Newport

Peter Voskamp, the editor of the Block Island (R.I.) Times, has reaffirmed my report that there was political pressure to keep Walt & Mearsheimer, the authors of the bombshell paper criticizing the Israel lobby, from speaking at the Naval War College in Newport 2 weeks back:

The [Israel lobby] paper was essentially off-limits for discussion at last week's forum. The [War College] Public Affairs Office confirmed that the college had received pressure from unnamed Congressmen to cancel the professors' appearance.

Voskamp is an enterprising journalist. As a grad student at University of Texas/Austin 3-1/2 years ago, he interviewed Admiral Bobby Ray Inman, the former deputy director of the CIA, now a professor of national policy at UT, and asked him whether oil interests were pushing for war in Iraq.  read more »

Commenter Miriam Reik points out a significant hole in my reporting from Newport yesterday:

I wish Weiss had reported the answer given to the Lt. Commander's question about "how the Palestinians can combat the Israelis' foreign influence in the United States." Maybe it wasn't answered, but it is a key question that needs to be engaged if US foreign policy is to return to normal and a healthy relationship with the Arab/Muslim world.

The answer given at the War College by Harvard professor Stephen Walt:  read more »

As we trundle off on this July Fourth weekend-either to escape from a certain kind of madness, or pl  read more »

Last August, Jan Amory was relaxing at Bailey's Beach, the rumpled but exclusive country club overlo  read more »

I'm grateful to the Newport International Film Festival for making me a last-minute addition to thei  read more »