SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE:

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO HILLARY?  – The secretary of state is on a world tour, but does anyone care?  Even her fans in the press don't seem to notice.  Hillary Clinton seems to be fading away as a major factor in this administration.  Maybe she's serious when she says she wants to leave public life.  We see no sign of any real influence that she might have over American policy.  My guess is that Obama will be glad to see her gone, as she constantly polls more strongly than he does.

THE SARAH WATCH – Just as political watchers are anticipating Rick Perry's entry into the presidential race, they wonder about Sarah Palin.  It is hard to imagine Sarah jumpin in if Perry gets in.  They occupy the same space ideologically, and I'd imagine that Perry would come off as the stronger candidate.  In that case, Sarah might be wise to live to fight another day, and perhaps seek another office, like U.S. senator, or work her way into a cabinet appointment in a Republican administration.  She's young.  She has many presidential races ahead of her.  For the 2028 election, she'll only be 64. 

PROGRESS? – A major producer's organization in Hollywood has passed a resolution condemning ideological bias in the film industry, meaning bias against conservatives.  That sounds good, in the same way that the Soviet constitution sounded good.  We'll see if it has any impact.  Ben Shapiro, the conservative writer who's written about the blacklisting of conservatives in Hollywood in his new book, "Primetime Propaganda: The True Hollywood Story of How The Left Took Over Your TV," has brought the issue to the fore.  Someday I'll write about my own encounter with left-wing political correctness in Hollywood.  It is not a joke.  It is modern-day McCarthyism of the worst sort.

July 17, 2011