From the WSJ Opinion Archives
"I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody's part."--Eric "Otter" Stratton (Tim Matheson), "Animal House," 1978
"In a sharp and unexpected rebuke of University President Lawrence H. Summers, members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) voted yesterday that they lack confidence in his leadership."--Harvard Crimson, March 16, 2005
The 218-185 vote "was tantamount to a vote of no confidence," explains the Crimson; by a wider margin, the faculty also approved "a second motion, expressing regret for Summers' Jan. 14 remarks on women in science and certain 'aspects of the President's managerial approach.' "
As the Crimson notes, "The two non-binding motions, unique in Harvard's history, are largely symbolic gestures--only the Harvard Corporation, the University's top governing body, can force Summers to step down." In short, it was a show trial, both in procedure and in effect (that is, in the lack thereof). Fittingly, the venue for this vain display was the Loeb Drama Center.
What's the point? Blogger David Bernstein, a law professor at Virginia's George Mason University, explains:
It's pretty simple, isn't it? The far left at Harvard is extremely frustrated with political trends in the U.S. Their votes and activism against Bush were not only completely ineffectual, but they don't even have a Democratic governor in one of the most liberal states in the country. So they pick on the closest thing Harvard has to a powerful right-winger: moderate Democrat and university president Larry Summers, who becomes a stand-in for all evil conservative white men, from Bush on down. The far-left faculty finally participates in a vote that it can win, and experiences cartharsis [sic]; that'll teach the world to ignore them!
The Harvard faculty majority are acting like a china service in a bullring. Their attitude, with its toxic mix of self-pity and thuggery, is common on campus and is often characteristic of an alienated political minority. You can imagine some hysterical Harvard prof shouting, "Larry Summers is not my neighbor! Now you sit down!" But just as Howard Dean's Iowa tantrum and scream were bad for the Democrats and worse for Dean's candidacy, National Review's Stanley Kurtz argues that the latest Angry Left eruption in Cambridge is likely to prove self-destructive:
I think the vote of no confidence in Lawrence Summers is a wonderful thing. Harvard continues to discredit itself with the American public. The faculty is trapped. If Summers resigns, this extraordinary example of political correctness will come back to haunt Harvard, and the entire academy, for years. But if Summers hangs on, the faculty itself will have been humiliated--checked by the very fact of public scrutiny. Either way, Harvard is tearing itself apart. So long as the public simply writes of [sic] the academy, the mice can play. But the intense public scrutiny in this case puts the captains of political correctness into a no-win situation. Like the closely watched Susan Estrich fiasco, this battle is doing lasting damage to the cultural left. As they say, sunlight is the best disinfectant.
The Crimson reports that after enduring the faculty fit, "Summers received a round of applause from undergraduates" after delivering "a wide-ranging talk outlining his overarching vision for the future of the University":
While the crowd quizzed Summers on an array of issues, the president conducted an informal poll at last night's forum to identify students' primary concerns.
A chorus of [students] complained about the poor quality of academic advising and a lack of interaction between students and tenured professors.
When Summers asked the crowd whether "two senior faculty know you well," barely a quarter of students raised their hands.
Those who can't do, teach. Those who can't teach, pass symbolic resolutions.
A
Woman's Work Is Never Done
"Weary Professor of German and Comparative Literature Judith L. Ryan said
after the meeting that she thinks the votes will allow the Faculty to flex its
muscles more in FAS affairs."--Harvard Crimson, March 16
Trickle-Down
Jurisprudence
Ever wonder what liberals and Democrats mean when they say that conservative
judicial appointees are "outside the mainstream"? In a New York Times
op-ed, William B. Rubenstein, "a professor of law at U.C.L.A., is chairman
of its Williams Project on Sexual Orientation Law," explains what the "mainstream"
is. He's defending Monday's ruling by a trial judge that mandated same-sex marriage
in the Golden State:
Conservatives denounce judges who get ahead of legislatures, alleging that they are trying to change the world with a stroke of the pen, but that's not the situation in San Francisco. Same-sex couples' rights came from its legislature first, its mayor second and the judiciary last.
It is true that Judge Kramer declared a ballot initiative enacted by the state's voters unconstitutional. But that ballot initiative was not supported by voters in the Bay Area, and it does not appear to align with the views of a majority of the Legislature in Sacramento. One can disagree with Judge Kramer's ruling, but it is difficult to argue that his views are outside the mainstream.
So, to sum up:
Mainstream: the mayor of San Francisco, the voters of San Francisco and vicinity, the gerrymandered Democratic majority in the California Legislature.
Out of the mainstream: the majority of voters.
The
Nonexistent Coalition Is Crumbling!
"Italy said Tuesday it will start drawing down its 3,000-strong contingent
in Iraq in September, putting a fresh crack in President Bush's crumbling coalition,"
the Associated Press "reports." That "crumbling coalition"
is a typical bit of liberal-media editorializing--but it's at odds with the
usual editorializing that the liberation of Iraq is "unilateral."
How can the coalition be crumbling if there were never any allies to begin with?
Gail Collins, Typist
"Memos on Bush Are Fake But Accurate, Typist Says"--headline, news story, New York Times, Sept. 15, 2004
"And Now, the Counterfeit News"--headline, editorial, New York Times, March 16, 2005
But
She Draws the Line at Baking Cookies
"Mrs. Clinton is also hard to dismiss as a screechy obstructionist because
she's gone out of her way to be collegial in the Senate and to work with Republicans
from Trent Lott to Sam Brownback. Senator John Kerry never seemed much liked
by his colleagues, while other senators seem to like Mrs. Clinton. Perhaps it's
that, according to New York magazine, she surprises other senators by popping
up during meetings and asking: Anybody want a coffee?"--Nicholas Kristof,
New York Times, March 16
Saudi
Suffragettes
A new Saudi poll shows overwhelming support for women's suffrage, reports the
Arab News:
"Eighty-seven percent of 240 Saudis who took part in the survey called for women's participation in the next round of elections," said Dr. Muhammad Fashetan, chairman of the SAS Center for Opinion Survey and Consultancy in Jeddah.
He said the survey's participants included 50 teachers, 20 businessmen, six university students, 40 government employees, 20 retired military officers, 20 media persons and 30 retired civilian officials. . . .
Nawal Hamed, a physician, said that the number mentioned in the survey, carried by the official Saudi Press Agency, is not representative of the Saudi population. "I have my doubts on the significance of this number and I think the people polled belong to a certain educated class, that is why they seem supportive of women voting."
Even if women were enfranchised, Saudi Arabia would be far from a free nation. Still, there's something to be said for a country where the "educated class" actually supports democracy.
Blaming
the Bulldozer
Yesterday we
noted that the parents of terror advocate Rachel Corrie, who died in a self-inflicted
bulldozer accident two years ago today, were suing the Israeli government in
an Israeli court. It turns out they're also suing Caterpillar Inc., which made
the bulldozer she attempted to obstruct, in a U.S. court. The Associated Press
reports:
"The brutal death of my daughter should never have happened," Corrie's mother, Cindy Corrie, said in a statement released by the Center for Constitutional Rights, a law firm handling the case. "We believe Caterpillar and the (Israeli Defense Forces) must be held accountable for their role in the attack."
The lawsuit, according to the AP, "alleges that Caterpillar violated international and state law by providing specially designed bulldozers to Israeli Defense Forces that it knew would be used to demolish homes and endanger people."
Of course, Israel was using the bulldozer not to "demolish homes and endanger people" but to destroy a tunnel that Palestinian Arab terrorists were using to smuggle in weapons from Egypt, for the purpose of murdering Israeli civilians.
One of the reasons Corrie's death was a tragedy is that, although she was an adult, she was young enough (23) that one could imagine her eventually outgrowing and coming to regret her juvenile hatreds. Her parents, however, ought to know better.
What
Would We Do Without Experts?
"Experts Agree Child, 4, Can't Comprehend Effects of Shooting"--headline,
Houston Chronicle, March 15 (hat tip: blogger Bill
Polhemus)
This
Just In
"Youth Weight May Lead to Obesity"--headline, Harvard Crimson, March 15
When
We Applied, They Gave Us One Free
"U.S. May Restrict Sale of Social Security Numbers"--headline, Associated
Press, March 15
Below
the Beltway
Yesterday we
noted that nostalgic feminists had met at the Florida State Capitol in an
attempt to revive the moribund Equal Rights Amendment. Blogger Warren Meyer
has a photo of the Florida Capitol, which is, as he notes, "a tall tower
flanked by two hemispherical domes." In case you're having trouble visualizing
it, a picture is here.
Where's Sigmund Freud when you need him?
Too
Much Information
Twenty-three-year-old Josiah Johnson "said his license plate might have
tipped off the Clay County sheriff's deputy who pulled him over Friday after
he left Coach's Sports Pub," the Associated Press reports from Moorhead,
Minn. The personalized plate was a bit too personalized; it read TIPSY. "It
doesn't mean I drink and drive," he said. "It just means I have a good time."
Too good a time in this case, or so it would appear. "Now he faces third-degree drunken driving charges after his blood-alcohol level allegedly registered twice the legal limit."
Oh well, at least his license plate didn't say SMASHED.
(Carol Muller helps compile Best of the Web Today. Thanks to Michael Segal, David Lee, Ethel Fenig, Rob Westrick, John Williamson, Edward Schulze, Pat Batts, Michael Zukerman, Yitzchak Dorfman, Thomas Dillon, Steven Platzer, John Cole, David Worley, Brian Tyree, Jack Archer, Skip King, Joe Mauss, Mordecai Bobrowsky, Jim Triller, Peter Eipers, Steve Zautke, Dan Kelly, John Forsberg and Julie Beck. If you have a tip, write us at opinionjournal@wsj.com, and please include the URL.)
Today on OpinionJournal:
- P.J. O'Rourke's mass transit plan: Take the plunge, save the planet.
- Brendan Miniter: A letter from the Social Security Administration makes the case for reform.
- Brian Carney: In France, they're arresting conductors--literally.
