Author Archive

EU Fugaces: European Economics and Anti-Globalism Are Not the Stuff of Summertime Dreams

Written by Christopher Caldwell on . Posted in Miscellaneous, Posts

LONDON – I’ve been in Europe so long now, I’ve even forgotten Chandra Levy’s boyfriend’s name. Okay, not really–"Gary" is exactly the name he’d have received from a gang of crack Hollywood screenwriters, although "Brad" and "Greg" might have had fighting shots, and "Duncan" and "Dirk" would have been in the running. I did a
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Condit de Canard: Levy/Condit Crosses the Atlantic

Written by Christopher Caldwell on . Posted in Miscellaneous, Posts

PARIS – It really tickled me the other day when, from a friend’s office, I downloaded all the Condit news from America, and saw the way Texas Democratic Rep. Max Sandlin had responded to a question about whether Condit should resign: "I don’t think that’s my decision to make. That’s a decision for others to
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David Brock’s Talk Essay Displays Nothing So Much as Meanness

Written by Christopher Caldwell on . Posted in Miscellaneous, Posts

When David Brock claims in the August issue of Talk magazine that the American Spectator was discredited by the "Arkansas Project," Richard Mellon Scaife’s $2.4 million plan to scour the backwoods for dirt on Bill Clinton, he won’t get any argument from me. I was working for the (small-circulation) Spectator in 1992, when Brock made
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Don Juan in Hell: Is Gary Condit the Unluckiest Adulterer Who Ever Lived?

Written by Christopher Caldwell on . Posted in Miscellaneous, Posts

The other day an interviewer asked me why–with so much important legislation on the table, from Pentagon appropriations to the Patients’ Bill of Rights–everyone is making such a big deal about California Congressman Gary Condit’s alleged relationship with intern Chandra Levy, who has been missing since April 30. A good question! I mean, how do
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Wall of Spin: Bush Takes the Charm Offense Abroad

Written by Christopher Caldwell on . Posted in Miscellaneous, Posts

Wall of SpinPhil Spector’s signature technique as a record producer was the "wall of sound," achieved by mixing tracks on top of one another so that not even the tiniest interstice of silence or soloing remained. George Bush’s first tour of Europe last week was mixed into a similar "wall of spin." The press strategy
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If Jeb Bush Is An Upstanding Husband, Then His “Fiery” Wife Is Insane

Written by Christopher Caldwell on . Posted in Miscellaneous, Posts

The Bushies responded all last week to their daughters’ boozing scandals through Laura Bush’s press secretary Noelia Rodriguez, who said, "It is unfortunate that these young women are being denied a private life." Well, yes, it sure is. So since presidential brother Jeb Bush announced last week that he’ll run again for governor of Florida
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Pour, Little Rich Girl: Jenna Falls Victim to America’s Bizarre Alcohol Laws

Written by Christopher Caldwell on . Posted in Miscellaneous, Posts

Pour, Little Rich Girl The second instance in which American customs have put me in the position of Ripley’s Believe It or Not concerns our drinking laws. Last Bastille Day, I visited friends in a small town in Normandy. After the fireworks, the entire extended family wandered over to a cafe patio and we all
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Def Jef: There’s nothing Independent About Jeffords’ Jump

Written by Christopher Caldwell on . Posted in Miscellaneous, Posts

The decision of Vermont Sen. Jim Jeffords to leave the Republican party–and thereby throw control of the Senate to Democrats–launched a whole week in which everything anyone said led one to shout, "Oh, my foot!" or words to that effect. Jeffords switched parties, according to Fox News, because he "was tired of feeling uneasy for
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Big Doings in the Garden State; Zell Miller’s Yesteryear

Written by Christopher Caldwell on . Posted in Miscellaneous, Posts

Last week was a crazy one for the Most Underrated State in the Union. Bret Schundler, the conservative Republican candidate for governor of New Jersey, scourge of courts and frivolous lawsuits, pressed on with a frivolous lawsuit of his own until he was finally rebuffed by the State Supreme Court on Thursday. It was aimed
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