As political name-calling and partisan rhetoric overtakes the media, Jonah Goldberg casts a skeptical eye on the arguments used by today’s journalists, academics and “moderate” politicians. In his newest book, “The Tyranny of Clichés,” Goldberg scrutinizes the oft-repeated claim that liberals are non-ideologues by dismantling the myriad nonintellectual talking points the Left employs in debates.

Jonah Goldberg's new book explores and dismantles a number of cliches used in the war of ideas.

Poverty rates should go down. But does that mean it's the government's responsibility? Maybe the answer is yes. But if it is, the burden of proof should fall on those who, in effect, want the government to win the future by "investing" in shoes--rather than on those of us who are open to the idea of turning back the clock.

President Obama seems to believes that experts have all the answers and therefore automatically assumes that his preferred policies are so obviously right that there is no need to debate them, but there is always going to be a downside to even the best policies because the experts do not know as much as they think they do.

"They do that because they were born that way."

If you say that about homosexuals, you are tolerant and realistic. If you say it about blacks, you are racist (unless you're black yourself). If you say it about women, you may or may not be sexist, depending on who is manning...

Either the Navy is retiring these ships too early or its lifecycle estimates are hopelessly optimistic. But service leaders cannot have it both ways. Similarly, the administration cannot realistically “pivot” to Asia—a region defined by the “tyranny of distance”—and cut the fleet at the same time.

The Great Sudanese Teddy Bear Controversy was not actually a religious or cultural affair--it was purely political.