David Frum

David Frum @davidfrum

"The Rise of the Idaho Empire" Volume 13 of the Oxford History of the United States — PolitiTweet.org

David Frum @davidfrum

Warnings from @ElizabethDrewOH — PolitiTweet.org

David Frum @davidfrum

Meanwhile, Labour PM Attlee staunchly supported the US military presence in Western Europe. "Without the stopping power of the Americans, the Russians might easily have tried sweeping forward. I don't know whether they would, but it wasn't a possibility you could ignore." (p 112) — PolitiTweet.org

David Frum @davidfrum

"The country's reaction to Mr Churchill's Fulton [Missouri] speech must be convincing proof that the US wants no alliance, or anything that resembles an alliance, with any other nation." WSJ editorial as quoted in Postwar, p. 110. — PolitiTweet.org

David Frum @davidfrum

Something I only just now learned from Tony Judt's imposing "Postwar" : The Wall Street Journal editorialized against Winston Churchill's "iron curtain" speech in March 1946 https://t.co/dpQWFvZ9iH — PolitiTweet.org

David Frum @davidfrum

RT @Femsplainers: Transwoman Corinna Cohn @heterodorx, now in her 40s, reflects on the gender re-assignment surgery she underwent at 19. Sh… — PolitiTweet.org

David Frum @davidfrum

RT @HormoneHangover: My friend Corinna is really great in this 😌 https://t.co/pxKroKvOQW — PolitiTweet.org

David Frum @davidfrum

RT @RuleandRuin: The Niskanen Center supports HR 3233: https://t.co/pg0MR9CPAx — PolitiTweet.org

David Frum @davidfrum

thread from earlier today about my @TheAtlantic on the pro-Trump culture war vs American scientists — PolitiTweet.org

David Frum @davidfrum

.@ElizabethDrewOH on Trump's Big Lie - and future plans https://t.co/ScVDeA0IJU — PolitiTweet.org

David Frum @davidfrum

But apparently, no, that's not how it seems to work. And so a story about a terrible question over the actions of China becomes an avenue to blame Dr Fauci for crimes against Trump. That's what I wrote about. I hope you'll read it. END https://t.co/mo5APSLFX1 — PolitiTweet.org

David Frum @davidfrum

Wouldn't you *want* US scientists to take care before endorsing so serious an accusation? I often hear people complain that the US Govt was too ready to believe WMD accusations against Iraq - then turn around to complain about excessive caution vs accusations against China. 11/x — PolitiTweet.org

David Frum @davidfrum

Hence also the strange mismatch: that a theory about the misconduct of the Chinese state invests so much of its energy in raging against US scientists. 10/x https://t.co/mo5APSLFX1 — PolitiTweet.org

David Frum @davidfrum

Which explains the weird phenomenon you'll see eg in my mentions on this piece: people who believe *both* that COVID is fake, the vaccines dangerous *and* that coronavirus was fabricated in a Chinese lab. The logically contradictory claims serve the same psychological end. 9/x — PolitiTweet.org

David Frum @davidfrum

As the disease raged out of control inside the US in March 2020, Trump turned to denial - and to arguments that economic reopening take priority over public health. The scientists who said otherwise became cultural enemies in the eyes of Trump world. 8/x — PolitiTweet.org

David Frum @davidfrum

And of course well before that, Trump had enabled Chinese bio-secrecy by winding down the US pandemic preparedness presence inside China. 7/x — PolitiTweet.org

David Frum @davidfrum

Strictly logically, that makes no sense. When the virus erupted, Trump lavishly praised the Chinese authorities. He wanted a trade deal. He wanted China to somehow incriminate Hunter Biden. At the crucial moments, it was *Trump* who covered for China. 6/x — PolitiTweet.org

David Frum @davidfrum

But there are people who are sure, fiercely and passionately sure. For many of these people, the lab-theory fulfills a crucial psychological function: it allows them to absolve President Trump - and excuse themselves for supporting him. 5/x — PolitiTweet.org

David Frum @davidfrum

And since those consequences will be so serious, you want to be very *sure* before designing any plan of action. Very, very sure. To date, however, US scientists and US intelligence remain deeply *unsure.* There's a long record of dangerous viruses originating naturally. 4/x — PolitiTweet.org

David Frum @davidfrum

If the lab-theory proves true, the political consequences will be serious. There's a whole other article to be written gaming out what those consequences would be, but ... serious. 3/x — PolitiTweet.org

David Frum @davidfrum

The origin of the coronavirus - in a Chinese lab, in an animal - remains unsettled. It's important to resolve the question as best we can. The Chinese authorities have not been transparent - and that's itself a warning that something important may be buried here. 2/x — PolitiTweet.org

David Frum @davidfrum

This piece has sparked a lot of comment, some of it very angry. Almost all the comments are answered in the body of the piece, but let me underscore one point here ... — PolitiTweet.org

David Frum @davidfrum

My article on how the lab-leak theory of coronavirus origin became an issue of culture war - with US scientists the principal targets — PolitiTweet.org

David Frum @davidfrum

RT @TheAtlantic: "Pro-Trumpers want to use Chinese misconduct—real and imagined—as a weapon in a culture war here at home," @davidfrum writ… — PolitiTweet.org

David Frum @davidfrum

RT @pkcapitol: In early March McCarthy declared 75% of members were vaccinated & House should return to pre-pandemic voting/committee rules… — PolitiTweet.org

David Frum @davidfrum

Pro Trump world denied COVID, refused masks, and now refuses vaccines. Trump himself sought Chinese help for his re-election. Now they want to blame US scientists for the pandemic they aggravated at every turn. https://t.co/mo5APSLFX1 — PolitiTweet.org

David Frum @davidfrum

RT @saletan: @davidfrum @TheAtlantic More receipts here. Trump "had a deal with Xi to get help in the election. To protect that deal, he w… — PolitiTweet.org

David Frum @davidfrum

@TheAtlantic Pro Trump talkers wanted to argue both that coronavirus was no big deal, nothing to stop the economy over - and also a Chinese biological super-weapon. More at @TheAtlantic https://t.co/mo5APSLFX1 — PolitiTweet.org

David Frum @davidfrum

Worth remembering that in January & February 2020, the pre-eminent US defender of China's coronavirus management was ex President Trump. More at @TheAtlantic https://t.co/mo5APSLFX1 — PolitiTweet.org

David Frum @davidfrum

The strange politics of the "lab leak" theory of coronavirus origin, my latest in @TheAtlantic https://t.co/mo5APSLFX1 — PolitiTweet.org