• The Supreme Court Breakfast Table
  Should there be a shooting range next to the Supreme Court gift shop?
  Walter Dellinger
  posted June 27, 2008
• The Supreme Court Breakfast Table
  Was it ever Miller time?
  Dahlia Lithwick
  posted June 26, 2008
• What's the Big Secret?
  Continuing the conversation.
  Patrick Radden Keefe
  posted Aug. 30, 2007
• A Supreme Court Conversation
  Everything convservatives should abhor.
  Walter Dellinger
  posted June 29, 2007
• The Midterm Elections
  The blame game, George Allen, and more.
  Mark Halperin
  posted Nov. 3, 2006
• Search for more the breakfast table articles
• Subscribe to the the breakfast table RSS feed
• View our complete the breakfast table archive

Decter and Podhoretz

The reason I found this particular dispute amusing is that it sounded like a miniature version of Clausewitz's dictum about war as the pursuit of politics by other means. To the Journal's conservative editorialists, the salient point is that the nominations were dominated by movies about World War II, Saving Private Ryan and The Thin Red Line, which celebrate "loyalty, integrity, courage under fire, commitment to a higher cause than oneself." The Journal contrasts this with the "Senate's determination to align itself with the political character of Bill Clinton," which embodies the opposite. But the liberal Times, as though fearful that its readers might draw this very conclusion, declares testily that the nominations reflect nothing more than "lobbying within the film industry."

PRINTDISCUSSE-MAIL

• News & Politics
  Who's Going To Win Florida? Ask a Realtor.
• Sports
  If Only Baseball Pundits Were as Smart as Football Pundits
• Arts & Life
  Why Are There So Many New Books About the English Language?
• Business & Tech
  The Problem With Putting All Your Money in Gold

• Today's Headlines
• 900-Pound Giant Squid Joins Cast Of 'The View'
  Mon, 13 Oct 2008 11:00:00 -0400
• Scott Bakula Jumps Into McCain's Body Just Before Election
  Mon, 13 Oct 2008 10:54:13 -0400
• Financial Planner Advises Shorter Life Span
  Mon, 13 Oct 2008 10:00:53 -0400
• » More from the Onion

• Today's Headlines
• The Economy: What We Need Is Leadership
  Mon, 13 Oct 2008 16:39:13 GMT
• Samuelson: The Engine of Mayhem
  Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:15:23 GMT
• Cars: GM-Chrysler Merger Would Be A Lemon
  Sun, 12 Oct 2008 17:51:58 GMT
• » More from Newsweek

• Today's Headlines
• Letter From North Carolina
  Fri, 10 October 2008 18:50:36 GMT
• Poll-arized Mistrust
  Fri, 10 October 2008 20:16:32 GMT
• Oh, Lord, Kumbaya
  Fri, 10 October 2008 18:31:56 GMT
• » More from The Root