Part 1: June 5, 2004 My sister Kelsey and I pulled into the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley.  Although this visit was going to be short, it had been some time in planning.  We were going to attend an event in Long Beach later that day, but we'd figured that we could... More

The Founders of this nation wrote the words "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." in order to prevent the federal government from creating a state sponsored religion like the one which Great Britain had established. They... More

Sen. John F. Kerry delivered another in an expanding line of forgettable speeches last night in Boston. It was boilerplate leftist rhetoric full of buzzwords, insults, lies, myths, and misconceptions, and a boatload of domestic programs and promises that no President can ever fulfill. That only a... More

Part 1 of this series can be read here Some of Muhammad's actions and policy show areas that his later followers misinterpret and misapply, since sometimes his actions and policies—rooted so deeply in Arab custom but missing in the Founder of another religion—seem excessive to Western... More

Thirty—eight straight games, over $1,300,000 in winnings, every record broken and 76 challengers crushed by Jeopardy! juggernaut Ken Jennings.  His phenomenal performance has generated responses that run the gamut from love to hate; from deep suspicion to cultish adoration, while others... More

December of this year will mark the nine—year anniversary of US and NATO intervention in the Balkan War of 1992—95.  For almost a decade, our troops have been conducting stability and support operations in Bosnia—Herzegovina, and, later, provided secure bases for the air war... More

A two—part series. Part (2) will appear tomorrow. The deepest source of Islamic terrorism lies in theology. Formed in response to events in the Prophet's lifetime, there are problematic aspects to Islamic theology and practice not found in two other great world religions, Christianity and... More

In Stalin's Russia and Mao's China, 'good class origins' were considered essential for an ambitious apparatchik. 'Good' in the sense of humble —— the poorer the better. When high church communism was discarded, the children of accomplished Chinese and Russian families could relax, and... More

Even with a couple of  cheater's steps off the pitcher's rubber working in his favor, John F. Kerry,  in front of a sold—out crowd at Fenway Park, couldn't manage to throw the first pitch of Sunday's Red Sox/Yankees game across home plate. Of course, the junior Senator from... More

Teresa Heinz Kerry made it through her unprecedented speech at the Democratic National Convention without losing control of her famous temper, losing her place in the well—rehearsed speech, or otherwise providing dramatic entertainment. But she was just plain weird. Leave aside the weirdness... More

In case you were rearranging the sock drawer or doing something similarly productive, here's what happened in Boston last night: When it comes to convention speeches, it's difficult to say that Democrats are inconsistent. During last night's festivities at the Democrat National Convention, former... More

Iran is moving rapidly to become a nuclear power. The Iranian mullahs have publicly promised to use nuclear weapons to exterminate Israel even if Israel were to achieve peace with the Palestinians. They also claim that Iran, with 70 million people, could absorb and survive any response from Israel... More

The news media's treatment of Sandy Berger's removal of highly classified documents from the National Archives remarkably focuses on the timing of the leak, casting aspersions on the White House. It's not the first time Democrats have shown that manipulating their friends in the press is as easy as... More

Daniel Okrent, the New York Times' recently appointed Public Editor, has already had some run—ins with Times writers and staff, who are apparently not used to criticism or scrutiny from within. After his July 25 column, Is the New York Times a Liberal Newspaper? some in the paper may... More

The Baehr Essentials If Monday, July 26th were Election Day, instead of the start of the Democratic National Convention, it would likely be a good day for the Democrats and the millions of Bush haters in the US and abroad.  As many learned in 2000, the Presidency is decided in the Electoral... More

Here are some very positive stories and op—eds concerning Iraq recently found in the French press. 1. America that we love to hate, by Bruno Tertrais in Le Figaro Bruno Tertrais, in a very refreshing op—ed, builds a case defending the Bush administration from the hysteria and lies... More

Iraq and Afghanistan are making steady progress towards establishment of a secure and democratic form of government.  Coalition military units and Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRT) are continuing operations to ensure all eligible Afghan citizens have the opportunity to vote in this fall's... More

Weir thinking about it In July of 1976, on a hot steamy night in Albuquerque, New Mexico, two criminals shot and killed a young man working at a gas station. They had no idea that they would be responsible for a worldwide anti—crime movement that has resulted in the solution of approximately... More

President George W. Bush has endured an onslaught of attacks from his opponents and critics in the nation's dominant media organs, the likes of which have not been seen since the days of Richard Nixon. Perhaps it is unprecedented. When was the last time, if ever, that a mendacious propaganda film... More

Over last weekend, ex—President Clinton gave two stunning interviews to the French press: one to Le Monde and the other one to Le Figaro. Coincidentally, President Bush also gave a very interesting interview to Le Figaro. This gives us the opportunity to analyze the major discrepancies in the... More

The six new hostages in Iraq have the governments of the Philippines and Spain to thank for their current plight. Experts warned that giving in to terrorists' demands would only encourage more kidnappings, leading to more demands, and an ever—increasing spiral of abductions and murders. And... More

A few weeks ago, Queens Superior Court Justice, Laura Blackburne, a notoriously anti—police judge, was reassigned to civil court for helping a robbery suspect, Derek Sterling, evade an NYPD detective who was in the courthouse to arrest the convicted felon on a mugging charge. At the time,... More

Weir Thinking about it Jack Benny used to tell a funny story about a guy who approached him with a gun and said: 'Your money or your life!' After a few seconds had passed, the guy said: 'Well?' Benny replied: 'I'm thinking, I'm thinking.' Well, I pause to think sometimes, when I read about people... More

Readers of the largest, most prestigious American dailies are being treated to a propaganda campaign unprecedented in modern times. In their effort to defeat President George Bush, the New York Times and the Washington Post often choose to run stories and write op—eds that target certain... More

Some say that Kerry—Edwards is the first metrosexual ticket. But five syllable words do not lend themselves readily to jokes, slogans, or taunts. Clearly, we need a new new slang expression. How about 'pinkneck'?  You know you're a pinkneck if: you can hardly wait till an... More

Tolerance is the solution to most conflicts in the world. From the French—language website newsmagazine proche—orient.info comes an incredible story of friendship and human dignity. The story starts in Sarajevo at the beginning of WWII. Mustafa and Zaneiba Hardagan were a very tolerant... More

Once again, Arnold Schwarzenegger is outsmarting his California Democrat opponents, and leading the state in the direction of long—needed structural change. The Governator is a brilliant man, a master of strategy and tactics, and possessed of energy, charm, charisma, confidence, good... More

Two weeks ago, both Democratic and GOP strategists were talking about the coming Kerry poll bounce.  The bounce would have two stages: the VP nominee selection, and then the Democratic convention.  The GOP, trying to highball the number, estimated that  Kerry would take a 15 point... More

Sighted this week in Princeton, New Jersey: a BMW sports car bearing bumper stickers that proclaimed the driver to have "A PBS Mind in a Fox News World" and enjoined Americans to "Think: It's Patriotic." However silly the sentiments conveyed, you have to give the designer of the stickers and the... More

The plight of our inner cities has been the focus of elite concern since before Lyndon Johnson's Great Society, seemingly impervious to all manner of initiatives and palliatives from governmental or private institutions.  While hundreds of billions of dollars have been spent in the War on... More

Last night, at a claimed 3192 locations nationwide, Moveon.org held house parties to view the new film Outfoxed,  an unfair and unbalanced attack on the Fox News Channel. Already hyped by the New York Times and discredited by Fox News, the film offered a chance for like—minded folk to... More

Sixty years after the Holocaust transformed much of Central Europe into a massive graveyard, the scourge of anti—Semitism seems alive and well, particularly in France, home of Europe's largest Jewish population. Weekly headlines emanating from Paris, Marseille, and Lyon are eerily reminiscent... More

The liberal media worldwide, the UN, the European Union and the Arab world want you to believe that Israel is more responsible than the Palestinian Authority in the failure of the 'peace process.'   Another of the same media's favorite expressions, 'cycle of violence,' equates Palestinian... More

The mainstream press is in its normal operating mode, focusing on every negative situation in Iraq, while ignoring the tremendous success stories coming out of both Iraq and Afghanistan.  This week's Battle Blog, as always, will continue to inform American Thinker readers by highlighting these... More

During the traditional Bastille Day press interview, French President Chirac was asked to touch on the violent anti—Semitic wave shaking France. He replied, 'Our fellow Jews, Muslims or others, or simply sometimes French are victims of aggressions because they do not belong to such and such... More

Jewish liberals received a shock this week. The liberal Presbyterian Church USA [thanks to readers who corrected the earlier mistake on the name] declared war on Israel at is annual General Assembly meeting, approving a divestment campaign from Israel by an 87% vote, making the Holy... More

[Part (1) of this article appeared yesterday.] Contrary to popular belief, the Arab—Israeli conflict has a solution. An orderly resettlement elsewhere of the so—called Palestinian Arabs would solve this long standing 'intractable' problem. To propose this solution today elicits... More

The UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), was very upset last week that the US had shipped about 1.8 tons of low—enriched uranium and other radioactive material out of Iraq for disposition in the US.  One would think that the IAEA would have appreciated... More

The topic being debated on sports talk radio in Chicago this week was not the coming Bears training camp, or the fading hopes for the Cubs, but whether 'da Coach' would run, and could he win a Senate race for 'da GOP.' Da coach, of course, is Mike Ditka, Iron Mike for the initiated. After flirting... More

This is the first of two articles outlining a radically different framework for peace, one that doesn't envision endless conflict. Part 1 today argues against the belief that basic human justice requires a new Palestinian state. Part 2 presents an alternative framework for resolving the... More

They now operate from the U.S. Navy's Fleet Information Warfare Center, Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek, Virginia.  Their missions include: electronic warfare, psychological operations, military deception, operational security and computer network defense. Their predecessors, the... More

Dear John, After all you've been through in the past year, losing in the primaries and being unable to win reelection to your own Senate seat, I do hate to bring more uncertainty into your life; but I've noticed that since being named John Kerry's new best buddy, your Two Americas stump speech... More

This final installment in the series of three articles argues that there is an evil and deadly terrorist logic, designed to influence the American elections in November. The articles take the form of examining a series of logical premises. The first article, premises (1) and (2), and... More

Libya is still a rogue country During a press conference held in Paris on July 6, 2004 the French lawyer Emmanuel Ludot, one of the twenty attorneys representing the Butcher of Baghdad, Saddam Hussein, made some stunning revelations. First and foremost, he mentioned that Libya offered money for... More

Here's a puzzler for you history buffs out there: which prominent elected official wrote the following words in a letter to which civil rights activist from a state other than his own, and when was it written? 'Go home and stay there....We do not need you stirring up trouble where none exists....... More

A staple of Sen. John Kerry's critique of the Bush foreign policy is that President George W. Bush and his lieutenants squandered the goodwill of longstanding allies by their boastful words, plunged into Iraq without the explicit blessing of the UN Security Council, and otherwise disregarded the... More

A few weeks back, Charles Krauthammer wrote an article, 'Israel's Intifada Victory,' in which he argued that rather than bringing Israel to its knees, the intifada had been a strategic disaster for the Palestinians.  In one sense, Krauthammer is clearly correct: the Palestinian terror... More

Last week's profanity—laden Democratic fundraiser in Radio City Music Hall has important consequences, far beyond its impact on voters' understanding of candidates Kerry and Edwards, and their relationship with the Hollywood elites. The audience which is closely watching this domestic... More

Friday morning on a Paris commuter train, the infernal cycle of anti—Semitism, silence and fear appeared once again. Six Arab youths attacked a twenty—three—year—old young mother with her thirteen—month—old baby. They started by stealing her hand bag and then,... More

The establishment of a sovereign Iraq has put the onus of security squarely on the shoulders of the Iraqis themselves.  They are not doing this alone, of course, since recruiting and training occur under the watchful eye of the Coalition.  It appears that this effort is paying off, as... More

Shortly after The American Thinker criticized  the mainstream press, especially the conservative daily The Washington Times, for their lack of on—the—ground reporting in Iraq, a Time Magazine reporter finally broke through the leftist haze, and has routinely been with units doing... More

The New York Times is now trumpeting the 'dream team' of John Kerry and his running mate, John Edwards. However, strangely enough, on January 4th the Grey Lady ran a front—page article that disparaged him as a greedy Magus of the courtroom, who conned compliant juries with junk science and... More

Terrorists would rather fight a weak and discordant opponent so they can win the war they started and impose their ultimate goal. In American politics today, Kerry and the Democrats are the opponents they would prefer to face as leaders of the Great Satan. The argument is repeated here,... More

Weir thinking about it As Iraq continues its struggle to form a democracy, and the hunt for terrorists goes on in Afghanistan, the usual assortment of protesters is back in the news. These holdovers from, and emulators of, the sixties anti—war movement haven't changed a bit. You have to... More

For decades, the Muslim world has been in thrall to the concept of victimhood. The claim that Muslims have been wronged by the avarice of the West, by the crusading Christians, and especially by the Jewish people reclaiming their ancient homeland from the Muslims, is now established dogma. They... More

The Baehr Essentials Last week, Bush campaign strategist Matthew Dowd emailed Bush supporters that they should expect to see a 15 point bounce for John Kerry in the next month. This bounce would be consistent with those for candidates in previous campaigns, Dowd said, and would be the product of... More

Satire The failure of the Bush Administration to seek a Declaration of War following the 9/11 attack is once again causing problems, in the wake of the recent Supreme Court rulings on the rights of detainees.  The lack of an official war status has had other serious consequences, hampering... More

In a Washington Post op—ed article, John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, adumbrates a plan, of sorts, for Iraq. He writes the piece so he can appear in—touch with the events in Iraq. But he keeps it vague and platitudinous so he can adjust his 'plan' as events... More

A photograph of Senator John F. Kerry, being honored by the Marxist government of Vietnam for special contributions to the communist victory in their war of domination, hangs in the War Remnants Museum (formerly the War Crimes Museum) in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon). His partner in the... More

Daniel Pipes has called attention to the many disastrous unilateral concessions that Israel has made to the Arab Palestinian terrorist "leadership" since 1992, and the terrible price in dead, maimed and suffering people, not to mention a ruined economy, that Israel has paid for these concessions.... More

Recently, the wave of anti—Semitism in Europe has been the fiercest in France. That is why we have been focusing on that country, reporting at length on the situation of the French Jewish population. France hosts the largest Jewish and Muslim communities in Europe. But a tiny country in... More

From the June 30 issue of al Hayat, we learn that the Lebanese government's top priority of the day was deciding whether or not to approve a wedding between two Christian Maronites. Why is that so important? Because the bride happens to be an Israeli citizen. So, instead of dealing with the... More

The nine year—long deployment for US forces in the Balkans finally appears to be coming to a close, yet amazingly, the US mainstream media has chosen to completely ignore this major shift of our defense strategy.  Meanwhile, the American people are bombarded daily with major press... More

Television, for the most part, belongs to the left. The advent of the Fox News Channel, and the occasional History Channel program to the contrary notwithstanding, 'progressive' pabulum dominates the tube. Anyone who has ever raged at the unfairness of it all should meet Herb Meyer. Herb has done... More

Berkeley, California, my home town, has a well—deserved reputation for leftist absurdity. Many bad ideas either originated here, or were developed to their logical extreme by activists in and out of the local municipal government. Yet, like a broken clock, from time to time Berkeley is... More

As Iraq celebrates its regained sovereignty and independence, it is appropriate, with the meaning and importance of 4th of July weekend fresh in our minds, that we take a moment to remember some of those who made this historic event possible. It was July. 1918, and it was imperative that the... More

Since the handover to Iraqi officials earlier this week, terrorist attacks have apparently fallen off sharply.  Problems still remain with Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) and roadside bombs, but there have been no reports of coordinated assaults against Coalition forces or Iraqi government... More

Weir thinking about it Recently, at a dinner function with some friends, one of the guys brought up the idea of a golfing holiday for men. He said that he and a bunch of other guys were planning to spend nine days in Scotland, playing as much as 36 holes a day. They would play golf all day, every... More

Weir thinking about it How much does the average American know about the conditions that exist in our prisons?  Similar to the 'outside' world, there are gangs, religions, male and female type relationships, and business deals. A complex society in which there are rules and procedures, over... More

In a deliberate snub, French Foreign Minister Barnier decided to visit Palestinian Authority head Yasser Arafat, rather than Israeli Prime Minister Sharon, on his visit to the region. We revealed this intention to readers earlier.  Now we have an account of the actual meeting with the Nobel... More

On July 9th, the International Court in The Hague is expected to announce its ruling on the legality of Israel's security fence. Perhaps in a bow to The Hague, Israel's Supreme Court, in two separate rulings this week, struck down the planned path of the fence in the Jerusalem area, arguing... More

It appears that the nine—year old stability and support mission to the Balkans will finally come to an end this year for US forces.  An article  published by the Guardian (UK)today, describes the low—key ceremony marking the closing of the Kapos Air Base in Taszar,... More

Last week, the New York Times ombudsman was forced to acknowledge that the Times headline about the 9/11 Commission's findings on an Iraq Al Qaeda link was misleading. He noted, however, that the error was unintentional, whatever that might mean. A few days back the Times reported the results of... More

America has been ignoring a highly promising set of political ideas and institutions, in its rush to establish a democratic republic in Iraq. By doing so, we discount one of the most important lessons of the last century of political turmoil. Radical change often works best when clothed in the garb... More