Peggy Noonan used to write speeches for Reagan and Poppy Bush. Now she writes a weekend piece for Rupert Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (WSJ). She's also on the Sunday morning talk shows from time to time. Noonan likes to convey the impression that she understands style and grace, especially as windows into the larger virtues

TO AMARILLO SLIM who died last week at age 83. Slim won the main event at the World Series of Poker in 1972. He parlayed his win into guest appearances on Johnny Carson and other TV shows where he publicized poker and, not incidentally, himself. He was a natural showman with an outsized personality. He played

SIMON KUPER writes regularly for the Financial Times on culture, politics, and sport. He's lived in Paris for 10 years. I've read him off and on and find him unremarkable.  His column in the FT on May 5 has his picture in the upper right corner, and opens with "Anyone who spends time in Paris comes

Since undertaking this blogging adventure back in February, I have written everything that has appeared herein. Today, I'm departing from that tradition by posting, with permission, an op-ed piece written by a friend of mine that appeared in the Stamford Advocate on April 17, 2012.  Marie, who had the good sense to be born in

TO CONGRESSMAN RON PAUL, AND DR. PAUL KRUGMAN who debated on Bloomberg TV on Monday night.  I like both of these guys, and will usually go out of my way to watch them when they're on the air.  Ron Paul is a hard-nosed Libertarian Conservative. He's cheerful and uncorruptible. He believes that debt is the major

ERIC BOLLING is the pretty boy airhead and cheap-shot artist who appears on FOX's gigglefest called Five at Five. On their program on the eve of the anniversary of the killing of Osama Bin Laden, Bolling sought to diminish the role of President Obama, by suggesting he was "not even sure" if Obama ordered the ultimate mission.