SUPPORTING REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS IS THE NEW CONTRARIANISM. Christine Stansell's new article about Carhart II is very good. The puzzle it presents is how on earth it made it into the New Republic -- perhaps Jeffrey Rosen and Ben Wittes were away on a cruise (high contrarianism on the high seas!) or something. Anyway, it's a good analysis of the problems with the decision:

THE SELF-IMMOLATION OF RUDY. As a staunch Giuliani opponent, I must admit a certain grudging admiration for his decision to be explicitly pro-choice rather than adopting the High Contrarian "I'm pro-choice, but it should be left to the states (and, er, whatever regulations Congress can pass" position, and it's refreshing in a way that primary voters would see this as the kind of dodge it almost always is. It's good for the country for a serious Republican candidate to take the normatively correct and (funding questions aside) majority position on the issue.