American punditry on the North

Some articles on Northern Ireland from National Review - "Sicily without Sunshine" by John Cullinan and David Frum

2 posts on their blog, The Corner are also interesting -
"RE: IRA [Shannen Coffin]
Ok, that's the second anti-Sinatra slur of the morning. It's an epidemic. On a more serious note, it is heartening to many Americans of Irish ancestry -- including this one -- that Gerry Adams got the boot this week from the White House. The legitimization of terrorist organizations like the IRA and the PLO over the last decade was one of the more detestable aspects of U.S. foreign policy. But as Mark Steyn properly pointed out in his syndicated column this morning, the Brits are as much to blame for that legitimization as anyone. But it is high time that we stopped glamorizing the thugs in Ireland simply because they supposedly practice the same religion as many of us in America. The days when Michael Collins tactics were thought necessary are long since gone, and the IRA should go with them."

"IRELAND'S YASSER ARAFAT [John Derbyshire]
The depravity of the so-called Irish Republican Army is now so apparent that even Ted Kennedy has noticed it!
Oh, it gets better -- I just read further: Even Rep. Peter King has noticed it!!!
Where were they when Gerry and his lads were blowing up Irish Protestants and London shoppers? Rattling the tin cup for Irish terrorists, that's where.
(Notice, by the way, that Rep. King still can't let go of his weasel words about Europe's most vicious and amoral terrorist gang. He says: "the IRA [have] made a series of poor decisions that had sparked anger in Irish-American circles." Translation: They are not bad people, just bad politicians. Rep. King is to the international terrorist movement what Frank Sinatra was to the Mafia.)"