Jeanne Kirkpatrick has apparently died. No details.

She was eighty years old (not unusually old these days). I hadn't heard that she was sick, but then, I hadn't heard much about her at all in a long time, so maybe the fact that she was sick was why she wasn't making much news.

Whenever Clinton defenders made the idiotic argument that conservatives didn't like Hillary because they didn't like strong women, she and Maggie Thatcher were always the two obvious rejoinders.

Like Oriana Fallaci, requiescat in pace to another fierce lioness.

[Update a couple minutes later]

Here's a memoriam from AEI.

[Update a few minutes later]

From her speech at the 1984 Republican Convention, about the time she changed parties:

They said that saving Grenada from terror and totalitarianism was the wrong thing to do - they didn't blame Cuba or the communists for threatening American students and murdering Grenadians - they blamed the United States instead.

But then, somehow, they always blame America first.

When our Marines, sent to Lebanon on a multinational peacekeeping mission with the consent of the United States Congress, were murdered in their sleep, the "blame America first crowd" didn't blame the terrorists who murdered the Marines, they blamed the United States.

But then, they always blame America first.

When the Soviet Union walked out of arms control negotiations, and refused even to discuss the issues, the San Francisco Democrats didn't blame Soviet intransigence. They blamed the United States.

But then, they always blame America first.

When Marxist dictators shoot their way to power in Central America, the San Francisco Democrats don't blame the guerrillas and their Soviet allies, they blame United States policies of 100 years ago.

But then, they always blame America first.

And over two decades later, they still do.

It's sad to think she will soon be rolling over in her grave as she watches the antics of those same blame us firsters, those same apologists in the next few months as they take control of congress. The consolation will be in the contrast they we will see between how the war was being prosecuted, and how true indecisiveness can really screw thing up. Sadly many will die as politic once again has a hand in the battlefeild. Anyone want to guess where the first no bombing zone will be declared?

... the contrast [that] we will see between how the war was being prosecuted, and how true indecisiveness can really screw thing up. Sadly many will die as politic once again has a hand in the battlefeild. Anyone want to guess where the first no bombing zone will be declared?

Hello? True indecisiveness, politics on the battlefield, and "no bombing zones" describes exactly where we are NOW, and have been since 2003. It is how this thing has deteriorated from potential victory to almost certain defeat.

It's pretty much a given that our politicians are useless, but what about our generals? They have accepted these PC rules of engagement that guarantee that their men will die in a war that they will never be allowed to win. They have a lot to answer for as well.

It's pretty much a given that our politicians are useless, but what about our generals? They have accepted these PC rules of engagement that guarantee that their men will die in a war that they will never be allowed to win. They have a lot to answer for as well.

What would you have had them do? Thumb their nose at the duly constituted national command authority and wage the war their way contrary to orders?

Just because George B. McClellan got away with it (for a while) doesn't necessarily mean today's generals would. Think MacArthur.

The principle of civilian control is another one the Blame America Firsters don't get.

Of course, we know that all military officers are Democrats (right!) and the Democrats would run the war more competently, as they did in Vietnam.

Back in my college days, I had the honor of hearing Ambasador Kirkpatrick speak as a part of the Shott Lecture Series circa 1988-89. She was thought provoking and an impressive speaker.

RIP

Funny,

I had the opinion that American Students should go to
school in America. American students going to school
elsewhere, should understand that they are outside the
American rule of Law and at risk for imprisonment or
physical harm.

I had the opinion that the US Marines had no business in
lebanon. That Reagan stuck them into the lebanese
civil war was stupid policy and got his fingers burned.

The US has little business intervening in civl wars in
the middle east.