February 23, 2007

"Rudy & Mitt Hem & Haw on Abortion."

My Saturday NYT column is up! (TimesSelect link.)

12 comments:

Simon said...

I'm leaving town at 3am, so the hope is that the only place in town that carries it (that I know of) that's also open 24 hours will have the 1st edition by then. :)

Ruth Anne Adams said...
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Simon said...

Ruth Anne - oh, from this?

I can be jealous without hating. ;)

Ruth Anne Adams said...
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Ann Althouse said...

There will be a PDF of the Gargoyle eventually. I'll post it.

Simon said...

Ruth Anne Adams said...
"[T]he finished portrait is so much more Mona Lisa-ish than that dashed-off YouTube."

It's interesting how the same event can be depicted through two different media and acquire different characteristics. The finished photo may well be gorgeous, I have no doubt, but it'll lack the playful fun element of the video. :)

LutherM said...

A coherent brief analysis of what Giuliani believes, a not-so-subtle swipe at McCain, and a kind description of some Romney verbiage - all in one short column. No description of the quandry - how a bright solution to a problem, Griswold's " penumbral right of privacy", metamorphoses through Roe into the present where only God and Scalia know what's coming next. No real discussion of how "the deep beliefs Americans have about both reproductive freedom and the value of unborn life" may divert both the candidates and the electorate from real problems facing the United States. Just a nicely written Op Ed piece.

Mike Schell said...

With all due respect -- Bunk! Roe has been the law for more than 30 years. If Rudy or Mitt want it changed, they can say so. W and Karl brought us Code Pandering and we need to see it go away.

nina said...

When do we see complexity and when do we recognize evasion for what it is -- a desire to not lose potential votes? When I hear Giuliani, I hear less of the strong man with a complicated set of beliefs and more of the shrewd politician that he is. Which may not entirely be a negative. (Same could be said for the candidates on the other side, right? I mean, correct?)

I do look forward to your op-ed pieces. NYT, hire her already!

hdhouse said...

oh i long for a straightforward answer to a straightforward question....q. "is rudy guiliani your real name?" a. "what's in a name" to which the right wing press goes agog because rudy is obviously well read.

sheeese

Anonymous said...

This column conflates complexity, subtlety, and evasion in an attempt to defend Mitt Romney and Rudy Guiliani.

Sure, abortion is a complicated subject and it deserves complex analysis. But that's not what Mitt and Rudy are giving us. They're waffling and dodging and trying to be all things to all people.

If you wanted to make convincing argument that these guys are making coherent (albeit complex) arguments, you'd need to analyze the actual text of their statements more closely. I think that could even be done in the short space of an op-ed, if you wanted to do it and if their statements could support such scrutiny.

Simon said...

GJ - so your criticism is... What? That this piece fails to transcend the inherent limitations of the medium? Isn't that rather like catigating someone for their obstinate refusal to transcend the laws of gravity?