Edmund Burke was a closeted liberal!

Irish historian Richard Bourke has argued that, in fact, Edmund “Burke Was No Conservative” – so contemporary “conservatives can’t claim [him] as one of their own.” The evidence? Burke – who supported the American revolution and loved the American constitution – did not condemn all revolts against established authority; and his defense of religion, property, and government has been embraced by thinkers of “liberal” ideological stripes, too. Perhaps. Yet, Burke once saw something the liberal intelligentsia did not – and still doesn’t. In his “Reflections on the Revolution in France,” he observed: “The effect of liberty to individuals is that they may do what they please; we ought to see what it will please them to do, before we risk congratulations which may be soon turned into complaints.”

What a strapline!

A title appearing on the front web page of the NYT: “Her Films May Flop, but Kate Hudson Remains a Fashion Star.” The pitch beneath the title: “As the actress adroitly merchandises her perceived warmth and candor, she keeps an emotional connection with the public that designers find valuable.” Apparently, the irony here is lost on "the public."