Beyond ‘No’ — by Ramesh Ponnuru & Richard Lowry
As the GOP argues for spending restraint, it should also address the concerns of the middle class.

The Committee to Reinflate the Bubble — by Kevin D. Williamson
The real-estate lobby wants another boom -- but what about the bust?

Trust the Afghan Army — by Bing West
A ‘new approach’ that will work

‘All the Gaps Are Bridgeable’ — by Jay Nordlinger
What a PLO man and an Israeli think of peace between their sides

The Parent Problem — by Duncan Currie
On the persistent link between family structure and black poverty.

Mitch the Knife — by Mark Hemingway
At OMB they called him ‘The Blade’ -- and now he’s taking a scalpel to Indiana’s budget.

The ‘Enduring Majority’ -- Again — by Jay Cost
No, the Democrats will not be in power forever . . .

Dunce Cap-and-Trade — by Jim Manzi
The Waxman-Markey global-warming bill cannot survive cost-benefit analysis.

Performance Art and Panache — by Richard Brookhiser
Remembering editorial conferences with William F. Buckley Jr.

Of Beauty And Loss — Tom Shippey revisits the works of J. R. R. Tolkien on the release of The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún

The Hot Seat — Robert F. Nagel reviews The Supreme Court and the American Elite, 1789–2008, by Lucas A. Powe Jr.

Finding Mum and Pup — Neal B. Freeman reviews Losing Mum and Pup: A Memoir, by Christopher Buckley

Shelf Life — Michael Potemra reviews Mortal Follies: Episcopalians and the Crisis of Mainline Christianity, by William Murchison.

Film: Waste Watching — Ross Douthat reviews Angels and Demons and The Girlfriend Experience.

The Straggler: Office Romance — Stationery! John Derbyshire loves the stuff.

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COVER: ROMAN GENN