By Larry Thornberry - Special to The Washington Times
In this thin volume, Daniel J. Flynn tells of an era that, if not exactly prelapsarian, was a time when a fair number of regular, walking-around Americans showed interest in the intellectual tradition of the West, and a small number of artists and thinkers catered to this desire for knowledge Published December 2, 2011 Comments
By John R. Coyne Jr. - Special to The Washington Times
Condoleezza Rice served her country for eight intense years, four as President George W. Bush’s national security advisor, four as his secretary of state - years in which our national life was altered profoundly and our place in the world challenged by movements and forces swirling out of remote regions of the world. Published December 2, 2011 Comments
By Sandra McElwaine - Special to The Washington Times
The venerable Robert Massie has written another fascinating book about one of his favorite subjects: Czarist Russia. The new narrative by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “Nicholas and Alexandra,” “Peter The Great” and “The Romanovs” reveals, in exhaustive detail, the lavish and byzantine lives of the imperial family along with the machinations, intrigues, malicious gossip and rumors that flourished in the shadows of their court. Published December 2, 2011 Comments
By Philip Kopper - Special to The Washington Times
A decade after reading Tony Horwitz’s “Confederates in the Attic,” I have one lasting memory of hilarity at Rebel re-enactors bedding down on blankets all in a row on frozen ground (grown men on a Civil War sleepover) - along with wonder at the kinship between the Confederacy and folks who honor its memory. Published December 2, 2011 Comments
By John M. Taylor - Special to The Washington Times
Poets are remembered for their finest writings, painters for their most vivid canvases. The fate of their mediocre work is to be forgotten. Military men are judged differently. They are expected always to perform competently but are as likely to be remembered for their defeats as for their victories. So it was with Gen. George A. Custer, and so it was with a prominent British seaman, Capt. William Bligh, whose name is forever associated with the mutiny on one of his ships, the Bounty. Published November 30, 2011 Comments
By Jeremy Lott - Special to The Washington Times
Craig Thompson’s “Habibi” was one of two major graphic novel releases this fall inspired by the West’s recent, disastrous interactions with the Islamic world. The other was “Holy Terror” by Frank Miller, a thinly veiled Batman story that pitted the caped crusader against al Qaeda. Published November 29, 2011 Comments
By Buddy Roemer - Special to The Washington Times
After reading this fascinating book by former U.S. Sen. George McGovern, I can quickly answer the riddle of what it means to be a Democrat: holding a passionate belief in the ability of government to solve any problem, particularly if the answers come from Washington, D.C. In other words, no government is too big. In fact, no government is big enough. Published November 28, 2011 Comments
By Marion Elizabeth Rodgers - Special to The Washington Times
This year has been a season of memoirs written by the daughters of the famous: Alexandra Styron's "Reading My Father," about William Styron, and Katharine Weber's "The Memory of All That," about her grandmother Kay Swift and George Gershwin. Joining them is Erica Heller, novelist and creative consultant, piecing together the puzzle of her father, Joseph Heller, who used his experience of flying missions over France during World War II as the inspiration for his most famous (and lasting) 1961 novel. Published November 25, 2011 Comments
By Mark A. Kellner - Special to The Washington Times
For much of the past 2,000 years, as Jewish families have gathered around the table for the annual Passover Seder, a now-familiar saying has concluded the liturgy: "L'shana habaah b'yerushalayim," participants say in Hebrew: "Next year in Jerusalem!" Published November 25, 2011 Comments
By John Weisman - Special to The Washington Times
Writing series novels is tough. I did nine "Rogue Warrior" books, and that was enough. Making them fresh every time out of the gate; keeping your franchise character from getting stale; inventing the twists and turns that define the books; researching the tactics, techno-goodies and multiple locations that most action-adventure novels demand; and doing it all in the space of about 12 months per book -boy, that is tough work. Published November 23, 2011 Comments
By W. James Antle III - Special to The Washington Times
Three years ago, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her husband, Paul, made Hillary Rodham Clinton's success with cattle futures look like a child's lemonade stand. The credit card giant Visa was holding an initial public offering, among the most lucrative ever seen. The Pelosis were granted early access to the IPO as "special customers" who received their shares at the opening price, $44. The lucky investors turned in a 50 percent profit in just two days. Published November 22, 2011 Comments
By Wes Vernon - Special to The Washington Times
America is under attack. Not by a uniformed army with rifles and tanks. But the inva- sion is here and advancing. The soldiers of the attacking "Red Army" are part of a "radical network" that "excels at lying in wait and perfecting its assault so that when the right vehicle arrives, whether it's President Obama or someone else, it is ready to strike." Published November 21, 2011 Comments
By Peter Hannaford - Special to The Washington Times
When 1941 dawned, about half the nation wanted to stand aside from "Europe's wars," and about half thought "preparedness" was imperative to help the embattled British and rearm ourselves. Few actually thought we would be dragged into a war. Published November 18, 2011 Comments
By Claire Hopley - Special to The Washington Times
The thing about cats is that it's not clear that we domesticated them. Humans colonized dogs and horses for hunting, guarding and transportation. They rounded up sheep and cows for wool and milk and meat. But cats can't be rounded up and are not trained to give useful services. Published November 18, 2011 Comments
By John Greenya - Special to The Washington Times
In this, his 17th novel, George Pelecanos proves once again that his knowledge of Washington, D.C., its streets, its neighborhoods and, especially, a certain stratum of its people is unparalleled. Also as usual, he writes like an angel - an angel with dirty hands, but an angel nonetheless. Published November 18, 2011 Comments
By John M. Taylor - Special to The Washington Times
''Whether success or failure attends you," wrote British admiral Sir Edward Seymour in the late 19th century, "England nearly always approves an officer who has evidently done his best. You have only to do what seems proper, and if it turns out badly, it is the fault of Nature for not having made you cleverer." Adm. Seymour was not involved in the Franco-British campaign against Turkey in World War I, but his spirit was very much present. Published November 18, 2011 Comments
By Joseph C. Goulden
Accounts of World War II - including some published under auspices of the U.S. Army - have tended to portray officers of the Wehrmacht (the German army) as "professionally competent, technically proficient, and above all, clean." Published November 16, 2011 Comments
By and William C. Triplett II - The Washington Times
One of the most widely believed myths about China today is that market reforms, a growing economy and a purportedly more progressive government are leading to a new age of opportunity. PRC propagandists point out that the country's middle class has grown from nothing a few decades ago to 100 million or so in 2010. Published November 16, 2011 Comments
By Cheryl Wetzstein - The Washington Times
The Nov. 8 defeat of the “personhood” amendment in Mississippi is galvanizing supporters to have ...
By Meredith Somers - The Washington Times
U.S. Park Police moved into McPherson Square on Sunday to force Occupy D.C. protesters to ...
By Joseph Weber - The Washington Times
The Occupy D.C. movement will turn its attention on Democrats’ influence on and connection to ...