I have generally dismissed or viewed very skeptically claims for Barack Obama’s “transformational” potential, whether in foreign affairs or domestic politics. These theories attribute too much importance to symbolism and vague rhetoric, and they take Obama’s views too little into account.

However, I might be willing to see how Obama represents the possibility of the Democrats’ reconciling themselves to Reagan and the Reagan-Bush years, in part because there may be good reason to think that the political era that began in 1980 is coming to a close.

Few people bother to challenge Bill and Hillary's reversals and revisions -- like backing a lawsuit challenging the location of caucus sites in Las Vegas that their team helped pick when they thought the Culinary Workers Union would endorse Hillary. But maybe this one time we should take Bill and Hillary at their word. Let's show that new bipartisan spirit. Take up their cause. Roll back rules that support union politicking. Let workers spend their own money and pick their own candidates. And see how Democrats really like union members exercising their independence.

There is no consensus in the West as to the nature of present nuclear threats or the means to deal with them. All this means that we cannot risk everything on the assumption that yesterday’s concepts of deterrence apply to today’s situation. This argument is the intellectual foundation for the disarmament proposalmade by Messrs. Shultz, Perry, Kissinger, and Nunn. Yet it is also the best reason for the use of force. North Korea and Iran are nations led by hard men who might not be amenable to Western notions of persuasion or reason and may, in some circumstances, be unafraid of the prospect of massive death.

Perhaps the easiest "stimulus" package Washington could to enact would be to drop money from planes into the hands of voters/consumers. However, the economic evidence from the 2001 experience suggests this is an ineffective tool. University of Michigan economists found that most rebates were saved, not spent. While this result may be a disappointment to those of us who thought this approach would be effective, Congress must be willing to learn from past legislative experience. Popular versus effective is sometimes the difference between politics and economics.

A course on torture awareness sounds like something from the 07′/08′ Columbia University course catalogue. According to this course, interrogation techniques such as “forced nudity, isolation, and sleep deprivation” are considered torture. Then again this is the country that considers critical media commentary a violation of human rights.

Guantanamo Bay (where prisoners tend to gain weight) is specifically mentioned. It should be noted that suspects held at Gitmo live in conditions far superior to the those of the men and women on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces.

New media is poised to destroy the entertainment industry, as we know it.

People as diverse as television writer Rob Long and Internet guru Marc Andreesen are talking about the end of Hollywood -- and they have a point. Several, in fact. Netscape’s Andreesen wrote extensively on his blog in November about how Hollywood -- or more specifically movie and television writers, directors and producers -- should emulate Silicon Valley and become entrepreneurial. And that this inevitable revolution has only been hastened by the writers’ walkout. Indeed, there is some anecdotal evidence that this is already happening.