John Podhoretz (born April 18, 1961) is a U.S. neoconservative commentator for a variety of media sources, the author of several books on politics, and a former presidential speechwriter. April 18 is the 108th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (109th in leap years). ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ... Neoconservatism is a political movement, mainly in the United States and Canada, which is generally held to have emerged in the 1960s, coalesced in the 1970s, and has had a significant presence in the administration of George W. Bush and the cabinet of Stephen Harper. ... Politics is the process by which groups make decisions. ... Look up speechwriter in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Life and career

Podhoretz has contributed to a number of leading conservative publications, including National Review and the Weekly Standard. He was also a consulting editor at a former imprint of HarperCollins, ReganBooks. Podhoretz has a regular column at the New York Post, is a political commentator on Fox News, and regularly appeared on CNN's Reliable Sources. He has also worked at Time, the Washington Times, Insight, and U.S. News & World Report. Podhoretz is a contributor to The Corner, a group blog run by National Review. National Review (NR) is a biweekly magazine of political opinion, founded by author William F. Buckley Jr. ... The Weekly Standard is an American Conservative political magazine published 48 times per year. ... HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by Rupert Murdochs News Corporation. ... ReganBooks is a controversial American bestselling imprint or division of HarperCollins book publishing house, headed by editor and publisher Judith Regan, who has been called the worlds most successful publisher.[1] ReganBooks focuses on celebrity authors and controversial topics, sometimes from recent tabloids. ... The New York Post is the 13th-oldest[] newspaper published in the United States and the oldest to have been published continually as a daily. ... Fox News Channels slogan is We Report, You Decide The Fox News Channel is a U.S. cable and satellite news channel. ... The Cable News Network, commonly known as CNN, is a major cable television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. ... (Clockwise from upper left) Time magazine covers from May 7, 1945; July 25, 1969; December 31, 1999; September 14, 2001; and April 21, 2003. ... The Washington Times is a daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C.. It was founded in 1982 as a conservative alternative to the Washington Post by members of the controversial Unification Church. ... The weekly newsmagazine Insight, now defunct, was published by The Washington Times Corporation. ... U.S. News & World Report is a weekly newsmagazine. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Podhoretz has also served as speechwriter to former U.S. President Ronald Reagan as well as former President George H.W. Bush. He also served in the capacity of special assistant to White House Drug Czar William Bennett. He was co-founder as well of the White House Writers Group, a corporate speechwriting and public-relations firm in Washington, D.C. Look up speechwriter in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 - June 5, 2004) was the 40th President of the United States (1981–1989) and the 33rd Governor of California (1967–1975). ... Order: 41st President Vice President: Dan Quayle Term of office: January 20, 1989 – January 20, 1993 Preceded by: Ronald Reagan Succeeded by: Bill Clinton Date of birth: June 12, 1924 Place of birth: Milton, Massachusetts First Lady: Barbara Pierce Bush Political party: Republican George Herbert Walker Bush, KBE (born... Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy Keith Hellawell, former Drug Czar in the United Kingdom. ... William Bennett on NBCs Meet the Press William John Bennett (born July 31, 1943) is an American conservative pundit and politician. ... Nickname: DC, The District Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location of Washington, D.C., in relation to the states Maryland and Virginia Coordinates: Country United States Federal District District of Columbia Government  - Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D)  - City Council Chairperson: Vincent C. Gray (D) Ward 1: Jim Graham (D...

The son of Norman Podhoretz and Midge Decter, Podhoretz grew up on the Upper West Side in New York City and received a bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago in 1982. In 1986, he became a five-time champion on the game show Jeopardy!. His first marriage, in 1997, ended in divorce after less than three months. He is now married to Ayala Cohen, a co-producer for Saturday Night Live, and they have two daughters. Norman Podhoretz (born January 16, 1930) is an American intellectual considered to be a prominent neo-conservative thinker and writer. ... Midge Decter (b. ... The Upper West Side is a neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan in New York City that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River above West 59th Street. ... New York, NY redirects here. ... The University of Chicago is a private university located principally in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. ... Jeopardy! is a popular international television quiz game show, originally devised by Merv Griffin, who also created Wheel of Fortune. ... Saturday Night Live (SNL) is a weekly late night 90-minute American comedy-variety show based in New York City which has been broadcast by NBC on Saturday nights since October 11, 1975. ...

Political commentary

George W. Bush

Podhoretz has been one of the most steadfast supporters of U.S. president George W. Bush, and even wrote a book extolling Bush as "the first great leader of the 21st century". He is quick to note any upturn in Bush's approval ratings and has often praised Bush's political acumen in winning re-election as President and improving the political standing of the Republican party, at least before the 2006 midterm elections. He is particularly emphatic in arguing against criticism of Bush from the political right. When some conservatives denounced Bush's immigration plan, Podhoretz wrote that Bush's "efforts on behalf of conservative causes — from faith-based policies to stem-cell research to a strict-constructionist judiciary to entitlement reform and massive tax cuts — have all fallen down the memory hole".^[1] George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... The 21st century is the present century of the Anno Domini (common) era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... The Republican Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States; the other being the Democratic Party. ... In politics, right-wing, the political right, or simply the right, are terms which refer, with no particular precision, to the segment of the political spectrum in opposition to left-wing politics. ... In the USA the term Faith-based (literally, based on religious faith) has come into public use as an abbreviation of faith-based initiative, e. ... Mouse embryonic stem cells with fluorescent marker. ... Strict constructionism is a philosophy of judicial interpretation and legal philosophy that limits judicial interpretation to the meanings of the actual words and phrases used in law, and not on other sources or inferences. ... Entitlement is the guarantee for access to benefits because of rights, or by agreement through law. ... A tax cut is a reduction in the rate of tax charged by a government, for example on personal or corporate income. ... The memory hole, as in the phrase Going down the memory hole, refers to George Orwells novel, 1984. ...

Israel

Podhoretz is emphatic in his defense of Israel in its conflicts with its Arab neighbors. When pundit Pat Buchanan called Israel's actions in the recent Israel-Lebanon hostilities "un-Christian", Podhoretz wrote: "You want to know what anti-Semitism is? When Pat Buchanan calls Israel's military action 'un-Christian', that's anti-Semitism."^[2] However, Podhoretz was critical of the tactics used by Israel's leadership in the recent Lebanon conflict, and argued that the Olmert government should have been more forceful in its efforts to weaken Hezbollah as a political and military force. Languages Arabic other languages (Arab minorities) Religions Predominantly Islam Some adherents of Druze, Judaism, Samaritan, Christianity Related ethnic groups Mizrachi Jews, Sephardi Jews, Ashkenazi Jews, Canaanites, other Semitic-speaking groups An Arab (Arabic: ‎); is a member of a Non-Semetic group of people whose cultural, linguistic, and in certain cases... Patrick Joseph Buchanan (born November 2, 1938) is an American politician, author, syndicated columnist, and broadcaster. ... Combatants Israel Lebanon Hezbollah Commanders Dan Halutz (Chief of Staff) Udi Adam (Regional) Michel Sulaiman Hassan Nasrallah (Secretary General) Casualties 12 civilians killed 500 civilians injured [1] 12 soldiers killed 6 soldiers wounded[2] 2 soldiers captured[2][3][4] 1 warship damaged 1 tank destroyed[5] (Israeli media accounts... The Eternal Jew: 1937 German poster. ... Ehud Olmert (IPA ; Hebrew: אהוד אולמרט; born September 30, 1945) is the 12th and current Prime Minister of Israel. ... For other uses, see Hezbollah (disambiguation). ...

Criticism of Iraq war tactics

In a July 25, 2006 column for the New York Post that discussed the Israel-Lebanon conflict, Podhoretz wrote: "What if the tactical mistake we made in Iraq was that we didn't kill enough Sunnis in the early going to intimidate them and make them so afraid of us they would go along with anything? Wasn't the survival of Sunni men between the ages of 15 and 35 the reason there was an insurgency and the basic cause of the sectarian violence now?"^[3]

Immigration

In disagreement with several other writers at National Review, Podhoretz has favored a more open immigration policy for the United States. He has specifically emphasized his Jewish ancestry in such discussions, writing: "I said merely what I feel deeply — which is that, as a Jew, I have great difficulty supporting a blanket policy of immigration restriction because of what happened to the Jewish people after 1924 and the unwillingness of the United States to take Jews in."^[4] Podhoretz has been generally supportive of President Bush's proposals for a guest worker program and a path to citizenship for certain illegal immigrants in the U.S. The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination... A foreign worker (cf expatriate), is a person who works in a country other than the one of which he or she is a citizen. ... Citizenship is membership in a political community (originally a city or town but now usually a country) and carries with it rights to political participation; a person having such membership is a citizen. ... Illegal immigration is the act of moving to or settling in another country or region, temporarily or permanently, in violation of the law or without documents permitting an immigrant to settle in that country. ...

2008 U.S. presidential election

In his political handicapping of the 2008 U.S. presidential race, Podhoretz virtually assumes that U.S. Senator and former First Lady Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic nominee. He recently published a book about Hillary Clinton's political potential and has dismissed possible rivals for the nomination such as former Vice President Al Gore and 2004 nominee John Kerry. On the Republican side, Podhoretz appears to favor the chances of former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani. On National Review Online he has stated: "He wears drag, he bunked with a gay couple, blah blah blah. Rudy Giuliani scores 30 percent in a poll of Iowa caucus-goers. That's Iowa. About as far from New York City as you can get."^[5] The terms horse race or handicapping the horse race, have been used to describe media coverage of elections. ... Presidential electoral votes by state The United States presidential election of 2008 will be held on November 4, 2008. ... The United States Senate is the upper house of the U.S. Congress, smaller than the United States House of Representatives. ... This article is about the use of the term first lady internationally. ... Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton (born October 26, 1947), was First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001, as the wife of President Bill Clinton. ... The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States; the other being the Republican Party. ... Albert Arnold Gore, Jr. ... Al Gore (born December 11, 1943) is a Vietnam Veteran and the junior United States Senator from Massachusetts. ... The Mayor of New York City is the chief executive of the New York City Government, as stipulated by the Charter of the City of New York. ... Rudolph William Louis Rudy Giuliani III (born May 28, 1944) is an American lawyer, prosecutor, businessman, and Republican politician from the state of New York. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Since 1976, the Iowa caucus has been the first indication of which candidate for President of the United States would win the nomination of his or her political party at that partys national convention. ... New York, NY redirects here. ...

Jill Carroll situation

On March 30, 2006, Podhoretz was criticized by various bloggers ^[6][7] for posting the following comment on National Review Online approximately three hours after hostage Jill Carroll's release from her captors: March 30 is the 89th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (90th in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... National Review Online is the online presence of the prominent conservative political magazine National Review. ... Jill Carroll appeared in a video released by the terrorist group Brigades of Vengeance Jill C. Carroll (born October? 1977) is an American journalist, currently employed by the Christian Science Monitor. ...

"It's wonderful that she's free, but after watching someone who was a hostage for three months say on television she was well-treated because she wasn't beaten or killed -- while being dressed in the garb of a modest Muslim woman rather than the non-Muslim woman she actually is -- I expect there will be some Stockholm Syndrome talk in the coming days."^[8]

Within days of Carroll's release, a video of Carroll slamming the "occupation" of Iraq and praising the insurgents as "good people fighting an honorable fight" appeared on an Islamist website. While counterterrorism expert Laura Mansfield, (who had neither met nor interviewed Carroll), posted on CNN that Carroll's actions "may indicate she was experiencing a touch of Stockholm syndrome", Carroll subsequently released a statement through the Christian Science Monitor's website stating that she participated in the video only because she feared for her life and because her captors said they would let her go if she participated to their satisfaction. Carroll called her captors "criminals, at best" and said she remained "deeply angry" with them.^[9] This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Laura Mansfield is an American counter-terrorist expert analyst and author specializing in Middle East, Islam, and Radical Islamic Terrorism. ...

On April 1, 2006 Podhoretz quoted his original comment on the Jill Carroll situation and added the following on National Review Online: April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

"For writing these predictive words, which were entirely accurate, I've been pilloried all over the blogosphere. Weird, especially in light of Jill Carroll's statement today, which was an effort to address and quiet precisely the kind of talk I predicted would take place."^[10]

Pop culture

Podhoretz often writes about popular culture, and has even been called the "resident pop culture expert" at National Review Online by Jonah Goldberg.^[11] Podhoretz' references to pop culture often have political overtones, as when he wrote that U.S. Senator Jim Webb resembled a muppet in his delivery of the Democratic response to a State of the Union address.^[12] But he has also cautioned against "judg[ing] pop culture by its politics."^[13] Popular culture, sometimes called pop culture, (literally: the culture of the people) consists of widespread cultural elements in any given society. ... Jonah Jacob Goldberg (born March 21, 1969), is an American conservative commentator. ... James Henry Jim Webb, Jr. ... John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together The Muppets are a group of puppets and costume characters created by Jim Henson and the company he created. ... Alternative meanings in State of the Union (disambiguation) The State of the Union Address is an annual event in which the President of the United States reports on the status of the country, normally to a joint session of the U.S. Congress (the House of Representatives and the Senate). ...

Miscellaneous

• Podhoretz is listed as a consultant for the popular television series The West Wing including the controversial episode "Gaza" at the end of season 5.
• Podhoretz knew Gwyneth Paltrow before she became famous — in fact, before she became an adult: "I babysat for her once in 1978 and she was very sweet," he wrote.^[14]
• On The Corner blog, Podhoretz frequently posts under the name "JPod."
• According to blogger and columnist Andrew Sullivan, when Podhoretz worked at the Washington Times, he was nicknamed "J. P. Normanson", a reference to his father Norman.^[15]
• In response to now-deleted comments in his Wikipedia article that he is a homosexual, Podhoretz joked: "For the record, I am not an admitted homosexual, nor am I a homosexual, though I do know the lyrics to every show tune ever written, which might perhaps account for the confusion."^[16] Podhoretz has also made more serious critical remarks about Wikipedia's reliability and authority.
• Political pundit and prolific writer on racial issues, Steve Sailer, quoted Hanna Rosin's remark that the term "podenfreude" described the sensation of reading bad writing for comic value. In response, Podhoretz e-mailed Sailer: "Please keep attacking me. It's how I know I'm not a bigoted, racist scum...If you think I lack them [wit, eloquence, etc.], I imagine you think I have too much melanin in my skin." Sailer riposted: "Amazing as it may seem, the rumors that Mr. Podhoretz maintains a staff of Nobel Laureates and Oscar-winning screenwriters to craft his devastating comebacks for him are not true. The reality is that, somehow, he makes them up himself!"^[17]

The West Wing may refer to: The West Wing, a television drama set in the West Wing of the White House The West Wing of the White House, the location of the Oval Office and offices for senior members of the Executive Office of the President of the United States... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Andrew Michael Sullivan (born August 10, 1963) is a conservative author and political commentator, distinguished by his intimate and insightful style of political analysis, and pioneering achievements in the field of blog journalism. ... The Washington Times is a daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C.. It was founded in 1982 as a conservative alternative to the Washington Post by members of the controversial Unification Church. ... Wikipedia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Since its coinage, the word homosexuality has acquired multiple meanings. ... A show tune is a song designed and written for a musical theater production, such as the songs from: Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammersteins Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, Flower Drum Song, The Sound of Music Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewes Brigadoon, Paint Your... This article is about race as an intraspecies classification. ... Steve Sailer Steve Sailer (born December 4, 1958) is a reporter, movie critic for The American Conservative, correspondent for United Press International, and VDARE.com columnist. ... Hanna Rosin is a U.S. journalist. ...

Notes

1. ^ NRO. Retrieved on September 3, 2006.
2. ^ NRO. Retrieved on September 3, 2006.
3. ^ Too Nice to Win? Israel's Dilemma. New York Post (2006-07-25). Retrieved on April 7, 2007.
4. ^ NRO. Retrieved on September 3, 2006.
5. ^ NRO. Retrieved on September 3, 2006.
6. ^ Think Progress. Retrieved on September 3, 2006.
7. ^ Andrew Sullivan website. Retrieved on March 24, 2007.
8. ^ NRO. Retrieved on September 3, 2006.
9. ^ CNN. Retrieved on September 3, 2006.
10. ^ NRO. Retrieved on September 3, 2006.
11. ^ NRO. Retrieved on March 1, 2007.
12. ^ NRO. Retrieved on March 1, 2007.
13. ^ NRO. Retrieved on March 1, 2007.
14. ^ NRO. Retrieved on December 6, 2006.
15. ^ Andrew Sullivan website. Retrieved on March 24, 2007.
16. ^ NRO. Retrieved on September 3, 2006.
17. ^ Steve Sailer website. Retrieved on September 11, 2006.

September 3 is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 3 is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... April 7 is the 97th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (98th in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... September 3 is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 3 is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 3 is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... March 24 is the 83rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (84th in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... September 3 is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 3 is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 3 is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... March 1 is the 60th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (61st in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... March 1 is the 60th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (61st in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... March 1 is the 60th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (61st in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... December 6 is the 340th day (341st on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... March 24 is the 83rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (84th in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... September 3 is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 11 is the 254th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (255th in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

Bibliography

• Can She Be Stopped?: Hillary Clinton Will Be the Next President of the United States Unless..., Crown Forum, ISBN 0-307-33730-8

• Bush Country: How George W. Bush Became the First Great Leader of the 21st Century---While Driving Liberals Insane, St. Martin's Griffin, ISBN 0-312-32473-1

• Hell Of A Ride: Backstage at the White House Follies 1989-1993, Simon & Schuster, ISBN 0-671-79648-8

External links

• The Corner at National Review Online
• Fox News bio of Podhoretz
• "Oedipus and Podhoretz," an article from New York by Hanna Rosin