Netanyahu and others at AIPAC

The Cinch Review

Ron and Allis Radosh report on the speeches at Monday’s important AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) meeting in Washington, and the mood of the attendees. The post via Pajamas Media is titled “Netanyahu Vs. the Shadow of Annihilation.”

Brief extract:

[Netanyahu] noted that some commentators have argued that it is less dangerous for Iran to get an atomic bomb than what it would take to stop them, since force would provoke a more vindictive response from Iran. Turning to history to prove his point, Netanyahu told the audience about the request that the World Jewish Congress had made to the U.S. War Department in 1944, asking that the allies bomb the railroad tracks at Auschwitz. Several weeks later they received their answer. The railroad tracks could not be destroyed, the Department wrote back, because it might “provoke” the Nazis to do even worse!


Jacksonville CNN Republican debate

The Cinch Review

Not going to belabor the blow-by-blow of last night’s Republican debate on CNN. Neither Romney nor Gingrich scored knockouts, which on balance is bad for Gingrich as the negative onslaught against him from Republican establishment figures has been taking its toll on his poll numbers. Rick Santorum had one or two very good moments, but he’s effectively conceded Florida anyway and clearly his only strategy for getting anywhere in this race is hanging on until Gingrich potentially implodes and drops out. Ron Paul was, from where I was sitting, the most likeable he’s been in any debate, with marvelous one-liners. I’ll reiterate what I’ve said before: Should both Gingrich and Santorum both throw in the towel, Ron Paul will continue making the race interesting for Mitt Romney well down the road. Paul’s strategy is obviously to just suck up as many delegates as he can so that he can wield some influence and grab a platform at the convention, so there is no reason for him to ever give up (unless he decides to go third party/independent after all). Continue reading “Jacksonville CNN Republican debate”

Hope and change: Newt Gingrich wins South Carolina

The Cinch Review

The momentous monotony of Mitt is stalled, finally. Hats off to the people of South Carolina for asserting themselves in this way. But expect the establishment counterattack to ramp up substantially in the coming days. Mitt Romney can call Newt an insider all he wants. The fact is, Gingrich scares the heck out of Washington insiders, and they will not be sitting back passively with his monstrous visage rising once more.


Huntsman dropping out, backing Ron Paul

The Cinch Review

Now, the above would be an interesting headline (at least mildly interesting). But it’s not the actual headline today. The actual headline in today’s news is telling the most utterly predictable non-story of the entire political season: Huntsman dropping out, backing Romney.

We should give the antimatter candidate kudos for holding on as long he did, I guess.


A good sense of irony …

The Cinch Review

… is a rare commodity these days. I thought the irony—or even sarcasm—would be pretty obvious in my previous post, “Bill Kristol calls for Sarah Palin to jump into the Republican race for the presidential nomination,” and I thought including a picture of Chris Christie would kind of nail it, but I’ve come to understand that I was mistaken.

No, I don’t believe that Bill Kristol actually wants Sarah Palin to enter the race. (Did Jonathan Swift have these kinds of problems?)

Cyber Monday

The Cinch Review

If you happen to be shopping online, today or any other day, there’s a simple way in which you can provide some kind support to this website. If you visit Amazon.com via this link then for any purchase you make during that same visit a small but welcome commission will be paid to THE CINCH REVIEW, at no additional cost to you.

Happy Thanksgiving

The Cinch Review

To all in the U.S., or observing while on foreign shores, a very happy Thanksgiving Day.

Happy Thanksgiving

These all look to you,
to give them their food in due season.

When you give it to them, they gather it up;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.

When you hide your face, they are dismayed;
when you take away their breath, they die
and return to their dust.

When you send forth your Spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the ground.

(Psalm 104:27-30 ESV)

11/17/2011: Anarchy in New York City?

The Cinch Review

I think not. The news of the day is full of predictions of chaos tomorrow in New York City and dark portents of the OWS types “burning down New York” and throwing Molotov cocktails at Macy’s and so on and on.


Certainly, if a nefarious and very shrewd group of villains decided to cause chaos in New York on any normal day, they might achieve it by means of random acts of mayhem and carnage. But if these Occupy Wall Street protesters attempt anything of the kind during their anticipated demonstrations tomorrow, the NYPD will land on them so hard and so fast that they will dearly wish that they were still back in Portland, Oregon, slacking off in their parents’ basements.

You read it here first.

Dear Occupy Wall Street protesters: Throw away your iPhones

The Cinch Review

The new biography of Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, which is not exactly official but with which Jobs cooperated in every way possible, has some revelations which might not sit too well with some of his fans who are manning the barricades at Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan (or manning the barricades in their own heads as the case may be). Continue reading “Dear Occupy Wall Street protesters: Throw away your iPhones”

Rosh Hashanah

The Cinch Review

L’shanah tovah to all Jewish readers, and indeed to all of us. May 5772 be a good and blessed year indeed.

(I think it’s going to take some work on our end.)


Jon Huntsman falls behind nothing in latest poll

The Cinch Review

Former Utah governor and Ambassador-to-China under President Obama, Jon Huntsman, may not qualify to participate in the next GOP debate based on his recent poll numbers. (A threshold of one percent is demanded.) As reported here:

The CNN/ORC poll released Monday found Huntsman trailing unknown candidates in the race, including “none/no one,” a choice that received 4 percent support; “someone else” (3 percent) and “no opinion” (2 percent).

Just to reiterate, Jon Huntsman has fallen behind “none/no one,” “someone else,” and “no opinion.”

It was on August 12th, after the debate in Ames, Iowa, that it was observed in this space of Jon Huntsman: In the current political climate he represents antimatter. Continue reading “Jon Huntsman falls behind nothing in latest poll”

9/11 Anniversary terror threat

The Cinch Review

We’re used to terror threats, rumors and alerts, but if you trust the reports there seems to be a significant difference to the credibility attached to the current one, where New York and Washington D.C. are said to be targets of a plot to coincide with the tenth anniversary of September 11th, 2001. It’s no reason to panic, and I don’t see anyone panicking, but it’s worth remembering who this enemy is. If they do succeed in pulling off an attack, they will want it to be a monstrous one, intended to horrify and turn the stomachs of all decent people—intended to break hearts. Remember 9/11, remember Beslan, remember how they saw people’s heads off on video. Continue reading “9/11 Anniversary terror threat”

Sarah Palin endorsed by the New York Times

The Cinch Review

In politics, all things are just a matter of time, a matter of the right moment. In a piece in the New York Times today, Anand Giridharadas announces the discovery that Sarah Palin is not any kind of conventional Republican, and that she has some big ideas that threaten the political class on both sides of the partisan divide. Quoting liberally from Palin’s recent speech in Iowa, the writer asks: “Is there a hint of a political breakthrough hiding in there?” Continue reading “Sarah Palin endorsed by the New York Times