P.J. O’Rourke has been the funniest writer in America for so long now that someone’s going to name an endowed chair or a writing award for him pretty soon. If you haven’t read any of his 10 books, I recommend starting with Parliament of Whores, one of the best books ever written about Washington. You’ll get hooked, and then you’ll have to read the rest of his work.
His newest book is On the Wealth of Nations, in which he “reads Adam Smith’s revolutionary The Wealth of Nations so you don’t have to.” It’s officially out next month, but it seems to be generally available now. I’ve got a copy, and although I haven’t finished, I can tell you it’s good.
P.J. O’Rourke is a resident of New Hampshire, and he was kind enough to share his current reading list with me this week. It’s a good’n. I’ll let him tell you about it:
“The novels of John P. Marquand. These are great anthropological studies of that once dominant, now endangered, species, the Eastern Wasp. (Some are still buzzing around the part of New Hampshire where I live, but their wingtips have devolved into Birkenstocks.) I just finished H.M.Pulham, Esquire, a portrait of a Back Bay denizen from the era when stuffy Boston was stuffed with something worthwhile.
“Nature Girl by Carl Hiaasen. Now that Hunter Thompson is gone there are only four great American humorists — Carl, Chris Buckley, Dave Barry, and Elmore Leonard. I wish I could grow up to be any of them, but three are younger than I am, and growing up to be Elmore Leonard is more than anyone could hope for.
“Restless by William Boyd. He’s the best serious novelist alive. He knocks Ian McEwan into the recycling bin (where, per recent controversy concerning the very boring Atonement, it seems McEwan gets his material.)
“Property and Freedom by Richard Pipes. He’s the emeritus professor of Russian history from Harvard who was Reagan’s National Security Council advisor on Soviet and Eastern European affairs. I’m reading his book for the second time because I’m trying to write some articles about the growth of democracy (assuming there is any) in the developing world. When it comes to emerging democracy, Dr. Pipes is one of the few people with any idea of what democracy emerges from. He’s a genius. I also recommend his A Concise History of the Russian Revolution, Russia Under the Old Regime, Communism: a History, and Vixi: Memoirs of a Non-Belonger.”
Many thanks to Mr. O’Rourke for taking the time to share his reading list, with commentary. I don’t know about you, but I plan to pick up the books on this list that I’ve yet to read, probably starting with Communism: A History.
I’ll be on vacation for the rest of the year, so no blogging until 2007. Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year. I’ll post the Friday Book Corner before I leave. It’s a great one, don’t miss it.
Some anti-Mitt Romney outfit calling itself eyeon08.com has included me in a list of “MSM” members down on Romney for flip-flopping on abortion and marriage. Not so. I haven’t made up my mind about Romney yet. Nor do I have to. It’s a long way to the primary. Heck, I haven’t even interviewed him yet. But I do like his hair.
Ari Richter has some discussion of the Romney interview and some NRO comments about Romney and how his candidacy might affect the NH primary. I completely disagree with John Podhoretz’s analysis that McCain and Giuliani might sit out NH because Romney’s a local favorite. NH is up for grabs, Romney or no. McCain is committed here; he’s already invested a great deal of time and money courting NH voters and activists. He’s not going to blow off the state. Giuliani? I doubt it. I think NRO’s excellent new political reporter, Jonathan Martin, was right in concluding that “no candidate is going to make the politically risky move of even being perceived as blowing off one of the first three” primary states.
Martin also beat me to a great point about the NH primary, which is that if Obama runs he could pull a big percentage of independent voters, taking them away from Giuliani or McCain. Of course, Giuliani could do the same.
Paul Hodes had a roundtable discussion about the minimum wage, and not a single person disagreed that the wage should be raised. Sounds really inclusive. Who participated? According to The Telegraph, it was a “group of labor and community leaders.” But not really. It was a group of left-wing political activists. In addition to labor representatives, there were folks from the “American Friends Service Committee, Children’s Alliance of New Hampshire, NH Immigrant Rights Coalition, and Working Families Win.” Notice what was missing? Employers. You’re sure to get a lot of support for a government regulation if the regulation robs Peter to pay Paul and the only person you invite to your meeting is Paul.
Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney talks to NRO’s Kathryn Jean Lopez, and she asks him about his change of positions on abortion and marriage. His responses are very good, but I’m not sure a lot of conservatives will find them convincing.
Peter Boyle, a great actor who deserved more recognition and better roles than he got, has died.
The Washington Post has a remarkable editorial on Augusto Pinochet today.
The editorial begins by recounting some of Pinochet’s more dastardly deeds, including the brutal torture and murder of political opponents. But it then notes that Pinochet also orchestrated a stunning economic recovery in Chile that has made it the envy of Latin America. Then comes the part that will infuriate a lot of people:
“By way of contrast, Fidel Castro — Mr. Pinochet’s nemesis and a hero to many in Latin America and beyond — will leave behind an economically ruined and freedomless country with his approaching death. Mr. Castro also killed and exiled thousands. But even when it became obvious that his communist economic system had impoverished his country, he refused to abandon that system: He spent the last years of his rule reversing a partial liberalization. To the end he also imprisoned or persecuted anyone who suggested Cubans could benefit from freedom of speech or the right to vote.
“The contrast between Cuba and Chile more than 30 years after Mr. Pinochet’s coup is a reminder of a famous essay written by Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, the provocative and energetic scholar and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who died Thursday. In “Dictatorships and Double Standards,” a work that caught the eye of President Ronald Reagan, Ms. Kirkpatrick argued that right-wing dictators such as Mr. Pinochet were ultimately less malign than communist rulers, in part because their regimes were more likely to pave the way for liberal democracies. She, too, was vilified by the left. Yet by now it should be obvious: She was right.”
This is a wonderful editorial for several reasons. First, it came from The Washington Post and not The Wall Street Journal. Second, it does not apologize for or excuse Pinochet’s murderous thuggery. Rather, it makes the perfectly logical point that if you are going to have to choose between a socialist murdering dictator and a capitalilst murdering dictator, the capitalist is the best choice because he will create the conditions that can lead eventually to democracy and prosperity.
In other words, socialism simply does not work, no matter how many people you kill or capitalists you expel in its name. But even under a government as politically repressive as Pinochet’s, capitalism can bring prosperty to the masses while simultaneously undermining the regime. Reagan understood this; his critics never did. It is great to see such an influential politically moderate editorial page acknowledge that basic political truth.
Sean Mahoney is running for the RNC seat being vacated by Tom Rath. So far he seems to be the only candidate.
The Friday Book Corner is back. Sorry for its temporary disappearance.
This week we feature Union Leader columnist Charlie Arlinghaus, who also moonlights as president of the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy in Concord.
“It’s bad for your brain to read only non-fiction,” Arlinghaus says. “So lately, I’m trying to mix a little of both into my reading list. Mystery stories are particularly good diversions. I tend to like old British authors. I decided one day four years ago to read Agatha Christie’s work in order. She wrote 85 mystery books and I have only 4 to go.
“I’m reading Elephant Can Remember, but if you want to start you might try Peril at End House or Murder at the Vicarage. Christie had a refreshing attitude that murder is wrong regardless of the extenuating circumstances. Very nice if creeping relativism has you down.
“If you don’t like Christie, try Dorothy L. Sayers. Murder Must Advertise is fun.
“For a little humor, try P.G. Wodehouse, whose Jeeves stories are the funniest things ever written in English. I just finished Uncle Fred in the Springtime, the intersection of two of his other great series, The Blandings Castle stories and the Uncle Fred stories.
“I’m still reading Simon Sebag Montefiore’s wonderful Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar. It is good to remember that evil men don’t wear horns and tails and can be at ease toddling children on their knee as they order the mass starvation of millions of people. Somehow the human touches make them seem even more monstrous.
“I like to think you can’t understand the modern world without understanding the Treaty of Versailles that ended the First World War. There are good books over the last years on 1919, but to understand that diplomacy better, next on my list is The Congress of Vienna: A Study in Allied Unity, 1812-1822 by Harold Nicolson, one of the British Delegation at Versailles.
Finally, read something inspirational just to remind you what matters. Pick up anything by Pope John Paul II, but Crossing the Threshold of Hope is wonderful. Read any chapter at random and you can’t help but feel a warmth.”
Granite Grok relays a nice anecdote about European attitudes toward America.
Dante Scala has some thoughtful observations on Barack Obama’s Sunday arrival in New Hampshire. I love his opening shot: “In case you haven’t heard, the junior senator from Illinois will appear before a sold-out party for New Hampshire Democratic activists this weekend.”
So say the people of Hong Kong. Their opposition prompted the government to back off plans to introduce a sales tax.
