Question: If the nation has its first post-racial president, then why does his administration (a) support designating 400,000 native-born Hawaiians a "tribe" under the House-passed Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act and redistributing the state's wealth (including 38 percent of the state's land area) to them along racial guidelines? And (b) why has his administration entered a University of Texas case in support of upholding race-conscious admissions policies?
*****
At this year's Oscar ceremony, Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman in 83 years (making her the first in Hollywood history) to win an Oscar for directing a motion picture. It's about time. What's more, she won it for directing "The Hurt Locker," which depicts the U.S. military in a positive light. So Ms. Bigelow's Oscar (and the best-movie Oscar for "The Hurt Locker") many suggest turns away at last from Hollywood's long-abiding male chauvinism and hostility to most things military.
*****
"The Hurt Locker" deals with a military unit that defuses bombs (Improvised Explosive Devices -- IEDs) in Iraq. One reason President George W. Bush took the nation into Iraq was to demonstrate that democracy could work in a Middle Eastern Arab country. Newsweek, which took the leftist line that the American enterprise there was misguided and wouldn't work, not even with the "surge," now says in a cover piece headlined "Rebirth of a Nation" -- let's see: "Something that looks mighty like democracy is emerging in Iraq. And while it may not be a beacon of inspiration to the region, it most certainly is a watershed event that could come to represent a whole new era in the history of the massively undemocratic Middle East."
*****
In their earlier lives, both President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden opposed President Bush over Iraq -- ripped him. But now they're taking credit for his determination. The other day, Biden the buffoon said: "I'm very optimistic about Iraq. I mean, this could be one of the great achievements of this administration." In his lexicon, democracy in Iraq now translates into a very big deal.
*****
In picking a fight with Israel and its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over settlement construction within the boundaries of the original Jewish nation (that is, not in the West Bank), President Obama is behaving amateurishly. And why? Why this toxic conflict with one of our foremost friends, in stark contrast to the administration's gentle behavior toward, for instance, Russia, North Korea, and Iran?
*****
Few of our large cities are noted for the success of their school systems or of their governments generally. Detroit may close 44 of its schools, Kansas City 29. Stories about big cities routinely chronicle the many ways their governments are failing those they're pledged to serve. What's more, solidly "blue" states (New Jersey, California, Connecticut, Illinois, and New York) tend to lead the pack in debt per capita. The finances of many are near collapse.
*****
Big cities and blue states are the nation's leading repositories of liberal Democratic power. They tend to be broken, broke, and/or corrupt. So here's a query: Why should anyone think the gargantuan federal government, breaking all records for size and indebtedness and in power principally because of votes from big cities and big states, should not be a failure, too?