsons: The Big Fish, hooked on their own arrogance
• Ann Treneman: Gordon Brown called in for questioning but refuses to go quietly
• Peter Riddell: Tighten those belts: the Government may have let the good times roll away

And from the rest of the papers...

• Iain Martin: (The Telegraph) - David Cameron and the coping classes
• Bonnie Greer: (The Telegraph) - This black American backs Hillary Clinton
• Alan Cochrane: (The Telegraph) - Alex Salmond's blazing quango campfire 
• Timothy Garton Ash: (The Guardian) - Our state collects more data than the Stasi ever did. We need to fight back
• Michael Tomasky: (The Guardian) - It's McCain v the party machine
• Andia Kisia: (The Guardian) - A bitter wind of grievance
• Adrian Hamilton: (The Independent) - The question remains: is King up to the job?
• Steve Richards: (The Independent) - This latest scandal should provoke a debate about the role – and financing – of politicians
• Lilian Pizzichini: (The Independent) - I saw for myself the shocking reality of prison life
• Quentin Letts: (The Daily Mail) - The atmosphere was as tense as a full bladder
• John Gapper: (Financial Times) - The crazy world of the superstar encourages risk

And from around the world...

• Gail Collins: (The New York Times) - Four’s a crowd. The presidential campaign is kind of lonely
• Nicholas D. Kristof: (The New York Times) - The dynastic question
• Robert D. Novak: (The Washington Post) - Is McCain a conservative?
• Karl Rove: (The Wall Street Journal) - The New Rules of Politics
• Lawrence H. Summers: (International Herald Tribune) - Different money, different rules
• Yossi Verter: (Haaretz) - Over to you, Ehud! 

Candidates courting the fat vote

And for the final fun of the day, I give you....The Onion.

Today's Web Grab

You might enjoy:

• Sunder Katwala in Comment is free: Long march of the Tory tortoises
• Sarah Vine in Alpha Mummy: Sticks and stones...
• Chris Dillow in Stumbling and Mumbling: What do mortgage approvals mean?
• Iain Dale's Diary: American Primaries: I want to be inspired
• Katharine Q. Seelye in The Caucus: And then there were two?