Blogger Glenn Reynolds, who runs Insta Pundit and also blogs for MSNBC.com, is critical of Bush on a number of issues. But he says Bush is still his man when it comes to the war -- because John Kerry offers "nothing" in the way of an alternative policy, and because, in his view, some Democrats are even hoping the U.S. will fail in Iraq.

"Some e-mailers think that I've been too hard on [John Kerry], or that I'm trying to tar the entire Democratic party as unpatriotic.

"That's hardly the case. I know better than that. But I do feel that a significant -- and disproportionately noisy -- segment of the Democratic party is unpatriotic (at least, they'd rather lose in Iraq than see Bush re-elected), and that this is a big problem for Kerry ... On the other hand, some people think that I've been too generous to Kerry. It's hard to say. Kerry's position on the war isn't that clear yet, and he needs to bring focus to it ...

"Personally, I'd love for Kerry to make a strong and positive case on what he's going to do about the war. I've supported President Bush on the war for lack of a viable, trustworthy alternative (you can't beat something with nothing), but there are lots of other Bush policies -- stem cells, abortion, etc. -- that I don't agree with. I'd rather not be a single-issue voter in this election, but in the absence of a coherent and trustworthy policy from Kerry that's what I'll be. You can't beat something with nothing."

"Spook Shakeup"
That's what former CIA officer and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Peter Brookes called for in Monday's edition of the New York Post. In the wake of the 9/11 hearings, Brookes is among those pushing for a single, Cabinet-level director of national intelligence, along with a consolidation of the nation's 15 current intelligence agencies: "We still need the capabilities of today's 15 agencies," he argues, "we just don't need them sheathed in 15 bloated bureaucracies."

Like Kristol and Kagan, Brookes seems to put his old boss Donald Rumsfeld on notice, albeit for different reasons. The current secretary of defense, he says, holds way too much power over the U.S. intelligence system.

"The director of central intelligence (DCI) isn't in charge of the [intelligence community]. He's got the coolest title in town, but he's actually a bit player in the world of American spy-dom. The real big fish is the secretary of defense, who owns 80 percent of the intelligence budget and seven of 15 intel agencies. The DCI runs the CIA and is the president's senior intelligence adviser -- that's it.

"During the Cold War, it made sense for the secretary of defense to own the most intelligence assets, because the primary threat to U.S. security was the military might of the Soviet Union. Today, the threat is different: It's al Qaeda, biological weapons, dirty bombs, North Korea and Iran -- not a Soviet tank.

"As The Donald would say: It's time for a little corporate reshuffling."

Bush makes Clinton look frugal
For many months now, fiscal conservatives have expressed their displeasure with the wanton spending of the Bush White House. In a commentary published by the Heritage Foundation, economist Daniel Mitchell continues that familiar theme.

"While the White House can take comfort in the relative strength of the American economy, this doesn't mean that the administration should be satisfied. Economic growth could be much higher, especially if there are improvements in economic policy. Putting a lid on federal spending would be a big step in the right direction. The Bush administration has not done a good job in this area, allowing spending to climb much faster than it did when the Democrats last controlled the White House."

Of course, Mitchell has no love for Sen. John Kerry, who he says has "compiled a voting record to the left of Ted Kennedy" and "has endorsed programs that would add hundreds of billions of dollars in new spending."

Kerry has also been accused by many conservatives of being too "French" -- and in an odd coincidence, though Mitchell appears to offer an evenhanded conclusion to his analysis, he singles out one particular foreign economy as a warning to American voters.

"America has the world's most powerful economy, but our advantage won't last if Republicans and Democrats waste money on ineffective government programs. We don't want France's stagnant economy and high unemployment, so our lawmakers shouldn't behave like French politicians."

House of worship, or house of lingerie?
A modern-day identity crisis has gripped America's churches and grabbed the headlines in recent months -- though not quite like this. Doug Giles, a senior minister for His People Christian Church in Miami and host of Clash Radio.com, says it's time to resurrect some serious testosterone in the service of the Lord.

"Have you ever asked yourself, 'Self, why do churches today look more like the lingerie department at Wal-Mart than a battalion of men poised to plunder the powers of darkness?' Why do men avoid going to church, and what can be done about it? ...

"More and more, we are seeing fewer and fewer mature and responsible, evil-challenging tripods who love leadership, the struggle and aren't afraid to boldly face an increasingly godless environment with conviction, power and the love of God.

"So why do most men avoid church? Here's the veneer stripped-away answer: Church, for most men, has not only become irrelevant; it has also become effeminate ... The current lack of strong men within the Church, both in the numeric and leadership sense, has crippled our cathedrals and has helped devastate our nation ethically. The masculine spirit being absent from the pulpit, the pew and subsequently the public square has not only slowed down the forward progress of the Church, it has also weakened our nation's morality, increased our country's secularity, and has assisted [owing to our absence] the lascivious Left's re-definition of life, sex, marriage and law."

Giles offers a few suggestions about how the church can get back on track. At the top of his list:

"Put an end to preaching by cheesy, whiny, quiche-eating, preening Nancy Boys -- right now! It freaks us meat-eaters out. Get it? Hire a pastor who throws off a good John Wayne vibe instead of that Boy George feeling. Know what I mean? And cheer on 'Pastor Wayne' to serve up the solid meat of the scripture, the stuff that prods the congregation to biblical maturity rather than prolonging their infancy."

Indeed, in these dark times of global strife, Giles appears to have a canny gift for preaching the gospel of manly recruitment.

"One last word for the young Christian man: Do you want to grow up quickly? Then leave mommy's familiar, safe haven and venture out into the danger zone ... Avoid the secure; fear over-protection; and happily accept the masculine task of the patriarch, the prophet, the warrior and wild man.

"Get to a place, young warrior, where pain is not a big deal, where you embrace resistance. And by your example, you will encourage others to resist self-doubt, squeamishness, indecision and the impulse to surrender and withdraw into the warm, wet womb of Wussville."

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Read more of "Right Hook," Salon's weekly roundup of conservative commentary and analysis here.

Recent Stories